theophiles.org - Web is popular place to 'open' a church

Written by grizzly

Saturday, 07 November 2009 17:05

Found at MSNBC:

The World Wide Web has become the hottest place to build a church. A growing number of congregations are creating Internet offshoots that go far beyond streaming weekly services. The sites are fully interactive, with a dedicated Internet pastor, live chat in an online "lobby," Bible study, one-on-one prayer through IM and communion. (Viewers use their own bread and wine or water from home.) On one site, viewers can click on a tab during worship to accept Christ as their savior. Flamingo Road Church, based in Cooper City, Fla., twice conducted long-distance baptisms using the Internet.

Comments

grizzly

|2009-11-07 17:07:51

A great response to this trend can be found in this article: First Church of Internet SEO: is it time?

PineHall - Shut-ins

|2009-11-07 18:36:31

I think a church online can and will be abused. I am worried about reinforcing church consumerism and church entertainment. On the other hand for shut-ins and others who can not make it to their local church this could be useful. At my church we already send around audio CDs of the service to the shut-ins.

Sorry fellow theophiles but a virtual community is no replacement for the real thing. Christians need community and a community with physical people you can hear, touch and see is always better than any virtual community. God has made us sensual (as grizzly's article talks about).

emperorbma - ESV thinks sensuality is sin

|2009-11-10 18:58:54

PineHall wrote:

God has made us sensual (as grizzly's article talks about).

I don't mean to derail the discussion, but the "God has made us sensual" seems to have brought something up that I'm wondering about. Namely, what do the ESV translators have against sensuality? The ESV actually describes sensuality as sin in several places. (examples: Mark 7:22, 2 Corinthians 12:21, Galatians 5:19,...) I could understand if they had used the words wantonness and immoderation, (which fit the given context and it's how I read their usage in any case) but saying "sensuality" in general seems to be a bit excessive considering the rather positive use of sensuality I observed you and grizzly's article using here. In that sense, I considered it a rather ironic it would be used in a pro-Sacramental sense.

laika

|2009-11-10 21:53:09

emperorbma wrote:

I'm wondering about. Namely, what do the ESV translators have against sensuality?

sounds like some good old-fashioned dualism.

OrionBlastar - This is for me

|2009-11-07 18:43:52

as my disability prevents me from going to church when I am really sick that day.

I would watch masses on EWTN, and in an option of taking the wafer there is a prayer that can be said instead of taking communion they say is the same thing. As all things are possible in God.

First Online Church, didn't Wezlo already almost do that when he did this web site? Or does Wezlo have his own church web site somewhere else? I consider Theophiles more than just a forum for discussing theology, I almost consider it a cyber church that theists and atheists etc can meet and discuss things.

michealsmith898@gmail.com - Internet is the good place for the preachings abou

|2009-11-10 12:55:21

Yes, obviously internet is the good place for the preachings about the truth of this life and the results awaiting us in the hereafter, as there is a saying that you will get what you will do in this life, that for our good deeds we get good reward and for our bad deeds we get bad rewards, Websites are always helpful in one way or the other, anyways, credit cards a good way to get started to renovate your dreams into the world of reality.
Thanks
Micheal,

[Editor's Note: Removed spammy link.]

docbob

|2009-11-10 10:33:38

The following quote from the article says it all for me:

Quote:

Bobby Gruenewald, a pastor who oversees the online efforts at LifeChurch.tv, said the goal is to move people into some in-person Christian experience, in church, a small Bible group or even a group that watches online services together. He noted that many people watch online and attend a local church.

But he said some people are so transient that they have little opportunity to join a brick-and-mortar congregation. In countries where Christians are persecuted, a Web church is often the only way they can be reached, he said.

PineHall, yes an online church can be abused, but so can a brick and mortar church (or have we forgotten all the sex problems that have hit the churches lately?)

As long as the idea is to move the people to a real congragation, I have no problem with online church. At my church we watch our pastor live as well as on one of two big screens. What is the difference of doing it there or on line, especially when Life Church and others try to provide the support steps to move a person along in Christianity.

I am a bit partial, my son who is in Indonesia doing the Lord's work there has not only the youth ministry at a local church but is an online group leader for Life Church.

Before anyone puts them down, it might be a good idea to try them out. LifeChurch.TV

PineHall

|2009-11-11 10:03:30

True, and my big abuse concerns of church consumerism and church entertainment happen also in brick and mortar churches. I just think it is easier online. I don't want an isolated individual thinking that he is getting his weekly fix of religion. It is easier to do from a TV or online. There needs to be a community connection, and, I think, preferably with local people who stop by and check up on them.

I am not against online churches. People like OrionBlastar, who can not get out, benefit from such technology. I hope they have a local church connection where they can develop some relationships. Virtual communities can do that too but I think a local physical community is better. It is harder to hide the messiness of life and easier for others to help.

docbob

|2009-11-11 11:12:08

While I agree that we need the people in Brick and Mortar churches, and that the entertainment value is way to high in most (not all churches), I can tell you I tend to hide things more at a live church. I have opened up about marriage problems here that many people do not even know about at my church. The anonymous nature of online, while letting you hide, also lets you open up more. In my case it is where I tend to get advice and encouragement.

docbob - re: ESV thinks sensuality is sin

|2009-11-11 09:52:57

Quote:

Namely, what do the ESV translators have against sensuality?

I think that is more trying to convey what the modern crowd thinks of the word sensual, not what people who understand what the real word means. Words change over time... For example, quite a few years ago when I was working at a High School a student tried to get me in trouble by saying to a teacher that I was 'gay.' The teacher knowing I was married wisely replied, 'I am glad he is happy.'

The point is, that sensual in modern times tends to lead to the idea that someone is trying to maybe not seduce someone else, but kind of trying to get there attention to lead to something else.

Bob

emperorbma

|2009-11-12 22:33:31

Why not promiscuity or polyamory (a good contemporaneous word for it...)? It seems they'd get a more accurate rendition that way without confounding the use of one's earthly senses. But I get what you mean, nonetheless. It just seems prone to be misunderstood to me.

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Our valuable member grizzly has been with us since Thursday, 03 April 2008.

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