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Do You Think It's Wrong For A Christian To Monetize Blog?
Posted by AProvisionOfGod • 2/19/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: blogging, monetize, religion
Had a conversation with an unbeliever who suggested that a monetized Christian blog deflects from the message being presented. I disagree. This person didn't seem to have a problem with secular blogs advertising. What's your take on whether a Christian Blog should monetize?
User Comments
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I'm no expert on the Christian religion, but if you're preaching charity while serving advertisements and putting the ad money in your own pocket, you're being a hypocrite.-
If the money was put back into the ministry ... would it then be okay?
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Ministry? I'm indifferent. Charity? Sure.
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I get paid for my text links. They remain obscure and I hope, does not take away from the content offering.
I do keep a "donation" button at the footer but don't "advertise" for money. I do this because, unfortunately, there are those individuals who are either insecure or judgmental in nature.
Fortunately, blogging is not a primary or even secondary source of income for me.
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I think it would depend on the topic/subject of the blog itself. It's OK to monetize some things.
Now, if I were to monetize, I'd be a flaming hypocrite. -
Usually Christian websites commonly do not have elements or applications which "monetize" it.
It depends on the individual and his intentions, and whether if truly such a move on his blog will deflect readers from spiritual growth. -
Anok ???
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I'm an anti-capitalist Anarchist. Monetizing would be way, way hypocritical of me
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so if one were preaching the doctrines of the early church (Acts 4:31 through 4:34) then it would be wrong.
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Maybe. Depends on what kind of Christian blog it is. If its a Christian lifestyle blog, then go right ahead, monetize. If its specifically a blog dealing directly with matters of faith and religion, then it's inappropriate.
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Why
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I'm not a Christian, but I understand you people have to eat. I'm also not a judge, jury or hangman. But you'll meet some real soon
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It odd that the same individual would have a major fit if someone asked them to donate to the a ministry .... but has a problem with alternative forms of providing for endeavor.
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I suggest its the ole beam in the eye thing.
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As Christians we are told to use our talents, and yes God wants us to prosper. He promises that in using our talents the rewards will come. If your talent is spreading the message about Christianity, why should you be exempt from that promise?
No matter what you do with the money... tithe/give/support- whatever- according to your personal belief is all that is asked of you in matters of money.
Money is not evil.-
I agree 100% ...
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I guess it depends--did you set up a Christian blog because you thought it would be a good way to make money, or did you have Christian thoughts, information and inspiration you wanted to share and then see that it was attracting attention and there might be a way to derive income from that message while making it freely available?
I'm of two minds about this, but in general come down in the same place I do with my writing generally; I write for money because if I didn't, I'd have to do something else for money, and that would take time away from my writing.
I've weighed in before with some confusion as to why Rick Warren sells his books in hardcover instead of making them as readily available as possible, but advertising (assuming that it's not inappropriate) seems to me something different than charging for what purports to be a message from God.-
yep, that sounds good -
I agree it's ablout the intention, the motive, and really only God can judge those that.
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I agree. I see a difference between - say asking people to register and pay a subscription fee for religious teachings or thoughts, and allowing an ad to exist on the blog with no coercion to purchase anything.
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I agree MadameX I really don't see the difference, if advertising is wrong then I guess that writing books would be too, meh -
@Madmae X
IMO you have hit the nail on the head.
@Anok
I see a difference between - say asking people to register and pay a subscription fee for religious teachings or thoughts, and allowing an ad to exist on the blog with no coercion to purchase anything
So do I.
I'm also keenly aware of the false prophets who are preaching the gospel of prosperity and abundance under the banner of Christianity. There's no question in my mind that their cherry picking of scriptures aimed at justifying the aggressive acquisition of personal wealth and hoarding treasures in this world, is NOT in keeping with the teachings attributed to Jesus in the New Testament books.
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Christianity and capitalism are not mutually exclusive.-
Someone knows their history.
(Indulgences, anyone?) -
Precisely.
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That really doesn't make any sense, Kobra. The fact that something has been done under the auspices of a church hardly means that thing is "compatible with Christianity". We all know that many evils have been perpetrated in the name of religion, and that hardly makes them compatible with religious tenets.
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Oh, I was kidding!
