The world is changing rapidly, and perhaps the most compelling evidence of this change is found in the way people use technology to access services that formerly required an in-person visit. Now, for the first time, a real church with denominational standing is as close as ones computer. In Ministry to the Avatars: Building a Real Church in a Virtual World, author and reverend Dr. Jerold A. Garber shares the transcendent story of First United Church of Christ Second Lifea virtual church designed and built in Second Life, a 3-D virtual world with over thirty-six million individual accounts and over one million active users each month. While it began as an experiment in faith and inclusivity, First UCC SL today has full standing in the Eastern Association of the Southern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ, and it is the first church in a mainline denomination to achieve full standing while owning no physical property. Since its founding, First United Church of Christ Second Life has grown into a multifaceted, vibrant ministry with a 365-day-a-year presence in Second Life, and it is also a member of the Open and Affirming Coalition of the UCC, an association of churches affirming the full inclusions of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons in the churchs life and ministry. Come and witness the wonderful things that can be achieved when service to others transcends the boundaries of reality! Visit the First United Church of Christ Second Life website at http://www.firstuccsl.org and Second Lifes 3D virtual world created by Linden Lab at http://www.secondlife.com.
Is Virtual Reality a Biblical Reality? The invention of the printing press catalyzed Martin Luther’s reformation; radios and televisions delivered Billy Graham’s gospel proclamations to millions of households. Technological advancements have undoubtedly advanced kingdom work for centuries—but is the same true for the burgeoning technologies of today? As virtual reality becomes increasingly prominent throughout society, churches must assess how to respond thoughtfully and biblically. In Virtual Reality Church, theologians Darrell Bock and Jonathan Armstrong present a systematic reflection on how to faithfully apply virtual reality for ministry purposes. They examine the risks—like compromising the meaning of tangible worship—and opportunities—like safely reaching persecuted churches—of integrating revolutionary technologies into the Christian life. Learn to think critically, theologically, and pastorally about new technologies so that you can faithfully advance the gospel into the future.
The meeting place for the church of tomorrow will be a computer screen. Don’t laugh, and don’t feel alarmed. The real-world church isn’t going anywhere until Jesus returns. But the virtual church is already here, and it’s poised for explosive growth. SimChurch invites you to explore the vision, the concerns, the challenges, and the remarkable possibilities of building Christ’s kingdom online. What is the virtual church, and what different forms might it take? Will it be an extension of a real-world church, or a separate entity? How will it encourage families to worship together? Is it even possible or healthy to “be” the church in the virtual world? If you’re passionate about the church and evangelism, and if you feel both excitement and concern over the new virtual world the internet is creating, then these are just some of the vital issues you and other postmillennial followers of Jesus must grapple with. Rich in both biblical and current insight, combining exploration and critique, SimChurch opens a long-overdue discussion you can’t afford to miss.
Many clergy and churches are now taking to the internet and social media to promote their churches or ministries, but few have thought through some of the difficult pastoral and theological issues that may arise. 'Virtual vicar' Revd Pam Smith guides both new and experienced practitioners through setting up online ministries and considers some of the issues that may arise, such as: Are relationships online as valid as those offline? Is it possible to participate in a 'virtual' communion service? How do you deal with 'trolls' in a Christian way? What is it appropriate for a clergyperson to say on social media?
