Liberty employee reaches thousands through his controversial online blog
John Reid likes controversy. When Reid, a 30-year-old Christian blogger, sat down to talk, it was one of the first things he said. A man with a soft-spoken tone of voice, it is not first apparent Reid is controversial in nature. Readers of his blog, “John Wesley Reid,” though, will tell you otherwise.
Known formally on the internet by the shorthanded “JWR,” Reid is popular among Liberty students for his blog in which he writes on controversial issues including racism, homosexuality and abortion through a Biblical mindset. One of his latest posts, “5 Trends Christian Millennials Must Stop Doing,” garnered 1.2 million views
Inspired — John Wesley Reid’s passion for writing came after
being involved with his alma mater’s campus newspaper. Photo credit: Leah Seavers
A full-time national recruiter for Liberty University and former marine, Reid said the controversial nature of his writing is meant to facilitate discussions he believes must happen. Ever since Reid started writing for his blog during the fall of 2013, he has directed his posts at both Christians and non-Christians alike, striving to spark what he believes is necessary change.
“I write on topics that I believe need to be discussed, topics that need to go beyond the basic talking points,” Reid said. “I want to encourage my readers to use political leverage to fight for social justice and things that they care about.”
Reid created his blog when he moved to Lynchburg two years ago. He said he originally gained a love for writing after writing for the opinion section of the campus newspaper at Biola University, his alma mater, where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science. He later wanted to expand his writing on his own parameters, which led to the inspiration for his blog.
“I started listening to the discussions around me to figure out what I wanted to write about,” Reid said. “All of my posts have to pass a three-pronged test. Every post has to be something people want to read about, something people could benefit from reading and something I’m equipped to write about.”
When Reid published his first blog post in 2013, it received 28 views, a milestone he said was especially excited for.
“I remember thinking to myself, ‘People are actually reading my blog,’” Reid said. “I was ecstatic.”
Since then, Reid has built up a large fan base. On his blog’s Facebook page, Reid has accumulated more than 17,000 likes, and his blog has received more than a million viewers more than once. He has also been invited to write for outside publications such as churchleaders.com
Reid noted, though, with a large fan base also comes a steady stream of backlash. Along with receiving a large amount of encouraging comments and support for his blog, Reid’s controversial blog posts have accumulated a high amount of negative comments from Christians and non-Christians alike.
In a Facebook comment under one of Reid’s most recent blog posts, a self-described atheist and communist, Joe Montelongo, described his dissent. In his comment, he called Reid a “brainwasher” and said the arguments made in Reid’s post could “be taken down easily.”
“It’s inevitable that you’re going to get backlash when you talk about controversial issues because with talking about controversial issues comes a variety of opinions, and a variety of people,” Reid said. “I’ve built sort of a guard against harsh criticism, though it always hurts the most when fellow Christians are harsh in their responses.”
With the backlash, Reid said it is very important to him to connect with the readers of his blog. Though he stays committed to replying to most people who comment on his blog, he said he is more inclined to talk to people who disagree with him. For him, it is simple Christian apologetics.
“My main agenda in writing about these controversial issues is to reach out to people who disagree because they’re the people who I want to hear my message,” Reid said. “Sometimes it’s a student at Liberty, and we’ll grab coffee the next day and talk about the issue. That sort of thing is important to me because it’s where my heart is.”
Reid said he makes it a point to always be sympathetic when writing or talking about such hot topics. In his latest blog post “Dear Sexy Nurse, Remember Your Value This Halloween,” he reminded women they are not defined by their past. In another, “Should I Attend My Gay Friend’s Wedding?” he wrote on how Christians should treat homosexuals with love.
In the future, Reid said he wants to continue to write independently, and hopes to one day become a travelling Christian speaker.
“The success I’ve had (with my blog) is really affirming,” Reid said. “I realized that this is what I really want to do for a career. I want to write.”
To visit Reid’s blog, go to johnreidblogs.com or visit his Facebook “John Wesley Reid.”
Young is a feature reporter.