Is SimChurch....Church?

Brick-and-Mortar Pastor Defends Virtual Church as Real



by Lillion Kwon Christian Post Reporter



The Christian church is engaging far less than 1 percent of the 70 million people who are active in the virtual world. This means the virtual world is by far the largest unreached people group on planet Earth, says one pastor.


Douglas Estes, a pastor from San Jose, Calif., has no vested interest in virtual or internet churches – a relatively new phenomenon – but given the large "unreached" population on the internet, he says he has a desire to see healthy churches proliferate "regardless of context."

Although he leads a brick and mortar church (Berryessa Valley Church), Estes defends virtual churches against critics in his newly released book, SimChurch: Being the Church in the Virtual World, maintaining that they are real churches with real people.

He summed up his argument in a recent post on Christianity Today's Out of Ur blog: "People are led to believe that members of online churches all connect to their video-game church as anonymous zombies in a Tron-like world. Supposedly these virtual (fake) Christians never really know each other, it’s all a facade, and that this is the sum and total of a virtual church.

"The real truth is that every virtual church I’ve ever attended has flesh-and-blood people in virtual (real!) community with other flesh-and-blood people whose primary meeting place is in synthetic space."

In recent years, Christians have begun to take on the internet by building church communities in virtual worlds like Second Life and The Sims and launching internet campuses where anyone from around the world can join weekend worship services live on the Web. The growth of virtual worshipping communities, however, has sparked debates on whether such churches are effective and biblical.

A major argument against internet churches is that they lack physical contact, Estes pointed out. But that same argument could be made against megachurches and any other church, for that matter, where people never really touch or come to know each other, he argued.

Virtual churches, critics say, also don't have real community.

Estes, however, pushed back by pointing out that church isn't about where it meets. "Isn't church supposed to be about people in communion with God rather than the building? ... Since when does the location of a church determine the quality of its community?"

"Virtual churches may meet for services in the virtual world, but they are not the one-dimensional illusion that critics like to easily prop up so as to knock down for their friends to applaud," he maintained. "And here’s the irony: Even as virtual churches seek to create community in both virtual and physical space, so too do their critics use virtual space when it is convenient for them in their brick and mortar ministries."

Bob Hyatt, pastor of the Evergreen Community in Portland, Ore., didn't buy Estes' argument.

He stressed, "It’s not where we meet, but that we meet," according to his post on Out of Ur.

"And whether people are actually meeting together – that is, whether you and me watching the same video stream, silently reading the comments in the chat room as we sip our individual portions of grape juice and eat crackers, rises to the level of 'ecclesia' and the picture of Acts 2:42 – has yet to be determined.

"In other words, I have yet to be convinced that simultaneity equals community," Hyatt stated

Hyatt has major concerns over the threat virtual churches or video venues represent to the overall "maturity of the Body of Christ." A virtual church, he contended, fails to engage in discipleship and leadership formation as well as church discipline.

"The worship, equipping, and discipling ministries of the church simply can’t take place through the internet. Pieces of them can, but eventually the jump has to be made," he said. "A truly biblical Church requires that we heed the biblical call of Hebrews 10 to not give up gathering together and being present to one another in real, actual life."

For Estes, as long as the people of God are meeting together for the purpose of glorifying Him, it's a real church. And in the end, he believes a local church could not really reach the whole world. Virtual churches, however, will have that kind of reach, he says in his book.

Notably, Estes doesn't believe virtual churches will or should replace real-world churches. Both accomplish ministry objectives that the other cannot. But he hopes that in the future, real-world churches will adopt more virtual elements and virtual churches will create real-world ministry teams to reach people in the real world and in the virtual world. Moreover, he hopes people will view virtual churches not as a form of church different from real-world ones, but see both as just churches.

Song of the Week (The Swell Season)

The Night Of The Hunter

Dream, little one dream/Dream my little one dream

Oh the hunter in the night/ fills your childish heart with fright
Fear is only a dream/ So dream little one, dream


The Night of the Hunter is a rather blatant tale of good vs evil.

Much of it is filmed as if a child's dream. A new viewer to this film might see aspects of other films that have come since. I surmise it is one of the most effective horror films ever made.

“It's really a nightmarish sort of Mother Goose tale we are telling,” Charles Laughton.

Acclaimed actor, Charles Laughton, directed The Night of the Hunter. A film that was not a hit, either commercially or critically upon its release in 1955. Discouraged, Laughton never would direct another film. Today, The Night of the Hunter is considered one of the great American films.


"Beware of false prophets....... which come to you in sheep's clothing ...
... but inwardly, they are ravening wolves."

This is said by Lillian Gish at the opening of the film. She appears in the night's sky as if an angel. She is reading Bible passages to children.

Then we look down upon earth and witness children playing hide and seek. The innocent scene is disrupted by the discovery of a dead woman by one of the children.

