It was bound to happen - online churches. If your church devalues the sacrament (either in theology or frequency), eliminates liturgical response, and imitates pop culture music forms designed to entertain: why go to a "brick and mortar" church at all?
We've had this around for a while with the televangelists - but the interaction that the internet allows goes a long way in responding to the only set of objections available to American Evangelicals to counter the phenomenon.
How long before a Lutheran congregation heavily influenced by American Evangelicalism goes this route to reach the lost? There are already "satellite" sites that broadcast a sermon from one location to another....
+HRC
I know a LCMS pastor involved in a church plant using Facebook. I think the final "product" will be an actual church (I hope), but they are "using fb as a main vehicle for communicating God's message of love and creating the relationships to get a church going."
ReplyDeleteReason #329 why I am not on facebook.
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“Hyatt and other critics are particularly distressed by the online offering of traditional sacraments, such as Communion and baptism. He believes it is "ridiculous" that someone can grab grape juice and a cracker from the fridge and watch a computer screen, thinking they are truly participating in a gathering of the faithful.”
ReplyDeleteA true story ... Once upon a time a mother church was connected by a high-tech umbilical cord to a daughter church located far, far away at a remote outpost. This allowed the daughter congregation, who was without a pastor of her own, to not only view but to participate, as it were, in the Sunday services of the mother church in real time via the miracle of satellite TV. The participation was not limited to merely the liturgy, preaching, and hymns. Twice a month the daughter would receive elements following the speaking of the WOI through the umbilical cord by the pastor at the main parish. This began years ago, even before the term “cyber-sacraments” was coined, and it continues happily ever after to this day. BTW, these are Lutheran congregations. I’d really like to blame ELCA for this tale, but I’m afraid I can’t.
A classmate is or was working on founding a "church" on Second Life using not-independent dollars. Amazing stuff.
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