It was the indulgences that led to the Protestant reformation because Martin Luther saw that the church was corrupt. I would have to be stupid to think Christian beliefs actually included indulgences. -
yes. Tithing in order to have a "personal relationship with Jesus Christ" is way different.
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@Agit8r who said
yes. Tithing in order to have a "personal relationship with Jesus Christ" is way different.
Since when did tithing have anything to do with having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? It doesn't.
In fact I am from the school that says tithing was an OT way of taking care of the Levitical Priests and we are not bound to it in this dispensation. Of course that is my opinion.
I have a few affiliate links to Christian books on my Christian site and that is it. I do however have about 8 other sites that are internet marketing related so that is where I make my money.
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It's like the episode of the Simpson's where the Church of Springfield is rebuilt after a fire by Monty Burns. He fills it with advertisements, kiosks, billboards and commercial messages. I just think it's kind of tacky and dilutes your message.
I don't monetize my blog because I can't control what kind of ads pop up on it. Sometimes, I write about my personal experiences and political views and I would literally freak out if an ad for Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh popped up in Adsense. I don't want to be associated with any commercial websites that I don't approve of.-
I would freak out if Coulter showed up on my blog in any form!
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Like you wouldn't post a picture of Ann Coulter in a blog post if she died in a tragically ironic fashion?
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I have a picture of her on my blog - with Bill O'Reilly - in a blog spot about the two of them.
But I put it there, so it wasn't a surprise. If she just..showed up...ACK!
I don't think I'd post her picture if she died though. I might post post something totally inappropriate for the commemorating of a person's death...like a party scene or some other festive behavior... -
I don't wish death on anyone. Tragically ironic, as locked in a lesbian embrace with a North Korean? LOL.
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I dread the day when something nasty shows up on my cat blog...
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That probably won't happen because Google Adsense posts ads on your blog based off keywords in your posts. So, this becomes tricky only with blogs that deal very specifically with editorial content. Your cat blog is more fun and informational than editorial.
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Busylizzy... hair balls happen!
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@stillthinking:
I had a cat with the same markings and colors as your avatar! A calico male.. rare.. beautiful he lived 15 years, and I miss him terribly!
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LOL
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No! I don't think its wrong!
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I'm a christian and I have a health blog, which I ultimately plan on monetizing at some point. I would like to start a christian blog in the future but I've already decided that I won't monetize that one. I wouldn't feel right. My reasoning is that I would never charge someone to share the gospel. But, I can't say specifically that it is wrong, as people buy christian books, magazines, etc.
But, as christians we are accountable to God for how we handle the bible. When you throw ads into the mix, now you are accountable for what those ads are leading people to buy or do.-
I think that each person has to be persuaded within their own mind/heart/spirit on this issue. I don't actually see a connection with selling the word and monetizing the blog. Nobody is being charged to read or enter the blog ... if they choose to purchase a product GREAT (I pray they do) ... the message isn't the product.
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Busylizzy, quite the contrary, if you go back to the very beginning of christian history, in the book of acts, you might say they were socialists. Acts 4:32-37
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Ohhh. You said the 'S' word. Conservative Christians won't like that.
I like Luke 12:22-23
“Then Jesus said to his disciples: Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat: or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.”
I'm just having a little fun here. Capitalism is good for society and I luv our Christian friends.
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It really depends on you, and how you view/interpret it.
My sister and I had different views on Charity Lotto. In my opinion, betting on a Lotto is still gambling, while to her, since a part of it goes to Charity, it's acceptable.
The same with your blog. My only advise is this:
When in doubt, don't.-
No doubt, no doubt ...
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In Genesis God tells Adam and Eve to "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over it."
In the Message it reads: God blessed them: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth."
So in my opinion prospering from blogging is not wrong.
It is the love of money or greed is what makes prospering wrong.-
InClark it really doesnt matter at this point ...I've received exactly $0.00 from advertising sources. I'm keeping hope alive though.
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Remember, just monetize it and use the money collected for good. Eg: advertising the religion blog to others, or maybe you can do more than you can expect by monetizing. Or, its good when you can redistribute the money for the needy. For me, monetizing is not the problem, in fact it is a must if you have that capability. -
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I don't think its wrong. I do, however, think that I must monitor if the ads distract from the message. The next thing to consider is who does it distract and are they my target audience anyway. The funny thing is the people who have problems with the ads would freak out if I asked for a donation. Christians are an interesting bunch ... I love my people but they are definitely something else.
