Elder Ballard Tells BYU-Hawaii Graduates to Blog

I have noticed that the content contained on the newsroom page at LDS.org has been much more interesting to me over the past several months. And much of the content is "blog-friendly."

Comments made by Elder Ballard to BYU-Hawaii graduates offers some compelling evidence that this is not a coincidence. As I read some of Elder Ballard's comments, I thought about Craig Pankratz's blog and how it is an example of what Elder Ballard was encouraging students to do.

Here are some of Elder Ballard's comments:

“We cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the Church teaches,” he said.

“While some conversations have audiences in the thousands or even millions, most are much, much smaller. But all conversations have an impact on those who participate in them. Perceptions of the Church are established one conversation at a time.”

Church leaders have publicly expressed concern that while much of the recent extensive news reporting on the Church has been balanced and accurate, some has been trivial, distorted or without context.

Elder Ballard said there were too many conversations going on about the Church for Church representatives to respond to each individually, and that Church leaders “can’t answer every question, satisfy every inquiry and respond to every inaccuracy that exists.”

He said students should consider sharing their views on blogs, responding to online news reports and using the “new media” in other ways.

But he cautioned against arguing with others about their beliefs. “There is no need to become defensive or belligerent,” he said.