I have long anticipated . . wait . . . let me switch to Aragorn . . . LONG have I anticipated this book [ahhh. . . thats better!] after reading Matthew Ball’s articles on the internet. It did not disappoint. Hype-free. Easy to read. And an amazing look into the metaverse and the powers…
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The Medieval Metaverse Church: Here Be Dragons!
I just read a good article called The pastor’s a wizard, and some worshippers look like cats: This is church in virtual reality. I think a wizard is a fine choice for a pastor’s avatar. This confirms a few thoughts and predictions of mine for the future of church life in the metaverse. The medieval…
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Suddenly Seminary Expands to Topia
A little update on Suddenly Seminary. Congrats to those who christened their avatars last week under our holy sprinkler. For new students, or those of you over the past 18 years who would like to re-enroll and brush up your metaverse skills and discuss ministry in the virtual world, you will be excited to hear…
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My Avatar is Turning 18 years old
My avatar at Habbo turns 18 years old next week. I come of age. YIPPEE!!!!!!!! I now wear a tweed suit and have glasses and some grey hair. I might be one of the oldest avatars in the Metaverse. The feature image is of me, TallSkinnyKiwi, Chancellor of Suddenly Seminary (2004) checking out the new…
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Why do metaverse churches look so boring and creepy?
“For 2,000 years, the Christian church has used the tech of the time to transform reality and sell itself better. But their first attempts at virtual reality have been soulless and creepy.” Captain Cassidy Many of those virtual churches really DO look boring. And creepy. It’s a good question. I have a few answers. Another…
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Metaverse Church and the Parallel Universe
Avatars do not need to look like us. The best avatar to create for a metaverse church experience (this is from the Q&A session after my message on Sunday) is an elderly grandmother because grandmothers rule the church. They can turn around on the pew to shush the young people giggling during the sermon, they…
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Church in the Metaverse
I would like to do a short blog series on the topic of the Metaverse and church, ministry and mission that happen in it and are affected by it. Maybe next week. The Metaverse did not suddenly fall from the sky and land on our foreheads. Online virtual spaces have helped us launch religious environments…
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Zoombombing Church in Historical Perspective
In our current crisis of social/physical isolation due to the Covid-19 lockdown, and attempts to connect to each other digitally, Zoom has emerged as the preferred platform for online group conversations. In the past month or so, Zoom users have gone from tens of millions to hundred of millions and shares in the company have…
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Transcoding Church: Intro
And just like that, the global church was thrust into the biggest house church experiment ever seen in human history. Not quite the same as previous house church movements, most of our new aggregations of media-connected believers came about suddenly due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the necessity of isolation. But we find ourselves at…
Read MoreFaith 2.0: Religion on the Internet
Yesterday I listened to the podcasts from Faith 2.0 Religion on the Internet, a conference last week in England about religion on the internet. Jointly sponsored by Tony Blair Faith Foundation and Durham University. The best talk in my opinion is the keynote speech [download here] by Catherine Wybourne, the "invisible nun" from Holy Trinity…
Read MoreDid the online church start in 1985?
SimChurch author Douglas Estes, who participated in our Cyberchurch Symposium earlier this year, suggested the 1985 date for the origin of virtual online church. I asked him about it recently and he responded: “Andrew, Thanks for blogging about SimChurch and taking part in the blog tour. Your question was, “Can you elaborate on the date…
Read MoreSimChurch
Douglas Estes releases his book SimChurch which deals with virtual communities and cyberchurch. Douglas came over to London for our Cyberchurch Symposium earlier in the year. Its a good book and a helpful addition to the literature, of which there isn’t a whole lot. A blog tour is connected to the book. Start with Cynthia.…
Read MoreThe Virtual Church: Keeping it Real
Today is Mass Blogging Day which has nothing at all to do with a virtual Roman Catholic eucharist but rather is about a number of bloggers writing today about the Web, and in particular its relation to church and mission. Many of us are meeting in LA in September at the Christian Web Conference. Actually,…
Read MoreCriticism of Virtual Community and Cyber churches
Is the cyber-church a REAL church? I was studying and writing last weekend on virtual communities for a number of articles and also for speaking in Las Angeles next September at the Christian Web Conference. There are lots of arguments against virtual communities being “real” but there one quote that is probably the most comprehensive…
Read MoreCyberchurch: When I went head to head with the Bishop of London
As preparation for our Cyberchurch Symposium this month, I posted a screencapture video of the opening day at the Church of Fools (2004) when I approached the holy of holies and went head to head with the Bishop of London. I knew the Bishop and I would always see eye to eye on this kind…
Read MoreIs the Virtual Church a REAL Church?
Douglas Estes, one of the participants of yesterday’s Cyberchurch Symposium, and who managed to get lost in London twice during our walk [must be a curious fellow] is releasing a book on the Cyberchurch in a few months. He interviewed me for the book and a few questions I just dug up from an old…
Read MoreCyberchurch Symposium Today in London
Ok – Here I am in London for the Cyberchurch and Online Community Symposium. This is an intimate and somewhat casual meeting (the word “symposium” means literally “to drink together”) for some really interesting and qualified people, divided up somewhat equally among thinkers, practitioners and supporters. Here’s the group: – Douglas Estes (PhD) is flying…
Read MoreHow To Gate-crash a Cyberchurch Service and Take Over the Pulpit.
This Saturday, leaders of online faith communities come together for a Symposium in London. I am hosting the event, actually, In preparation, I thought I would upload a video of my time at Church of Fools, a cyberchurch experience which would later would lead to St Pixels Church. It was 2004, opening day, and I…
Read MoreVirtual Church in the 1940’s
I haven’t had much time to blog or chat in the last week but I did listen in to one chat – the interesting conversation that Shane Hipps ignited during the week about virtual communities through his video. Especially relevant to me because we are less than one month away from the Cyberchurch Symposium in…
Read MoreCyberchurch and Online-Church Symposium
Invitations go out tomorrow for an informal meeting with creators of cyberchurch and online church communities. So far, we have verbal commitments from Church of Fools/St Pixels, I-Church and Bobby Gruenwald from the Lifechurch.tv online community in Second Life, as well as a few published experts on the topic. Should be a really good time.…
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