Poor, Poor John the Baptist!
September 7, 2009
One of the exciting, and interesting things about launching this website has been to see where people travel on the site—and where they do not! As the creator of the site, I feel that everything I put on the site is worthwhile, except the parts which are not filled in yet (Bible Teaching and the Decided Life Series), but apparently not everyone thinks likewise.
While I can handle the fact that most people don’t get real excited to click on the “Sermons” page, or much less the sermons on that page (I have changed the page to a more inviting, “Preaching the Word”), the page on the site which is the most neglected, and which disappoints me the most is my biographical sketch of John the Baptist. I simply cannot get people to read it. I have changed the name of the bio, changed the teasers, but there just is no interest in it.
Now, I can understand this phenomenon. The famous biographer, John Pollock—the author of Billy Graham’s authorized biography as well as other well-received biographies—wrote biographies on Jesus and on Paul. I own both, but have never cracked either of them open. I figure that I can read about them (and have read about them) in the Bible. Frankly, I do not know what angle Pollock took on Paul or Jesus, but I would guess they were not very well received or read.
As I researched the life and ministry of John the Baptist, I was surprised at the amount of material dedicated to him in the Scriptures. I personally had never taken the time to put all of the material together and contemplate it all at once. I made some discoveries for myself about John the Baptist and how he is an example for believers in Jesus Christ today.
What I have put together in my bio is areas in which John the Baptist is an example for us as believers rather than a stuffy chronological biography.
John the Baptist has SO much to teach us. Check out the bio I have written entitled, “John the Baptist and the Voices that Cry Out.” Oh, and let me know what you think. If it doesn’t work (which I am willing to hear and allow), let me know why.