Interest in Technology, Spirituality: A Natural Blend
The second annual Internet Evangelism Day falls on Sunday, May 7, and Christians have already shown a wide and growing interest in technology use and web presence for outreach.
The second annual Internet Evangelism Day falls on Sunday, May 7, and Christians have already shown a wide and growing interest in technology use and web presence for outreach. With over a billion people on the Web worldwide, Christians stress a form of evangelism that anybody can do and that is accessible to the world.
Rusty Wright, lecturer/representative at large for Probe Ministries and a web evangelist, told The Christian Post some of the trends of web-use among churches and the advantages spreading the Gospel online.
CP: Evangelism is assuming all sorts of forms – huge music fests and evangelistic “crusades,” more seeker friendly movie invitations, and television – but among those, it seems technology is booming in the Christian circle with cell phones, podcasts, and the web. Why is that? And do you feel the web plays the bigger part in all of this?
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Wright: I think that there's keen interest in technology and it’s coupled with a keen interest that people have in spirituality – a natural blend. And also one of the important things about the web is that it's not only pervasive – you've got a billion people online – but also that people can access in secret and anonymously.
CP: There are many Christians who are still unaware about the potential of the Internet. Do you think they don't realize this potential or are they just not tech-savvy enough?
Wright: I think there could be several reasons. I think there are some who are not tech-savvy, probably a lot especially from the older generation. Also, I think Internet evangelism in some circles lacks the sizzle that television or large evangelistic events hold. For instance, if you can see pictures or a video tape of thousands of people out in a meeting coming forward to receive Christ, people get excited about that or if they watch an excellent presentation on television or in the movies. Internet evangelism, although it's very broad, it's also … quieter. You don't get lots of people in a room or in a stadium at the same time. They're all out there in their living rooms or their Internet cafes or their offices, typing away or reading away. It's sometimes hard to communicate a vision of what could happen through the Internet. I think that's one reason why it hasn't really caught on in a big way with the North American Church although it is growing. There are more people who are aware of it.
If you can sit in front of a computer screen and read and e-mail and type, then you can have a big impact.
CP: What do you suggest for the people who are not very tech-savvy?
Wright: I think there are a lot of different methods that people can use to communicate Christ online. One would be simply e-mail. Another thing is chatrooms. People can go online and talk to people in chatrooms and there are chatrooms about all kinds of subjects. Blogging, weblogs, and online dairies that different people can add to – those are great ways to communicate Christ – and writing, which is my particular area of emphasis. I was very surprised that friends wanted to put [my articles] on the web and I was happy to have them do that although I didn't know much about what that meant. And then a friend told me to “google” my name and I found webpage after webpage that I had never heard of before using my articles and I was glad for them to do that. Many of them were on Christian outreach sites but some of them were on secular sites like secular newspapers or blogs. I even found one on a porn site. On internetevangelismday.com, there are all kinds of ideas and actually there's a page where people can volunteer to be involved in Internet evangelism.
CP: What are the advantages of a web presence for churches?
Wright: Several things come to mind. One is that loads of people are using the web. It used to be when you wanted to find information about a restaurant or about a store in your town, you'd go to the hardcopy yellow pages and look up their number and maybe they'd have an advertisement there that would tell something about it. And when the web first came out, I would hear local merchants in our community having web pages and I thought, ‘Well that's kind of funny because we've got the yellow pages. What's the big deal?’ But now as so many people have seen, it's basically become the place where people often go first for information. So if I want to find out what's on the menu at a restaurant just across town or what the phone number is for calling to make reservations or what their hours are, I go on the web. And it's the same kind of thing for churches and spiritual information. Loads of people are looking for spiritual information online. Another thing that's important is that churches can use the web to present a clear picture of their church to the community - both the Christian community and to seekers and skeptics.
And another reason I think is important is that churches can also share the Gospel with people that would visit their site online or they can use it as a reference for people who hear about their church or come to church and want to know more. They can have a clear Gospel presentation online. So I think there are all kinds of reasons that would be very good for churches to have a good web presence. There are loads of church websites but there are lots of them that don't have clear Gospel presentations on their websites. They're often ministry tools for communicating with the flock which is very important. You need that sort of stuff just like you need a church bulletin board and telephone networks and all. But with just some simple additions, a lot of churches can add a very clear Gospel presentation to their website as well.
