All I ask is that you give credit where credit is due. They never actually receive the elements of the Lord’s Supper from another human being, and have that person say to them directly, “This is body of Christ, broken for you. For a Christian, reality is clearly more than physical. Let’s say that on a given Sunday I go to an in-the-flesh worship service at St. Mark Presbyterian in Boerne, Texas (my home church, in photo to right) in the morning, and then log in to a virtual church in the afternoon. But something profound is missing, something which, I believe, is not just optional, but essential to a full experience of church. In many cases our email exchanges would involve quite deep and vulnerable sharing. Further Thoughts, Colorful Arguments for the Existence of God, The Seven Last Words of Christ: Reflections for Holy Week (2006), How Lent Can Make a Difference in Your Relationship with God, Ruminating on the National Prayer Breakfast, Oprah, James Frey, and the Question of Truth, The Bible, the Qur'an, Bart Ehrman, and the Words of God, Pope Watch: Reflections on the Papacy of Benedict XVI, Seeking the Peace of Christ: Christianity and Peacemaking, Evangelical Christians and Social Activism, What To Do When Someone Sins Against You: Guidance from the Master, God's Guidance for Christians in Conflict, Is the TNIV Good News? Which experience of church was closer to the biblical ideal? If someone has speaking lines between pages make sure they are either very quiet flipping pages or they can briefly mute themselves when they do it. In other words, Estes uses the reality of virtual church (pardon the pun) to deal with the theology of church, what scholars call ecclesiology. I would begin by pointing to some of the most formative truths of the Christian faith. But, as it turns out, Estes and I were not talking about the same phenomena. Enjoy and Merry Christmas! (I can always count on my Down Syndrome friend Adam to give me a big hug at church.) Virtual activities are great for connecting when we can’t be in the same physical place. Samuel UCC is blessed to have. During this engaging, one-hour, interactive program, families will hear a dramatic retelling of the Christmas story from cast members onstage. When one goes down under the water and then comes up, there is an experience of something like dying and rising, and this experience simply cannot be duplicated emotionally through something one watches online. Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series. Part 4 of series: The Challenge and Opportunity of Virtual Church You can still celebrate that fact that a believer dies to sin and is raised to Christ. . As soon as one solves the sacrament problem for virtual church by coming up with some physical church experience, then that makes the case: virtual church is not enough. If you want my answer to that question, you’ll just have to visit the series. But these people are clearly exceptions to the rule, representing far less than 1% of all possible churchgoers. This is evident, for example, in Estes’ chapter on “WikiWorship” (pp. This study, called "Social Isolation and New Technology," suggests that fears of the Internet taking away from face-to-face socializing are unfounded. In a recorded Zoom video it is even more apparent if a cast member is only on the screen for 3 seconds. . We’ve been doing this as a family for years on Christmas evening. It was not enough for God simply to shout from Heaven: “I love you. Merry Christmas Eve! But they don’t seem to see how the value of the material universe, combined with the fact of the Incarnation, suggest that non-physical, non-incarnational church could never be quite enough. Yesterday I began a blog series focusing on the challenge and opportunity of virtual church. Note: If you get an error message when you try to subscribe, let me know. This will make it easier to find the proper cast member to spotlight when it is time for them to deliver their lines. Thus, I cannot imagine saying to someone who is fully able to participate in physical church, “Don’t worry about it. An Existential Response, Section 2, Part 6 of series: The Challenge and Opportunity of Virtual Church Narrated Christmas programs can be easily adapted to go virtual. This is why, in the end, God doesn’t incinerate the universe and take believing souls to heaven with him. No, but they are real. I also believe that the more each type of church steps into the other type’s world, the more unity and cooperation there will be. I forgive you.” Rather, God chose to be born in a human baby, live a human life, and die a truly and horribly physical death on the cross. The options Estes presents for fully online communion and/or baptism are laden with difficulties, as Estes’ own critique shows. If they are using a tablet or smartphone, remind them to orient them horizontally (landscape not portrait) so their videos will fill better for the finished product, but then also remind them the camera and microphone are likely to be on the sides of the screen. Make sure your cast sets the scripts up high (propped on something) when they are reading so they look up towards the cameras when they speak and not stare down at a desk or table during their parts. Types of Virtual Christmas Programs. Plus each guest will create his or her very own Keepsake nativity scene to cherish for years to come. In my last post in this series I offered an existential response to the question: Is virtual church enough? Thus the potential for church to be fully real is there for physical church, but not for virtual church. Photo: a cell phone from the 1980s. I’m reminded of an example I have used in my discussion of online church. It has 15 of the classics and split-track too. Now I’ll lay some of my cards on the table right now and say that I would prefer face-to-face conversation that is also open and honest. What was a more authentic experience of church? 