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Cyberchurch Beginnings: A "Web Theology"

We are seeing attempts by people with theological concerns to participate in the new media. This participation appears to be more widespread That is, a higher percentage of participation than there was in the communication revolution that was happening during, or probably resulting in, the Reformation. I think the reason why is that the new media today as represented by Computer Mediated Communications are more widely accessible than were the printing presses in Reformation times.

The other force at work is one put in motion by the Reformation itself. The Reformation brought about a widescale move away from an oral communcation culture to a written one. As ideas began to be dispersed via the printed page, the way we "studied" and learned became more "book oriented" and less communal. Words and writings took on a more authoritative role. The meaning of "The Word" for many migrated toward an idea of some written truth. Even the John 1 passages describing Jesus as "the Word that dwelt among us" came to be interpreted as a living example of the written theologies (which I do believe is true, and yet The Word is more complex; more multidimensional; more "wholisitic" than that).

So with the the power and authority of the written word firmly entrenched in Western society, the emergence of Cyberspace communications has opened up a huge channel for filtering in volumes of written material, laying on the Information highway like tracts in public places.

As I explore the various expressions of the voice of the Church in Cyberspace, I see a lot of the "tract" mentality. Many are posting points of Dogma and there's even some "What is a Christian?" sets of documents. There's a set of documents there that include the four spiritual laws, and a one sentence "definition" of a Christian as one who has accepted Christ and realized they cannot "be saved on their own". While there is certainly theological truth to that, I tend to squirm at that. I feel that if we are to represent our community on the "highways" and byways, we need to be taking advantage of the capacity to link to diverse expressions and concerns of the theological community . The World Wide Web structure invites us to go out and seek out fellow sojourners on the path to truth and life.

So I have sought to do this at my site and am making a beginning. Perhaps many of the sites I have seen are either planning to do so or will catch on as the Web paradigm catches on and becomes an established mode of communication and collaboration. ( I overcame the urge to provide a link to some of the sites I mentioned that seemed a bit on the shallow side because I do not want to ridicule them. I just hope I can act on my reaction to them in a constructive way and seek out alternatives.) I intend to use the Web to enable, in any way I can, ecumenical efforts. While I have grown up in denominational structures and have come out somewhat OK, I have concluded that denominations are good for cooperative effort and economic backing for education, but deter us when they become buffers between members of the theological community that have common concerns and causes.

I believe there are several ways in which Computer Mediated Communications can greatly enhance both business and personal communications. The latter is particularly dear to me. I have a "testimony" to give about what I have experienced as "Cyberchurch" in a time when I feel the local expressions of church have let me down. I haven't been in great need of seeking out some local expression because I have found such voice, such personal connection, and such new confidence in what I have to say as a theologian in my own right, that I have been drawn to do work online, and do ministry online as a kind of ambassador for Cyberchurch.