CP: According to reports, hundreds of people accept Christ through the web. How is it that people are accepting Christ on their own in front of a computer screen?
Wright: I think it happens in a lot of ways. A lot of traffic on the web is generated by search engines. Somebody types in a phrase to Google, maybe they're interested in the New York Jets or they're interested in surfing. And also people will type in phrases about personal needs; they might type in divorce or anxiety or depression, and when they do that they may get links to Christian sites that send them to articles that share the Gospel. For instance, I have about over 100 articles that are on the web on all different kinds of topics like sex, and relationships, success and leadership (probe.org/rusty) and I am not an expert in search engine optimization to work out ways to get those to show up at the top of the Google searches but some Christian groups are and I’m trying to learn from them.
Just the other day someone typed in the words “Mel Gibson ministry” in Google and one of my articles about The Passion of the Christ came up at the top. Sometimes when people type in questions about sex some of my articles about sex will come up and the articles from a Christian perspective that would also point them to Christ and give them access to Christian stuff. And then I just think there are lots of hungry hearts out there.
I got an e-mail from a guy not too long ago. The subject line was ‘life after death?’ and he had read an article that I had written on that subject and he was touched by it. He said that he didn’t believe in one God but he was terribly afraid of death and he was looking for answers. I told him what I found and so I shared the Gospel with him pointed him to some articles and the next thing I knew, he wrote back and said that he received Christ. So it is happening.
I try to call these ‘indicated decisions for Christ’ because just like when somebody raises their hand at a meeting or signs a comment card, we know God is the only one who really knows what happened.
CP: Is web outreach mainly targeted to the youth since it is mainly the younger audiences who are tied to the Internet.
Wright: Certainly the youth are important and there are many good websites out there. I think it's important to also touch adults because there are lots of adults who are using the web. My mother is in her 80s and she goes on the web for lots of things so I think it's a great place where people of all ages can have an impact touching people on the web just like the gentleman I mentioned last night who's retired. I don't know what the numbers are in terms of web users but just anecdotally, there are people of all ages that use it.
CP: The Da Vinci Code has prompted an explosion of websites and resources online with Christians debunking it and stirring discussions. Do you feel this alone is an example of the power of the web?
Wright: Yes, I think that's a good assessment. The Da Vinci Code is a subject that I have great personal interest in. The Internet has become the 21st century Roman road/office water cooler/backyard fence/marketplace. It's a place where people gather where they can spread information. It's often quicker than the other methods are because you don't have to be at the office water cooler. There is keen interest in The Da Vinci Code but I know there is controversy in the Christian community about how to respond to it. I’m in the camp that frankly I enjoyed the novel. I think it's a great read. I think it's good to use it as a springboard for discussion to people who are skeptical about Christ to actually deal with questions that it raises. I applaud efforts to use the web and tap into The Da Vinci Code theme to share Christ.
CP: Can you tell me about Probe Ministries?
Wright: Probe has a very extensive website basically an apologetic source. Probe is a Christian research and communications outfit that seeks to equip the Church to engage the world and also to engage the world ourselves. There are a bunch of articles on there and a lot of that stuff is aimed at nonbelievers. Some of that stuff is aimed at equipping believers but all with the same goal of trying to get God's Truth out there. Probe has a very strong web presence. People can go to it and use their ipods and download radio programs and get loads of articles about everything from The Da Vinci Code, the Gospel of Judas, intelligent design, ethics, love, sex and dating. All kinds of stuff.
CP: With web outreach expanding, do you feel it prompts people or motivates them to preach by word of mouth or do you feel it's necessary now?
Wright: I do feel it's necessary that people verbally share Christ. I think that’s very important. I realize the fear factor is there, but it's a step of faith. I think there's great potential for everyone to be a verbal witness. Whether online evangelism hurts or helps that, I could not really say. I don't have sufficient data to answer that specific question, but the theory is, and it makes logical sense, that people who might be hesitant to speak up orally could use the web to lead people to Christ and gain some confidence in communication that would give them more confidence to do it orally.
