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Life of the World - A single site for information with daily scriptures, devotions, and insightful articles about Christ; coupled with news, weather, sports, and hsopping. This is a wonderful site that can be customized with your favorite features, and can even be made your home page! Also, you can sign up for FreeNSafe to receive free Internet access nationwide. Cyber Church: The Cyber Church is a new concept that has just begun on the Internet. It is an Internet-only church that meets only in cyberspace. Tens of thousands of christians have found that cyberchurches fill needs that are not met or cannot be filled by their local churches. Many cyberchurch visitors are members of their local church because they have a need to physically meet with other Christians. But for others, cyberchurch is their only church. Totalechurch, for example, estimates that approximately 70% of its members do not attend a local church. This outreach is particularly interesting since it is a totally Internet church - there are no physical walls to this church, it is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is non-denominational, and offers counseling as needed once you become a member. There are no obligations - which may or may not necessarily be a good thing - but there is also the ability to have total anonymity and confidence. While this approach probably would work for most believers, it would probably prove ideal for some. Many cyberchurches offer sermons, fellowship chat rooms, daily devotions, e-mail Bible studies, evangelistic resources, and prayer chains - all without having their members meet in person with other believers. Many cyberchurch visitors like meeting other Christians from other countries around the world. Totalechurch has members from eight countries, while Alabama-based St. John's Internet Church attracts an average of 1,500 weekly worshippers from 34 countries. Scotland's WebChurch averages over 1,000 visitors from over 70 countries. Unlike a local church, cyberchurches don't pass a collection plate, and don't charge for their services. Instead, their expenses are typically paid for by the people who operate them. For example, Rev. Dr. Everett A. Brown, who is pastor of St. John's Internet Church, pays expenses from his full-time job as a clinical psychologist. At Totalechurch, Glaesman's income as a preschool teacher and college speech instructor helps to pay the expenses. Naturally, cyberchurch's expenses are far lower than a regular brick and mortar church because there's little overhead; the "church building" is in reality on a hard drive in a computer. Naturally, the cyberchurch is not without its detractors. The most common criticism is that the cyberchurch lacks the personal element. There cannot be an actual meeting face-to-face because the "members" only meet digitally. However, there certainly are some people who are simply unable physically to attend their local church, or who feel more comfortable meeting other people in the unthreatening world of the computer monitor. Furthermore, an investigator interested in learning more about the Christian faith might very well find the unthreatening nature of the cyberchurch more conducive to their search, while actually talking to a believer in person would be too threatening. For these, the cyberchurch is a godsend. Most pastors seem to support the cyberchurch concept, although some might oppose the electonic church as they fear it might lure away potential members. However, this opinion is probably in the minority as pastors feel that any way an investigator might come to know Christ is valid - even a digital way. Geoffrey Clarke, pastor of Lord's Cove Church of Christ in New Brunswick, Canada, for example, welcomes the cyberchurch as partner with local churches. "Local churches need to be more supportive of this effort to reach people with the gospel," he says. Ed Rutherford, senior pastor of Orange Hills Assembly of God Church in Orange, California, also has "no problem with cyberchurches. There will always be people who can't attend church services for a variety of reasons - health, locale, etc." Connecticut-based Virtual Church which gets as many as 14,000 visitors a day, says its primary purpose is to be a "resource to churches" by offering a repository of materials. Similarly, the Web site of The Cross clearly states: "Don't leave your local church to come to us." The potential of the electronic church is to, "take church to people who previously could not get to a local church because of emotional problems, physical problems, or geogrpahical problems." i.e., physical distance from a local church. Are Web churches just a fad? A 1998 Barna study indicates that cyber churches may be here to stay. They found that 16% of American teens expect to use the Internet as a substitute for their local church by 2003. Interestingly, this notion was most prominent among those teenagers who already belong to a local church. On the other hand, others believe that most people will avoid using the cyber church for their sole spiritual nourishment, and might follow the trend of the television church. In any event, the cyber curch is rapidly becoming an alternative means of worship for some, and a supplement to their spiritual life for many. A list of cyber churches can also be found on the Internet. Men's Ministries Christianity
On Line Men's Community
Kid's Ministries
Teens
Singles
Seniors
Homeschoolers
Ministries to All Believers Luther Ring - A "ring" of Internet sites that have one thing in common; being Lutheran. Since I belong to the Missouri Synod of the local Lutheran Church, this is naturally of some interest to me. The largest Internet site is at Gospelcom.net. This is the mother of all Christian Web sites that is incredibly useful because it also functions as a hub to at least 230 other Christian sites as well. There are Bible sites, forums, discussion gruops, counselors, courses - just about everything you might want. iBelieve - A Web site that has all things for all people, with areas on marriage, entertainment, partenting, work, music, finance, and a well stocked store - among many others. This is a wonderfully diverse which probably has something for about everybody! C.S. Lewis page. C.S.
