Virtual Church

[Joseph Gill]

I am intrigued by the notion of "virtual assemblies." With the video conferencing equipment available these days, you could have a worship meeting without being in the same physical space. I always assumed that there are some physical limitations with that form of assembly, but I encountered anecdotal evidence that even communion and baptism is taking place through video conferencing. Moreover, the technology is no longer cost prohibitive. Is there anyone here who has participated in virtual assembly, either in an internet campus of a local church group or in a thoroughly electronic community?

[newview]

"...but I encountered anecdotal evidence that even communion and baptism is taking place through video conferencing..."

How does one get baptized through video conferencing?

[Joseph Gill]

Here is how blogger Mark Roberts recorded one testimonial about online baptismal services:

Once I got beyond my initial surprise over the fact that somebody of apparent intelligence and integrity was making the case of the adequacy of online church, I thought it might be helpful to raise some objections. I thought my first one would euthanize the idea of online church once and for all. “How can you celebrate the sacraments?” I asked. “Surely you can’t have online communion, online baptism.”

“Why not?” my earnest interlocutor asked. “People do it all the time.”

Once more I had to suppress my astonishment. “How could this be?” I asked.

“It’s easy,” my online enthusiast explained. “For communion, each person prepares the elements. By using some form of live, online communication, somebody says the traditional words, and then everybody takes communion at the same time. When somebody wants to get baptized, they fill their bathtub with water. Then they proclaim their faith and dunk themselves while the other church members watch on their computers. It’s just like what happens in a physical church.”

http://www.markdroberts.com/htmfiles/resources/onlinechurch.htm

[Hezekiah Ben Israel]

I wonder why you have nothing better to do than to harrass a bunch of people on a social network...;.

Don't you think you would do better on a mainstream network?