While there’s plenty that’s ungodly about the vicissitudes of digital culture, it would be foolish to ignore increasingly popular formats. Father Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” became one of the most downloaded shows in Apple’s podcast app. Tens of thousands of Jews who hadn’t been to a shul in years now tune in weekly to listen to “Unorthodox,” the world’s most popular Jewish podcast. This is as an invitation to every rabbi, priest and minister in America to do as good spiritual shepherds have always done and come meet their flock where they graze.
For some worshipers, these new platforms will be as far as they ever get on their religious journey. That alone would be a significant victory, considering such folks otherwise wouldn’t be engaged. But for others, a new app or podcast might unlock the door to a much more serious, embodied commitment.
Anyone curious about the future of religion should think about how habits changed over the past year—and consider which ones will stick. With Covid-19 forcing people of faith to stay home, religious communities saw a huge uptick in virtual attendance. Many of those routinely tuning in online hadn’t been regular attendees of in-person services. Why would the same folks who stayed away when church was a mere five-minute drive suddenly attend through Zoom? Convenience only counts for so much.
Services offered during the pandemic were just that—religious services. They were not, as so many felt compelled to offer before the pandemic struck, social gatherings with thin religious veneers. For decades houses of worship had flourished with the American suburb, serving as a focal point of communal life. In Jewish circles, this is known as “a shul with a pool,” suggesting that congregants should see the synagogue as the destination for everything, from Sunday school to a quick swim. This model is fading, and organizations that focus on the heart of the matter—the prayers and rituals and rites—are likely to reap the rewards.
Read it all (my emphasis).
Brick-and-mortar religious communities are shrinking, but digital worship is growing, writes @AriLamm https://t.co/qBEz42folg
— WSJ Editorial Page (@WSJopinion) April 30, 2021