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Mar 5, 2021 · True followers of Christ are always described as part of God’s "universal church” (all genuine believers across history). But what about the "local church"? Can we BE the church merely through our virtual attendance?
- Two Approaches to Avoid
- The Temple and God’s Presence
- Reflections on Place
- Humans Are Embodied Souls
- Open to Learning
- Conclusion
There are two approaches to avoid in this debate. This first is to make assumptions. Both sides, those who say that online church can be fully church, and those who say it cannot, operate under assumptions. Let’s start with Old School Ollie. Here is his main line of argument: But there’s a counter to this argument. In the first century there was no...
Putting aside the present church age for the moment, and looking at the “before” and “after,” does God meet with His people in a placeless manner? No. The location for that in the Old Testament was the tabernacle, and later Temple. It is only a small exaggeration to say that the temple was everything, in the worship of God’s people: “In short, the ...
Part of the biblical theology of “temple” is that in all three periods—the time before Christ, the new covenant, and new Jerusalem—God’s presence, even though everywhere, dwells in a different, deeper, special sense in a place. In these “last days” (taking this expression as the days from the first coming to the second coming), that place is the lo...
A second area of theology can be introduced with this question: To what extent can a disembodied soul (a digital presence) engage in the interactions between believers that Jesus and the apostles like Paul and Peter commanded and envisioned? To start with, the concept of God dwelling in a human body, an individual believer (1 Corinthians 6:19; John...
Most of this article has been a critique of the term, and concept, of online church. However, Old School Ollie has much to learn. Up to this point his church has been entirely physical, with a service audio posted online each week as a supplement to, not a part of, the church. That audio is meant for those who missed church that Sunday, or who atte...
Online church is not church. This is a contradiction, not an oxymoron. Some of the things a church does can certainly be taken online. Perhaps some parts can be done better online, in certain contexts, than in person. Perhaps others are best done in a hybrid model. The reason that online church is not church is at least two-fold. First, all the ind...
Nov 7, 2018 · The Church is the family of God. When your church is a purely online experience, they cannot visit you in the hospital when you’re sick, or attend your parent’s funeral and give you a hug in the midst of your grief, or throw you a baby shower to celebrate with you.
When Jesus founded the church, he called it "my" church (Matthew 16:18). Scripture consistently teaches that he is the "head" of the church (cf. Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18).
Jan 11, 2023 · Churches matter because Jesus is the head of the church and calls all mankind to His church—not to follow false gods and religions that keep us from Him. Matthew 16:18 (NLT2) “…I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”. In His love, Pastor Tim Burt.
Aug 13, 2021 · Jesus started only one organization on Earth, and that is the church. He said of the church, “All the powers of hell will not conquer it” (Matthew 16:18 NLT). We also know that Jesus loves the church, because the apostle Paul wrote, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Ephesians 5: ...
People also ask
Is online church the same as physical church?
Is online church a church?
Is a virtual church the same as a church?
Does God exist in a church gathered by video?
Is VR church a digital church?
Is online church a substitute for regular church?
One key question that churches running services online will want to think through is whether online worship really is ‘church’. That will shape whether we are content for people to remain online participants indefinitely, or see this as a stepping-stone to ‘proper’ church.
