LifeChurch.tv Second Life Campus Tour
Douglas:
Is the virtual church a real/genuine church?
Andrew
Absolutely not. But neither is a physical gathering in a church building on a Sunday morning. The body of Christ is a spiritual aggregation of believers whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. That body finds itself aggregated, or called out into assembly with each other, in both physical and virtual gatherings. There are seeking non-believers in both physical and virtual aggregations so neither expression can claim to be fully church. And also, there are believers in physical churches who connect with each other online during the week and there are believers from cyber-churches and online faith communities who intentionally seek out physical meetings when possible. The dividing line between the two is therefore more artificial than actual. (Andrew Jones being interviewed by Doug Estes)
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I’ve been a huge admirer of Andrew Jones’ blog for about the last 5 years (ever since I started blogging myself). I had the chance to do an interview with him back on August 13 of last year, and the topic of the interview was around new media, technology, social media, etc. He is always a thoughtful interview, speaker, etc. And we had a chance to move from the virtual world, to the “real world” and chat together and “sympose” during our time at GodblogCon (Blogworld and New Media Expo in Vegas). I consider him to be one of the leading thinkers when it comes to the intersection of technology and the Church, especially in praxis.
That’s why I’m especially intrigued by his last 4 posts on the “cyberchurch” (HT: to John at ChurchCrunch for discussing this topic).
How To Gate-crash a Cyberchurch Service and Take Over the Pulpit
Cyberchurch Symposium Today in London
Is the Virtual Church a REAL Church?
The State of Faith-Based Online Communities
I’m still wrapping my head around second life, especially as it begins to evolve more in the Church. I will be processing it for a while. But I know that what is new and foreign to a degree to me today, will be what my daughter will see as norm in the future. Who knows what Church will look like in the future. But I think that the online world can enhance our offline worlds (and vice-versa), especially in Church and discipleship communities.
What do you think?
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
We have had discussions on this before but I can’t state any stronger how a venue like Lifechurch should not be a replacement for a physical meeting place with physical people.
I believe that we are seeing more people becoming “socially retarded” towards others. And unfortunately, in a Secondlife atmosphere you can create a fantasy world of who you would like to be perceived as; what you would like to ideally look like; and how you can soley live in a world that is created in your mind and not within the image of how God made you.
I am not against the sermons, messages or overall online community but if this is replacing your time to physically go to a church, become friends, deal with other human beings and becoming vulnerable (in a sense) to a new surrounding, then I would suggest that the issue lies within you.
Here is where I would recommend a forum like Lifechurch:
1. If you are in Iraq; in the military and there is a lack of Christian witness around you.
2. If you are in a small town and a solid, Bible believing church is outside of a 30 mile radius and you can’t afford to make the trip.
3. If you work in a job that prevents you from attending church at all.
4. If you are physically not able to attend church.
Outside of those reasons (and there may be a few more) there really is no excuse for not committing to a local body of believers. May sound narrow minded but it’s how I see it.
Good post Rhett.
I think it most situations online church is a supplement not a replacement for physical church. So I think that Ben’s comments don’t hit the real use of the Second Life or other churches. Most of the time I believe that people that are attending online churches do go to a physical church, or are not yet Christians. I think that is the point that Andrew and many other missional oriented Christians are making. We should do all things to reach some for Christ. If people are online and they need saved, then why not go there.
Ben,
I totally hear what you are saying. I don’t necessarily agree or disagree with your points. I’m just more mute on the issue, meaning I’m not sure what I think about the online space in regards to being a replacement/supplement for meeting in person.
Adam,
I guess I would say the same to you as well. I don’t disagree with you or agree…..
Here’s why:
I’m still thinking through this. I personally, like to meet in person, in the physical space. When the Apostle Paul talks about “assembling together” such as in Hebrews and 2 Thessalonians, I’m assuming he is meaning together, in person. But obviously he couldn’t have anticipated the idea/ability to “assemble together” in an online space either.
So though I want to be with people in person as well as online, I would never tell anyone (at this point) that the assembling together online is not appropriate, or that they need to assemble in a physical space for it to be Church, etc, etc. I don’t one is a replacement for the other….they are both spaces of assembling together, and in my opinion, as real and legit as the other.
Now Ben, I do agree that being in person/flesh, there is less of an ability to “hide” or put up a false image…certainly one can do that in person, but it is probably easier online. But I think true online community, like true in person community fleshes those things out. What we do online is simply a reflection of what we do in physical space in my opinion.
I like both of your points, but I’m still sifting through this.
thanks for commenting.
rhett
I am a young pastor who is called to develop a fully functional online church. Please visit my website to see my vision, and feel free to contact me using my site if you can help in anyway.
Luke