Embodied vs Digital Spiritual Growth
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Western Governors University *
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500
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Communications
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Apr 3, 2024
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docx
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Embodied vs. Digital Spiritual Growth
Wade Johnson
RTCH 500: Research, Writing, and Ministry Preparation
February 5, 2024
Contents
Embodied vs. Digital Spiritual Growth
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1
Prompt
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Response
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1
Bibliography
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ii
1
Embodied vs. Digital Spiritual Growth
Prompt
Based upon your reading and study of
Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age
,
chapters 5-8, how
would you respond to someone who rejected the possibility of Christians growing spiritually in digital online settings because spiritual growth requires physical face-to-face encounters between
believers?
Response
There are some that argue that spiritual growth must occur in the face-to-face setting. That the idea expressed in Hebrews 10:24-25 is an explicit command that face-to-face meetings are the only viable option. It is correct that the author of Hebrews expresses the importance of meeting however, our changing world has shown this meeting can have just as much impact in a digital community as in the physical. When looked at from an ecological perspective we see that the difference between these two communities is not as clear as some would think.
1
The online community fosters interactions which produce spiritual growth. Online learning and the virtual environment are not isolated from the rest of a person’s experience. When a person engages in an online discussion, they do not “leave their bodies, minds, and emotions at the front door.”
2
Instead, the person’s mind, emotion, and their individual experiences help shape their interactions online. Knowing this, it is possible to build online 1
Stephen D. Lowe and Mary E. Lowe, The Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age
(Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2018), 108.
2
Ibid., 107.
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2
communities, or social networks, which draw on each person’s past experience to help others grow. It is also important to understand that the use of technology, and the online environment, is widespread practice for millennials. It is now understood that technology pervades every aspect of our society and that “social media have reshaped every digital landscape we once knew.”
3
Today, an increasing number of people go to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok for information than ever before. Reports have shown that 70 percent of Christian millennials read Scripture through electronic devices and more than half of them access faith content from online sources.
4
Millennials are seeking out not only each other, but also faith content from the online community and growing in their faith as a result. Pastors understand this need and a study found that “nearly 90% of pastors today say, ‘they think people in their area would find it acceptable for their church to provide faith assistance or religious experiences to people through the Internet.’”
5
It is also important to remember that spiritual growth through mediated forms is not a new concept. The apostle Paul used letters to the first century churches as a way to provide instruction without physically being in the same place as those he was trying to reach. These letters were meant to provide correction, to offer comfort, give instruction, and offer support. In many cases, it is argued, Paul felt that these letters would be more effective than had he appeared
to the churches in person.
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Even today, Paul’s letters are a source of spiritual growth for Christians worldwide.
3
Ibid., 113.
4
Ibid., 115.
5
Ibid., 116.
6
Ibid., 110.
3
Though the medium has changed, with people exchanging pen and ink for keyboards and streaming cameras, the ability of people to build communities that foster spiritual growth when not being able to meet face-to-face has not changed. The online environment has given people unprecedented access to other believers and resources to help them grow than has been seen in human history. As people continue to interact they continue to make an impact on each other and
“the more reciprocal exchanges we have with one another in the body of Christ, the more opportunities we have to spread the contagion of holiness.”
7
7
Ibid., 131.
4
Bibliography
Lowe, Stephen D. Lowe and Mary E. Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age.
Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2018.
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