Featured Blogger: Alan Knox

This month's featured blogger is Alan Knox, a Ph.D. student at Southeastern. He has an excellent blog entitled The Assembling of the Church. We took the time to ask Alan a few questions that will hopefully encourage you to check out his blog. Enjoy!

Background Information:
Tell us a little about yourself
I’m 40 years old. I was born in Alabama and lived there until 8 years ago (except for college). I went to college at Georgia Tech and have degrees in Electrical Engineering. I love computers, reading, and spending time with people.

Tell us a little about your family
I’ve been married to Margaret for 19 years. We met in the fourth grade. We have two children – Jeremy (almost 14) and Miranda (10). We also have two dogs – Lucy and Aggie.

Does your family read your blog?
My wife reads my blog, and my children read if there’s something about them. Actually, to be completely honest, Margaret likes reading the comments. Yes, that means that she likes to read what other people have to say more than she likes to read what I have to say. 

Tell us a little about your walk with the Lord
God saved me when I was about 10. I wish I could say that I grew in grace and stature, but I didn’t. In fact, for many years I considered myself an agnostic. I never stopped believing in God, but I didn’t know exactly what that meant. Almost 15 years ago, I began to be discipled by several different men, each teaching me how to walk with God, both by their words and their example. Today, I try to walk with God in everything that I do. I recognize that I rely completely on him for growth and obedience.

About his Blog:
How long have you been blogging?
I’ve been blogging since March 2006.

Why did you decide to start blogging?
I decided to start blogging to aid me in my studies. In May 2006, I began the Ph.D. program at SEBTS. I’m majoring in biblical theology with a focus on ecclesiology. Blogging gives me an outlet for much of my studies, to help me think through and discuss different ideas. But, this is not simply about theoretical discussions. I also practice much of what I discuss.

How did you choose the name The Assembling of the Church?
Well, I’m studying the purpose for the meeting of the church in Scripture. The title reflects that focus. I usually blog about the church. Other blog names that I wanted to use were already taken.

How much time a week do you put into your blogging?
The amount of time that I spend blogging changes from week to week. I write fast. So, it doesn’t take me as much time to think through these issues and write about them as you might think.

It appears that you spend a lot of time studying and thinking through your posts. How did you process this information before you started blogging?
I spend a lot of time reading – reading Scripture, reading for Ph.D. seminars, and “fun” reading. Usually, by the time I write a blog post about an issue, I’ve discussed it with various friends and family members. Sometimes, I simply write descriptive posts about things that have happened. Many of my ideas come from interaction with other bloggers. I especially appreciate commenters on my blog, even when they disagree with my views. I’ve learned a lot from interacting with them.

Do you or your readers have a favorite post or series of posts?
The most read post that I’ve written is called “The Church or the Organization” with a post called “Summary – Should elders/pastors be paid a salary?” quickly gaining ground.

If you could give us a list of several blogs you regularly read and enjoy, what would be on it?
I have too many blogs in my blog reader to recommend just one or two. I guess the ones that I would recommend are on the sidebar of my blog.