SeanMcDowell.org

For the past 4 years, I have been blogging regularly at SeanMcDowell.org on topics of apologetics, worldview, and student culture. One question people often ask me is, “How do you keep coming up with content for new blogs?”

Here are eight ideas that help me generate consistent material for my blog:

1. Interviews. When I see a new book coming out, I often ask the author if they will answer a few email questions for my blog. They often say yes. It is a win-win for both of us. These kinds of interviews have been some of my most popular blogs, such as this one on theistic evolution and this one on the historical Jesus.

2. Personal Experience. You probably have weekly experiences, if you are paying attention, that could be the basis of a blog. This popular blog was based on an evangelism “failure” I had as a student right out of college. People resonated with it because it was about a mistake, not a success.

3. Common Question. Every question someone asks you is potential material for a blog. Every time I receive a question in person, email, on social media, or from one of my kids, I know there are countless other people asking the same question. For instance, this recent blog was based on the question skeptics often ask about whether believing in God is like believing in Santa.

4. Book Review. I love reading books. Writing a book review helps me formulate my thoughts, it helps market the book for the author, and it provides content for my blog. Here is a recent review of an important book on New Testament textual criticism.

5. Current Event. Whenever I read the news, I look for a story that I can write about. For instance, GQ featured a story last year about how the Bible should not be considered a “must-read” book. Since this is a topic I have researched and thought about, I decided to write a response. These kinds of timely blogs often get good readership.

6. Insightful Quote. While reading the influential book The Sexual Revolution (William Reich, 1936), I came across a powerful quote that captures the heart of the sexual revolution. And so I wrote a blog unpacking it. I did the same recently with a quote from St. Augustine related to the intersection of science and faith.

7. Guest Blogger. Recently I started having a handful of Biola Apologetics grads write guest blogs. It helps them with exposure to their ministries, and it helps me provide good content to my readers. This recent guest blog about a skeptic seeing beauty in the Christian God was quite popular.

8. Existing Content. Some of my blogs involve repackaging existing content. For example, when the updated Evidence that Demands A Verdict released, I wrote a blog based on the most recent manuscript count we uncovered in our research. Do you have sermons? Have you written any papers for a class? A book? Think about content you already have and repackage it for a blog.

If you have any additional ideas, I would love to hear them!