First published: Joint Church Press: Methodist Recorder, Baptist Times, Church Times, Church of England Newspaper, 29 August 2002
For 3 years we have run the Benefits and Dangers of the Internet feature series. The Net as we know it, i.e., including images and email rather than just academic hyperlinks, has been going nearly three times that long. Yet even 3 years is like a century in cyberspace.
The web, and especially the advent of fast connections and superb search engines such as Google (www.google.co.uk), have enabled us to answer many questions, find lost school friends, put churches and ministries online, and yet certain doubts still remain. The pervasiveness of porn, the safety of chat rooms, and the reliability of information found, still leave us unsure. Some still want to ban the Internet. A recent Daily Telegraph leader in the light of the Soham tragedy was headed "Don't blame the internet", another in The Times ran "Who will shield our children on the net?", this latter a knee-jerk reaction to unsubstantiated reports that the girls had been using chat rooms just prior to their disappearance when in fact they first met their abductors in the real world of school.
The president of News Corp, in the US, has called the Internet a "moral-free zone", a notion to which the current Pope has previously subscribed. Yet now he is viewing "the internet as a new forum for proclaiming the gospel", presenting the church "with unheard-of possibilities for evangelism".
Carpe Diem or Carpe Deum?
We should be imitating Tyndale and 'seizing' the moment of the Internet, just as he seized the opportunity of the printing press to put Latin scriptures into the common tongue. Rather than Luddite-like condemnation of the Net we should be harnessing it to prevent church decline, to stave off moral collapse, and to combat intolerance and cultish indoctrination, through the freedoms offered by the Web to circulate information freely.
Saintly Protectors?
Perhaps the Vatican's suggested saints to 'watch over' the Internet are good indicators of the way forward. Saint Titus Brandsma was a campaigner for the freedom of the press in Nazi Germany before he was executed in Dachau. Saint Isidore of Seville is regarded as the creator of the first religious encyclopaedia. The dangers of the Net are best countered through the freedom it offers to spread good information. Don't shut it down – put it to better use.
Human Supervision
Parents need knowledge and wisdom to better protect their children. Knowledge of computers and the Internet, you are never too late to learn; and wisdom – knowing that you don't place a PC in a child's bedroom, you keep it in an accessible family area where secrecy gives way to supervision and subsequently trust.
Christian Directories
The good news is that churches are getting the message and getting online. Numerous Christian directories and links sites offer opportunities to find what you are searching for on the web. Finding a church of any denomination or none has also just got easier with the launch of www.findachurch.co.uk, the UK church directory, which Rev Stephen Gaukroger describes as an "excellent and extensive reference work".
Networthy News
Finally, speaking of news, the Net is one of the best places to check out the Christian implications of what is going on in the world around us. Researching the ethics of ‘a just war' against Iraq or taking sides in the Middle East crisis, we need the web to inform us. Check out sites such as www.honestreporting.com, www.beliefnet.com, or www.christiancomment.com for a Christian view.
Article by Jonathan Went (BMSoftware, NetResearcher.co.uk)
jon@bmsoftware.com
Jonathan Went is as a Net researcher, IT consultant and web designer, and can advise on promoting your church/organisation on the web, using search engines to their best advantage, or how to protect your family.. He can be contacted by email (jon@bmsoftware.com) or by phone on 01603 667393.
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