The story is based on the alleged discovery of Elvis Presley's reincarnation in Mangalam, a small village set amidst the backwaters of the Malabar Coast in India. The subsequent events when an Elvis-mad matron from Memphis, Tennessee comes to claim the child as her very own make for a very hilarious reading. The events start unfolding when the astrologer called into cast the child's birth horoscope declares the child to be an avatar, a great reincarnation. Everybody assumes the reincarnation to be that of Lord Krishna, the deity worshipped in the village. But the two precocious daughters of Sunita, the neighbour and a distant relation of the child's parents, create, without meaning to, a feeling that the child is actually a reincarnation of Elvis Presley. Neeli, the eldest of the two, editor of her college magazine and an aspiring journalist, manages to publish an article about the phenomenon in the "Memphis Tattler". Maggie Duckworth, a rich widow and fanatic in her devotion to Elvis, reads the article and lands in India to claim the child. She has Alonzo Bosworthy, a novice reporter from the tabloid, in tow to cover what she thinks will be a scoop. Besides, her ulterior motive is to chase out the present guardians of the Presley Foundation, with whom she had a long series of run-ins, and install the true heir to the throne of Graceland Mansions. The Mangalam villagers meanwhile have come to very different conclusions about the impending visit of the Americans. The village barber, a fanatic Maoist, is convinced that the Americans are actually CIA agents coming to take over what he imagines to be the oil wealth hidden under the village. He organizes the farm workers to protest against the visit. Meanwhile, a defrocked priest and his small coterie of Christian followers in the village maintain that the child is actually the second Christ come to redeem the world, and maintain a vigil outside the reincarnation's house. They are there to prevent the child being spirited away to the West. The barber's wild imagination had also infected the staid householders of the village and they want their cut of the oil wealth lying under their feet. Of course there is the village yokel suddenly transformed by a series of misunderstandings into a Greek scholar whose wild oratory is listened to by the villagers avidly but without understanding. By the time Maggie Duckworth arrives at the village she is met by all these forces, which she cannot fathom. Things are not helped by the avaricious nature of the reincarnation's father, Mr. Keshavan, who dreams of inheriting Presley's Graceland on behalf of his son. As if these things were not enough for Maggie Duckworth, Bosworthy manages to get himself arrested as a spy with designs on India's cultural heritage when he wanders into the village temple. The story goes on to its ultimate denouement as the Indian papers, slow on the uptake, now create a country- wide furor making the incident take on an international flavour with formal protests being lodged with the American Ambassador in India and nearly bringing the Indian Government down for kowtowing to the Americans. Sunita's two daughters though central to the theme are just onlookers and as bewildered as Maggie by the course of events they have unleashed. Babli, the younger one, is the agnostic with a healthy disrespect for the superstitions surrounding the village life. But she triggers off events leading to the acceptance of the child to be a reincarnation of Elvis.
"The Avatar Syndrome" follows Anne from childhood to womanhood; from a troubled, taciturn youth, to a world-renowned violinist; from misunderstood recluse, to messiah of a higher truth and beauty. From 5 Stars Reviews: "The author is an enlightened being and it is very evident in this masterpiece"" (Michael P.Tinsley, Amazon.com) "If you love art, music, philosophy, beauty, and... science, then read this book". (Adam Kerry, Smashwords)
Soong-Chan Rah calls the North American church to escape its Western cultural captivity and to embody a next evangelicalism that is diverse and multiethnic. This prophetic report casts a vision for a dynamic evangelicalism that fully embodies the cultural realities of the twenty-first century.
Many men have the skills to lead a church, but only some are called. Dave Harvey helps men considering pastoral ministry to see God's active role in the process of discerning their calling. God's Word offers a clear framework for evaluating one's call, especially within the context of community. Harvey offers six diagnostic questions to help prospective pastors process their calling, and what they should be doing now if they aren't sure. Illustrated with personal and historical stories, Harvey explores biblical and practical principles for determining the pastoral call. Over the past twenty-four years of ministry, Harvey has enjoyed assisting many men in discerning whether they are called into ministry. This book will guide you through that all-important process with wisdom and confidence in God's faithfulness in your life.
The first systematic look at the different strategies that states employ in their pursuit of nuclear weapons Much of the work on nuclear proliferation has focused on why states pursue nuclear weapons. The question of how states pursue nuclear weapons has received little attention. Seeking the Bomb is the first book to analyze this topic by examining which strategies of nuclear proliferation are available to aspirants, why aspirants select one strategy over another, and how this matters to international politics. Looking at a wide range of nations, from India and Japan to the Soviet Union and North Korea to Iraq and Iran, Vipin Narang develops an original typology of proliferation strategies—hedging, sprinting, sheltered pursuit, and hiding. Each strategy of proliferation provides different opportunities for the development of nuclear weapons, while at the same time presenting distinct vulnerabilities that can be exploited to prevent states from doing so. Narang delves into the crucial implications these strategies have for nuclear proliferation and international security. Hiders, for example, are especially disruptive since either they successfully attain nuclear weapons, irrevocably altering the global power structure, or they are discovered, potentially triggering serious crises or war, as external powers try to halt or reverse a previously clandestine nuclear weapons program. As the international community confronts the next generation of potential nuclear proliferators, Seeking the Bomb explores how global conflict and stability are shaped by the ruthlessly pragmatic ways states choose strategies of proliferation.
