Born again meets Second Life
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By Carla Hinton
Published: April 6, 2007
A church known for thinking outside the box has made a giant leap outside this world.
Edmond-based Life Church has opened a virtual ministry in Second Life, an Internet-based virtual world where people interact and participate in activities as avatars: 3-D personas they create.
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Details and the devil
Gruenewald, 30, said nondenominational Life Church anticipates countering evil in the virtual world just as it battles negative elements in the real world. By establishing a presence in Second Life, the church is offering an alternative to pornography and perversion the digital world has already attracted, he said.
"We feel like it's actually unbiblical not to be in places where those things exist,” Gruenewald said. "We want to be present where people need to hear about Christ.”
Leaders already have dealt with crude antics: A female avatar walked into the virtual church naked. Gruenewald said she complied with his request, as site owner, that she leave the premises.
"It doesn't come without its challenges. It's definitely a new frontier, so it's kind of raw,” he said.
The unrefined nature of Second Life didn't deter Gruenewald from exploring its possibilities for ministry back in 2005 when he downloaded its free software and created his avatar, "Bobby Simon.”
A brief Internet search shows that other churches — Pentecostal, Roman Catholic and Unitarian Universalist, among others — also have established a ministry presence in Second Life.
Pioneering ministry
Cory Miller is an Oklahoma City Southern Baptist whose Web site aims at connecting churches with technology. His blog featured on his site, churchcommunicationspro.com, recently mentioned Life Church's foray.
During a telephone interview, Miller said he thinks the Oklahoma church is pioneering a new Internet frontier.
"There is an entire population that is wrapping their world around it,” Miller said of Second Life. "Life Church is totally paving some new ground.”
He said he expects Life Church's latest venture will draw its share of criticism.
"It's the pioneer spirit to say, ‘We want to go into the entire culture and share the Gospel.' As far as technology goes, or anything, it boils down to the particular DNA of your church. A lot of what Life Church is doing fits their DNA, their core, who they are.”
Gruenewald said there are two main areas of criticism.
Some argue that Second Life is a waste of time, he said.
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