It is then that we meet Harry Powell.


We see Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) driving down a country road. He is dressed in a sharp suit, hat and string tie. And he is talking to God.

Harry: "What's it to be, Lord, another widow? Has it
been six? Twelve? ... I disremember. You say the word, and I'm on my way.

You always send me money to go forth and preach
your Word. A widow with a little wad of bills
hidden away in the sugar-bowl.

I am tired. Sometimes I wonder if you really
understand.
(pause)
Not that you mind the killin's..."


The stones of a country graveyard shine in the last daylight.

Harry: "Yore Book is full of killin's.

But there are things you do hate, Lord:
perfume-smellin' things -- lacy things --
things with curly hair --"


Powell struggles with his desires for women (he is probably impotent) but sees no problem with violence.

Mitchum's Powell is one of the best villians in film history. Well liked by most upon first meeting, his violent preacher contradiction is literally written on his hands. Some see him for who he is, most fall for the act.




We first see Ben Harper (Peter Graves) as he is running away from the police and drives up to his front yard. His two children, John and Pearl are playing in the yard and act excited to meet him until it becomes obvious something is wrong. We will find he has killed two people in a robbery gone wrong and still has the money with him. He quickly hides the money and then makes a covenant with his two young children.

Ben: "Listen to me, son. You got to swear. Swear means promise. First swear you'll take care of little Pearl. Guard her with your life, boy. Then swear you won't never tell where that money's hid. Not even your Mom."

This becomes a promise that Ben could not have forseen how difficult it would have been to keep. Especially on his son, John.Harry Powell is arrested for stealing a car and ends up the cell mate of Ben Harper's. Powell quickly realized what an odd man he is bunking with.

Ben: "What religion you profess, preacher?"

Harry: "The religion the almighty and me worked out betwixt us."

Harry is convinced Ben's children know where the money is hid. Harry gets out of jail soon after Ben is hanged for his crimes.

Harry finds the Harper family and tells them and their friends he worked at the jail and befriended Ben. Everyone believes and likes this strange man. Everyone but the young son, John.

Feeling she needs a father to her children, Ben's widow, Willa (Shelley Winters) quickly marries Harry. Pearl tells her brother John she loves their new father and wants to tell the secret of where the money is hidden. But John will not give in, despite Harry asking about the money every moment Willa is not around.

And soon Willa will be dead. In her bedroom, shot to resemble a church, she is murdered by Harry Powell. And in her death she feels she is being saved. Being made "clean."

Willa: "He made you marry me, so's you could show me the Way and the Life and the Salvation of my soul! Ain't that so, Harry?"


Leaving John and Pearl orphans. Orphans who then go on the run to escape their evil step-father. Like No Country For Old Men's, Anton Chigurgh, Harry Powell is pure evil. We see no redeeming value in him. Which makes him all the scarier when people, usually females, believe him to be good. But Powell is no man of God; though it seems he might just be a demon. John and Pearl stay only moments ahead of their pursuer. Travelling along the river by way of a rowboat. One night they sleep in the hayloft of a barn. John wakes in the night to the sound of Harry riding nearby on a horse, singing the hymn, "Leaning On The Everlasting Arms."

John: "Dont he never sleep?"


The children escape back in the boat. By morning they are awakened on shore by the old woman we saw in the very first moments of the film, Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish).

The contrast between Cooper and Powell is obvious from the start. She is legit. She has three other children she has taken in and cared for and takes in John and Pearl without thinking.

Soon Harry Powell shows up at the house and asks for John and Pearl. Thinking he could be their father, Rachel fetches them. But she soon sees Powell for the wolf in sheeps clothing.

John: "He aint my dad."

Rachel: "No, and he aint no preacher neither."


Knife out, Powell goes for John, who crawls under the porch. Rachel then scares Powell away with a shotgun pressed against his back. Harry Powell leaves, but promises to be back at night.


This all sets up one of those beautiful scenes that you never want to forget. Rachel, sitting in a rocking chair, is framed like Whistler's Mother. Only difference is she is holding a shotgun.


We see Harry Powell through the window, sitting in the front yard. He begins singing his favorite hymn once again, but this time it becomes a duet. Rachel joins in. In a sense she is reclaiming this praise to God. It is a stark contrast of "good vs evil," "christ vs antichrist."



"It's a hard world for little things."


The last line of the film is Rachel Cooper looking into the camera and saying (about children) "they abide and they endure."

It is a necessary ending for what has come before. These children have been through much and survived; won even.

But the more powerful scene is the arrest of Harry Powell a couple of minutes before.

The cops arrest Harry Powell in an almost identical scene to Ben Harper's arrest at the beginning of the film. And in spite of John's feelings for Powell, the memory of his father's arrest floods back.

He runs to Powell and throws the money on him. Begging him to take it.


