Ripon, England, (PRWEB) July 5, 2007 — Holy Trinity Church Ripon has launched an online ‘church’ for people who are not already engaged with the Christian faith, and who are looking for answers, but may not feel ready (or be able) to walk into a church building. Its goal is to help people discover if God is of relevance to them today, providing a safe and self-directed way to find straightforward answers to questions about Christianity. Longer-term, the goal is to encourage them to find a local church where they can feel at home.
Very few churches exist purely online, and Church on the Net (www.church-on-the-net.com) is unique because it is evangelistic, rather than designed to serve believers or any pre-existing fellowship. The team behind the project says that as well as agnostics, atheists and seekers, however, the online church may be useful to new Christians afraid of asking ‘silly’ questions, Christians who have slipped away from an active faith, and those who find it difficult to meet together (such as the housebound, carers, and those in remote areas or who face persecution).
“As odd as it may seem to Christians, who have all the advantages of fellowship through belonging to a traditional church, there are huge numbers of people who are accustomed to being part of online communities, whose ‘friends’ they may never meet face-to-face,” says Mark Tanner, vicar of Holy Trinity Ripon. “The idea of doing things online feels safe and attractive to them, so why not introduce church into that lifestyle?”
Church on the Net is divided into three sections:
· a reference section, with 85 articles offering explanations or perspectives on many issues relating to God, church and Christianity, including common and difficult questions
· a weekly article, updated every Sunday, exploring the Christian faith and how it is lived out on a daily basis. The launch address has been provided by the Rt Revd John Packer, Bishop of Ripon & Leeds
· an interactive community area, where visitors can engage with the site and one another through forums and blogs.
On a first quick look this seems reliably orthodox and very invitingly and non-threateningly done. I would have no hesitation referring questioning friends to it, in fact, a good deal less hesitation than bringing any new believer or seeker to any TEC church, even my believing one in DioTN, until after whatever re-alignment takes place to place believing bishops (besides ours and a few others) in national leadership in an alternative province.
I think this must be the future. The net is where people are asking questions and can explore while feeling comfortable. I’m really encouraged.
I hope this works out. It might be the one key to reaching a couple of my pagan friends who have resisted the good news. They, however, are devotees of the internet and this could be the key to the door.
Sounds like a good idea.
But consider this 1997 parody by Garrison Keillor:
GK: It was Bill Gates who said: “Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There’s a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning.”
And that’s why LOL —- Lutherans On Line — tries to bring you a Sunday morning worship matrix that maximizes religious benefits per unit of time expended.
TR: LOL is just superfun and supercool. Totally neat. And it’s got things you don’t get in church, like multitasking, parallel processing, and sequence data, so you can make your own game plan, and prioritize your worship strategies.
SS: Bob and I used to attend a church but it was just so pokey, and we realized that, hey, some people meditate faster than others, so why should we all have to go at their speed?
TR: With Lutherans on Line, you can scroll through the whole service and take what you need. Here’s the prelude —- something by J.S. Bach—-
SS: Bor-ing!
TR: (BEEP) Delete. Confession of Sins?
SS: Click on forgiveness.
TR: Right. (BEEP) Announcements?
SS: Naw. (BEEP)
TR: Old Testament reading?
SS: What’s it from?
TR: I donno. Deuteronomy or something.
SS: Never heard of it. (BEEP)
TR: New Testament?
SS: What’s it about?
TR: Sanctification by grace….
SS: Been there, done that—- (BEEP)
TR: Gospel….
SS: Save it for later. (BEEP)
TR: Sermon? —
SS: Are you kidding? (BEEP)
TR: Offering?
SS: Give em five bucks. (BEEP)
TR: Communion—- there’s the wine icon (CLICK) and the wafer (CLICK) and the benediction (TK ELECT VOICE: Go in peace.) All done.
SS: Cool.
TR: Lutherans on Line — it’s a win-win situation.
SS: No brainer.
TR: Digital worship. Available 24 hours a day. Worship when you want — for as long as you want.
Priceless, Irenaeus!!! ^_^’
I guess the key would be what happens after one has done all the exercises. Can’t tell. I did see one very good book recommended, The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus by Lee Strobel. Can’t be ALL bad!
In faith, Dave
Viva Texas