Avoiding the Herostratic Temptation of Christian Blogging

The Gerasa Temple of Artemis

In early 1863 John Wilkes Booth told James H. McVicker, a fellow actor and manager of McVicker's Theater in Chicago, that there would be a "glorious opportunity for a man to immortalize himself by killing Lincoln." The statement, made a full year before Booth actually assassinated the nation's 16th President, included a historical reference which seems to justify Booth's intentions. He told McVickers:

"The ambitious youth who fired the Ephesian dome outlives in fame the pious fool who reared it." (Source: The Detroit Free Press, April 18, 1865)

Booth never attended college, but his understanding of ancient history would surpass most college graduates today. The 'dome' to which Booth refers was the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Nobody knows the name of the one who built it, but the name of the one who destroyed it by fire is infamous.

Herostratus (pronounced 'hero-stra'- tus) torched the Temple of Artemis on July 21, 356 BC, the very night Alexander the Great was born, prompting Plutarch to speculate that Artemis was too preoccupied with Alexander's delivery to save her burning temple. The Ephesians sentenced Herostratus to death and forbade anyone from mentioning his name; but the world, just as Booth suggested to his friend, seems to exalt the names of those who destroy rather than those who build.

The name Herostratus is now used in languages around the world for those who are seeking fame at any cost, something called herostratic fame.

There is the temptation in all of us to gravitate toward the fame associated with destroying what others built. The kingdom is being built by God's people. Sometimes the craftsmanship of what is being built is shoddy. Other times the builders themselves are flawed. Blogging has done Christians a great service in helping us understand the issues and problems within the Kingdom.

However, I don't wish to be a Booth. It's never my desire to be known for tearing down what others have built, regardless of how dysfunctional it may be. I'd rather be known for what I'm for rather than for what I'm against. I'd rather people understand what to build and how to build, rather than what needs burned and how to burn it.

I'm not sure, however, that most people enjoy reading how something's built. For example, in my last article on James McDonald and how he wrongly (in my view) invests spiritual authority in elders, there were 'thousands' of hits from all over the world. However, toward the end of the article I offered a solution to the problem by posting a PDF that explains how to have a church where Christ alone is understand to have all spiritual authority. There were only a few hundred downloads of the object which would help build something good.

Regardless, it's my desire to never expose a problem (as I see it) without offering a solution. I'd rather be unknown and try to build something good for the Kingdom than be the famous guy who is well-known for destroying what someone else has built, regardless of how dysfunctional the building is.