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I think it is a matter of principle - and NOT whether a christian blog should have money making ability or not.
Check it out: If I go to a blog that is (please excuse the terminology ahead of time...) "Holier than thou" --- and yet there are Monetization Links for oh... say PORNO...
Well....... Then I have a problem with hypocrisy.
But I believe even Christians need to eat sometime... *giggle*
I think it really depends on the reason behind the blog - the nature of the blog should set precedence on whether it is monetized or WHAT TYPE of monetization you might choose to use.
Too many of us have memories of many televangelists denouncing bad things only to be caught doing those same bad things --- YET... Raking in the subscriber's money.
Keep it in context -- and keep honesty around and you're fine.
If you're a scam blog -- then you don't care what people think and you won't be trying to sway people's judgments of that.
If you're truly concerned - make a different blog and monetize it.
If you're not concerned with other people's reactions - then do as you please.
Truly this is a simple question...
And it matters not what you believe in to find the correct answer.
The correct answer is:
Do the RIGHT thing and be honest about it.
Do not Deceive your followers --- If you're a casino blog - like mine - then promote casinos... If you're a religious blog -- promote religions... If either of us make a buck doing it --- great --- what we do with that money - is up to our own personal choices and beliefs.
WagerWitch-
You make a concrete, logical, well-thought out point. I'm still deciding if the advertisements distracts from the message.
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There are polite ways to ASK for Charity - And if that's your gig - where you make a percentage off the charity points - then you could provide REAL TIME details about WHERE the profit/charity mix goes - and how it's spent. That would let people make an informed decision.
Marketing is marketing whether it is for pornography or for religion - it's still meeting a target audience and providing targeted information to that audience in the hopes of a "sell" or customer or repeat visitor.
You have to decide what is important for your visitors to view based on your content.
You have to choose how to lay it out - based on what makes YOU feel comfortable.
If money is the only thing --- then hey - broadcast it big and mention it LOTS.
If money is not an objective but would be nice --- make it a side bar...
If money is not the object - but hey - if it shows up no one is complaining - then put it at the bottom.
Most people - when first viewing a Blog - realistically ONLY read the first 2 - 3 posts in a blog - and therefore only take in a certain square area of the blog's front page.
YOU must keep their interest - and then provide your content - and then monetization.
Keep in mind that marketing again is the same thing for ANY subject matter.
Marketing is the same no matter if you're monetizing or not.
You want people to read your blog
you want people to maybe somehow get money to you.
Adsense?
Charity?
Donations?
Ads?
Affiliate links?
Selling your own items?
And the list goes on.
YOU have to choose what is right for YOUR Subject.
Don't worry what other people think. You EITHER will --- or will not - profit from it --- with visitors and or profits.
So YOU have to decide if the advertisement distracts from the message based on YOUR priorities.
You have to choose Which Advertisements would or would not detract -- use color schemes - locations to make that choice.
I hope that I helped instead of confused... But I think that bringing this up is an important thing...
Good luck to you - OK?
WagerWitch -
I can't say it is wrong because that is what a lot of christian media is about. I have seen the tv shows and such (send me the money!)
So I would say it is more about who is running the site-blog. What it is the person or people are after. If it is about spreading the word of Jesus that is great. If it is about making money that is great too.
Personaly however I must say that the minute I see one single advertisement on a site that is suposed to be a christian faith site I figure the whole thing is a scam and the people behind it are just out for cash. For all I know they are not even of christian faith. They may have sites dealing with many religions. If they are for real they would be running the site for the people who need it, not for the chance of making cash. That's just how I see such sites of course and if somebody wants to make money off of other peoples religious beliefs that is fine. -
There is not one reason a Christian should not be able to make a profit from blogging if they have the ability.
A Christian should not own, operate and profit from a strip club, from dealing drugs, etc... -
of course not! it's better than idle that can sometimes force you to think and do something bad. -
My web hosting bill came - 50$/year ??? - I am not tht rich.
So put google ads thru adsense in my blog.
Hope its ok as the ads look well targeted...
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