Recently I ran into a new word: “curated.” Oh sure, I’ve known museum “curators,” who are in charge of handling all the museum’s treasures. But these days the word “curate” is being used in some new ways.

One use of the word is in “content curation,” in contrast to “content creation.” Whereas content creation is original writing, content curation is alerting others to someone else’s material and linking them to the source, so they can read or see the full story for themselves. No doubt the idea of content curation arises out of our constantly-changing computer context. Specialized email subscriptions highlight a few concepts or new developments to attract the reader and then provide a hyperlink to read someone else’s firsthand words.

We’re even doing curation with the Bible these days. Digital Bibles like Logos give integrated cross-references and Scripture commentary in their software. “I want curated rabbit trails,” says Eli Evans, founder of Logos. “I want to be taken to places I’d never go.”¹

Thinking back to those museum curators, they really are stewards – people who care for, manage and share all that has been entrusted to them. As Christian leaders and followers of Jesus, we are “content curators,” too – stewards of the gospel, meant to highlight key aspects that relate to people’s lives, and offer them a link to the Source.

Your partner in ministry,

Betsy Schwarzentraub

¹ – Cited in “The Bible in the Original Geek,” Christianity Today, March 2014