{"id":892,"date":"2009-10-01T04:01:04","date_gmt":"2009-10-01T04:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/10\/but-arent-there-some-aspects-of-church-that-are-necessarily-physical-section-2.html"},"modified":"2009-10-01T04:01:04","modified_gmt":"2009-10-01T04:01:04","slug":"but-arent-there-some-aspects-of-church-that-are-necessarily-physical-section-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/10\/but-arent-there-some-aspects-of-church-that-are-necessarily-physical-section-2.html","title":{"rendered":"But Aren\u2019t There Some Aspects of Church That Are Necessarily Physical? Section 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 6 of series: Is Online Church Really Church<\/em>?
\nPermalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nIn my last post I suggested that the Christian sacraments of baptism and communion have essential corporate aspects, and even physical aspects, that cannot be adequately experienced online. When the sacraments are included in a virtual church experience, vital elements are lost. I\u2019m not suggesting, however, that it is necessarily wrong for people to experience the sacraments when they are not physically with other people. I\u2019ve always that it was cool that Buzz Aldrin, one of the first two men who walked on the moon, received communion while on the moon\u2019s surface. (Photo: If you look very closely at the classic photo taken by Neil Armstrong of Buzz Aldrin, you can see his communion elements.)
\nThe problem comes, as I have explained before, when people try to argue for the adequacy of online church, as if one can be fully a follower of Jesus without ever actually being together with other Christians for intentional worship, fellowship, and service. The Christian who never actually receives communion from another person who is physically present is missing out on something essential, not to mention wonderful.
\nBut there are many other experiences of church that simply cannot be reproduced online. Consider what happens in worship, for example. One of the most sublime experiences of the Christian life is singing with other Christians. There is a sense of unity in worship and joy in praise that comes when congregations sing to the Lord together. If people are streaming church services online, they will miss out on this experience. Oh, I suppose they might turn of the volume and singing along. But, still, they miss the sense of being with the body of Christ in worship.
\nBesides, I wonder how many online worshipers would actually participate, rather than just observe. Would they stand, kneel, and raise their hands? Would they sing the hymns and songs? Would they say the Lord\u2019s Prayer? Would they pass the peace of Christ in a chat room or with Twitter? Or would they mostly observe as others do this. My guess is that observation is the order of the day for online church participants.
\nBeyond worship gatherings, there are many aspects of church life that cannot be experienced if you are not physically present. For example:<\/p>\n

\u2022 You could virtually observe a mission trip without being part of it, even supporting it financially. But how could you embrace orphans or build homes for the homeless if you\u2019re not physically present?
\n\u2022 How can you lay hands on the sick and pray for them virtually?
\n\u2022 How can you embrace those who are weeping?
\n\u2022 How can you teach kids in Sunday School?
\n\u2022 How can you bring a meal to a person who is house-bound?
\n\u2022 How can you visit those who are in prison?
\n\u2022 How can you offer food to the hungry?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Oh, to be sure, a clever person could come up with some virtual approximations of these activities. But I think it\u2019s clear that some key parts of the Christian life require physical presence with people.
\nI wonder if advocates of the adequacy of virtual church would argue for the adequacy of virtual marriage? After all, one could get to know somebody through the Internet, sharing deep thoughts and feelings. One could engage in an online wedding ceremony, with vows texted or tweeted or chatted (though I don\u2019t know if this is legal). One could even remain in a faithful, emotionally-intimate relationship for a lifetime without ever being physically present with one\u2019s spouse. But wouldn\u2019t you think something is missing? Isn\u2019t there something essential to marriage that requires physical presence?
\nIn my next post I want to consider why physical church is not just an accident of the pre-Internet age, but something essential to the nature of church.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 6 of series: Is Online Church Really Church? Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series In my last post I suggested that the Christian sacraments of baptism and communion have essential corporate aspects, and even physical aspects, that cannot be adequately experienced online. When the sacraments are included in a virtual church…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-online-church"],"yoast_head":"\nBut Aren\u2019t There Some Aspects of Church That Are Necessarily Physical? Section 2 - Mark D. 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Section 2"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/","name":"Mark D. Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/892\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}