John: (crying) "Here. Here. Take it back dad. I don't want it dad. Its too much. I dont want it. Here."


The Night of the Hunter is a feminist film in the end. Particularly, the redemption of the biblical character, Eve.

Until Rachel comes along in the last act of the film, how good at making smart decisions are the women in the film? Willa quickly marries Harry Powell. Her friend, Icey, telling her she needs a man to raise her children.


Willa is obsessed about feeling "clean" from her sins.

After being told Ben Harper got rid of the money, she exclaims, "I feel clean now. My whole body's just a-quivering with cleanliness."

When Ben Harper made his son John, swear to keep the money, he did not trust Willa to know.

"Swear you won't never tell where the money's hid. Not even your mom...You've got common sense, she ain't."


Pearl wants to tell Harry Powell their secret.

Pearl: "I love Mr. Powell lots and lots, John."

Even after they have been running away. When Powell finally catches them, Pearl walks right to him. The age of Pearl makes this somewhat understandable. More difficult is teenager Ruby, one of the orphans under Rachel's care. After just a brief encounter with Powell, Ruby also becomes infatuated. To the point that even when he is arrested for murder, she utters a perplexing statement.

Ruby: "I love him. You think he's like them others."

Rachel is not just the opposite side of the coin of Powell, but also of Willa and the other women in the film.

But Rachel does not just vindicate Eve; John does as well in a subtle way.

His christmas gift to her is the only one that is different. "Oh, another pot holder."

He gives her an apple. And reverses the gender order.

I Wanna Be Like, David

Michael Jordan was the focus of the Hall Of Fame ceremony on Friday. Makes sense. He was the greatest player of his time. Some would argue of all time. But other great players also were inducted. One was David Robinson.

Robinson was a truly great player. League MVP. Two NBA Championships. Scoring title. Defensive Player of the year. He might have been the focus other years. But Robinson was never AS focused upon as he should have been in his career. And the reason for some, seemed to be he was just too "nice." He was often (shudder) "modest," in a macho sport that deems that as weak or soft.

I could not watch this ceremony and not think about the stark contrast in two speeches. Robinson's lasted about 7 minutes. Jordan's was three times as long. Jordan's was a mixture of touching moments and unnecessary pettiness. He began with tears in his eyes and said he had "too many people to thank" to make it a short speech. But he also thanked no one more often than Michael Jordan.

At a time of celebration Jordan decided to call out people, as if he is still keeping count. As sports writer Adrian Wojnarowski put it, "This wasn’t a Hall of Fame induction speech, but a bully tripping nerds with lunch trays in the school cafeteria."

One instance was his former GM, Jerry Krause.

“Jerry’s not here,” he said. “I don’t know who’d invite him. I didn’t. I hope he understands it goes a long way. He’s a very competitive person. I was a very competitive person. He said organizations win championships. I said, ‘I didn’t see organizations playing with the flu in Utah. I didn’t see it playing with a bad ankle.’

Byron Russell is almost soley remembered for being the man that was guarding Jordan when he hit one of his most famous shots. Russell was good, not great or immortal like Jordan. It seems maybe slighty unfair that he is remembered the way he is. Jordan decided to bring him up and remind the world who was guarding him that play.

“I was in Chicago in 1994 … and at this time I had no thoughts of coming back and playing the game of basketball,” Jordan said. “Bryon Russell came over to me and said, ‘Why’d you quit? You know I could guard you."

“When I did come back in 1995 and we played Utah in ‘96, I’m at the center circle and Bryon Russell is standing next to me. I said, ‘You remember the [comments] you made in 1994 about, ‘I think I can guard you, I can shut you down, I would love to play against you? Well, you’re about to get your chance.’ “

While a decent enough story it was totally misplaced.

As was mentioning that Isiah Thomas, George Gervin (both in the audience) and Magic Johnson froze him out in the 1985 all Star game his rookie season.

1985.

Jordan still harping on something that happened 24 years ago.

Some will say this just shows his competitive nature. Its examples of what drove him to be the best ever.

I agree.

It also shows him as someone who can not quite get over basketabll (By his own admission). Someone who wants the world to know he still could kick your butt and yours and mine and on and on.

We know, Michael.

At that moment, he looked less like Air Jordan and more like someone who has yet to get their priorities straight in life. I hope he finds what he is looking for, beyond basketball.

I know that the speech I would choose to show my nephews, would be David Robinson's.

Revival

Jon Cash
September 11th 6:30pm Franktown Methodist Church


Jon Cash
September 12th 6:30pm Franktown Methodist Church


Alex Joyner
September 13th 11:15am Franktown Methodist Church

email Matt with any questions: mattbailey97@gmail.com

John Hughes 1950-2009

Song of the Week (Ode to Joy)

My favorite scene from one of my favorite films. If you like Beethoven, rent Immortal Beloved.