Commonplaces

a theological librarian’s marginalia

5 Responses to “Seminar: Become an über-Googler”

1. Drew Dixon said:
   

   November 1st, 2007 at 2:55 pm

   I like your math question! Does it help to keep the crazies off your site? Actually the google seminar sounds cool, will you be doing any of the teaching?

2. Paul Roberts said:
   

   November 1st, 2007 at 7:24 pm

   The math question is to make sure that those who leave comments are real people and not spam bots. I hate blog spam. I. hate. spam. Once, I changed the question to “Do librarians run the world” and too many people got it wrong. So now it randomly asks you to add 2 numbers between 1 and 10.

   And, yes, I’ve been reading quite a bit in preparation for the workshop on Wednesday. I went to a conference in D.C. last year on this sort of thing and have been itching to pass it on.

   Are you coming?

3. Drew Dixon said:
   

   November 1st, 2007 at 11:51 pm

   Yeah I think at least part of it, I have class at 11:30, but it sounds like the sort of thing that would be helpful for someone like myself.
   Have you checked out my blog? If you ever have some time to check it out, I would love to hear your feedback!

4. Kay said:
   

   November 2nd, 2007 at 8:58 am

   It’s taken me three tries to get this far. Math is not my strong suit.
   Can you tell me how to discern that a website is true to the word of God when researching? Are there recommended websites or websites to avoid?
   Kay

5. Paul Roberts said:
   

   November 2nd, 2007 at 12:57 pm

   J. I. Packer offers some good advice about discernment in this article (click here), including this excerpt:

   Here, too, the importance of corporateness in our quest to know the will of God needs stressing. We were neither made nor redeemed for self-sufficient aloneness, and it is not to be expected that our private stock of wisdom and discernment will suffice without supplement from outside sources. “In an abundance of counselors there is safety.” We must never be too proud to take advice from persons wiser and godlier than ourselves, and any personal guidance that we think we have received by inner nudge from the Lord ought to be checked with believers who are capable of recognizing unrealism, delusion, and folly when they see it. In these two ways the Spirit regularly uses the fellowship of the body of Christ to deepen each Christian’s discernment of God’s will, and it is part of the discipline of divine guidance to be ready for the Spirit to speak to us through other believers to confirm His will for our lives.

   I would also encourage you to ask the following of everything you read, whether online or in print:

   What does this say about God?
   What does this say about what pleases God?
   What does the Bible say about this?
   What do Christians that I trust think about this?
   Who does this author reference (links)?
   Is the author humble and submissive to Scripture or does he take Scripture out of context?
   Finally, be like the Bereans of Acts 17 and “search the Scriptures daily to see if these things be so.”

   Much more could be said about this, but this should get you started.

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