3. Here’s where my theological and existential arguments against the adequacy of virtual church converge. That was more difficult … These are high quality resources, downloaded by something like 20,000 people. For the sake of consistency, ALL TIMES LISTED BELOW ARE CENTRAL STANDARD TIME. Many people would come to my office and share their joys and struggles. ], For a growing number of people, especially individuals in the Millennial generation and beyond [born 1980 and after], virtual-world interactions can be far more authentic and less awkward than real-world relationships, and for many younger people, interacting in the virtual world is the preferred method for social networking. People with newer computers with good graphics or with a physical green screen can use Zoom virtual backgrounds which makes it even easier. ... She and other women from the church have been doing this for the past two months to supply the local community with vital protective gear to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. But my point, simply, is that there are degrees and qualities of reality. It’s perfectly … N.T. In my last post I began to respond to those who might think that this whole conversation about the reality of virtual church is just plain ridiculous. But from what I have read and from what I have observed, I think he basically correct. Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series. A simple, free, open source video editor to use is, To be really fancy you can add videos of a “virtual choir” which requires each choir member to record a video of themselves singing to the same recorded track, and then they send it to the “video editor” who stitches them all together into one video. 20 Virtual Ladies Night Out Ideas – If you’re looking for something fun to do with your women while everyone is stuck at home, check out these ideas! Good lighting and backgrounds are crucial. Internet relationships, no matter how real and genuine, will never fully satisfy the human need for relationship. And Douglas Estes is no mean theologian, by the way. During rehearsal help the cast members to orient their cameras and their bodies well so their faces properly fill the screen and you do not just see a lot of blank wall or ceiling. I will have to admit our church has become quite proficient at performing our Sunday morning services over Zoom. Why, therefore, would anyone entertain the thought that virtual church could be real? Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series. It will be the place where they find love, soothe their feelings, make deals, and worship. And if one baptizes oneself in real water which participating in some virtual ceremony, though the water is real, that person will never know what it’s like to receive baptism. Remind everyone that once they are spotlighted to pause, take a breath, and then speak slowly, loudly and clearly and direct their voices towards the microphone of their computer, tablet or smartphone. Virtual Christmas Party Invitations. Communion, for example, isn’t just a chance to signify and remember Jesus. Surprising Confirmation from the Pew Research Center, Part 8 of series: The Challenge and Opportunity of Virtual Church Have you considered ways to engage new people beyond your virtual Sunday service? Download 7 easy print Christmas program for children, then browse this listing of church Christmas pageants and plays - includes short programs for small churches, kids, youth, and Sunday School groups. 103-134). Hopefully by Christmas 2021 we will be able to enjoy a true live Christmas program inside again. There is much in this study that is fascinating and relevant to my recent consideration of virtual church. People use the technology to stay in touch and share information in ways that keep them socially active and connected to their communities.”. That way people in different locations can use the same virtual background image file and it looks like they are in the same place when they could actually be miles apart. According to Pew Research Center, many Americans are experiencing virtual services for the first time. I’m not an expert in the sociology of technology, so I can’t demonstrate that what Estes has written is true. There might be a moment of awkwardness, followed by a handshake and “Have a good week!”. Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series. A shy person can build friendships through Internet social media, and then gain the confidence to be with these friends in person. Little kids who cannot speak a line are always popular in Christmas plays, but unfortunately they cannot do much over Zoom. It's no statesecret which people admire unique recommendations , most especiallyfor exclusive event - at this siteare 10 brand new Sunday School Christmas Program Ideas!. And, given the fact that I believe the Holy Spirit can be present in a real though non-physical way, I’m open to the possibility of virtual church being real in ways that count, even though it can never be real in some ways that also count. Police Blotters and Other Proofs, Grace in the Rearview Mirror: A A Pastoral Retrospective, The Mission of God and the Missional Church, Suffering, Learning, and the Virginia Tech Tragedy, Andrew Sullivan, Hugh Hewitt, and Retrofitted Christianity, What is a Church? No actual hand-shaking or holy-kissing or laying-on-of-hands in prayer. Maybe. I recognize, as Estes rightly points out in his book, that Christians believe many different things about the sacraments and experience them in widely different ways. In the next few decades, the virtual world will equal or surpass the real world in its reach into and positioning in many aspects of our lives.
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