Lewis is probably the most popular Christian author of this century, about
36 years after his death. His Chronicles of Narnia series is so popular
that it has never been out of print, and the Screwtape Letters has become
a picture of the adversary and of temptation. Mere Christianity is
for many a watershed book, including those like Charles Colson who have
themselves gone on to become great defenders of hte faith. There
are dozens of sites devoted to C.S. Lewis, but probably this site should
be the starting place.
Joni Tada - Joni Tada is a very courageous lady who became quadriplegic during an automobile accident in 1967. I am very sensitive to the issue of minitry to patients with disabilities as my father was a paraplegic, also from an automobile accident, in 1969. He was also blessed to have a very caring and considerate Church, and had his faith blossom from this hardship as well, coming to a real knowledge of Christ prior to his death in 1987. I would encourage anybody with an interest in disabilities and who is a Christian to visit this excellent and thought provoking Web site. Christianity Online. Certainly, any exploration of Christianity on the Internet would have to consider this site. Here, you can browse publications such as Christianity Today, Leadership, and Books & Culture to understand critical issues facing modern Christianity. You can visit the Bible & Reference channel to locate study references and resources from across the Internet, or use search engines to browse large directories of Christian Web sites. Or, you can discuss your Christian interests on message boards. Campus Crusade for Christ International offers the Four Spiritual Laws and the Jesus Film in many languages - both of which are available at no cost. You can also view the Jesus fiilm online in streaming video for free. Evangelism Toolbox - a database of free evangelistic resources produced by Campus Crusade for Christ International. This database covers a wide spectrum of areas. Their goal is "to create a simple yet elegant one-stop location for hte best evangelistic recources available in the world." The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association site offers a section titled, The Way, which presents "answers and help on God and faith." It also features the "Steps to Peace with God" evangelical tract, and a searchable database of biblical answers to spiritual issues. Also featured is Dr. Graham's "My Answer" newspaper column. Power to Change - a Momentum ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ in Canada, is a seeker-oriented site built just for "pre-Christians." It offers real-life stories about the ability of Christ to change lives, followed by a presentation of the gospel. A church locator even helps new Christians find a church in their area. Radio Bible Class - offers the Discovery Series booklets. This is more than 100 titles that explain what it means to be a Christian, or how to grow in the faith. They also offer the "10 Reasons to Believe" series of apologetic tracts. Back to the Bible - has had a simple but powerful presentation of the gospel since 1996. It has resulted in over 2,300 confessions for Christ. They also offer transcripts of their radio broadcast. Athletes in Action - publishes testimonies of various NFL players and coaches, and has clips of their various evangelistic online videos online. Hopenet.net - is an evangelistic site geared toward young people. It uses a metaphor for life of a journey down a road as a vehicle for presenting the gospel. Sections of this site include presentations concerning health, self-esteen, love, intimacy, and friendship. A copy of the New Testament can also be ordered for free from this site. The Luis Palau Evangelistic Association - offers many evangelistic messages online, including "What is a Real Christian?" Sections from his most recent books are also available. The Ron Hutchcraft Mnistries - - offers practical help for many everyday problems and issues. For example, there is a discussion of issues leading to a presentation of the gospel called "Yours for Life." Jews for Jesus - one of my favorite sites, that offers a collection of information about Messianic Judaism. John Hagee Ministries - A ministry that specializes in the end-times; emphasizes the likelihood that the end-times are very near, probably within our generation. NeedHim.org - offers a diverse presentatoin of the gospel in audio, video, and through the written word. They also have a telephone number that is staffed by trained counselors for those who have questions about Christianity. The Promise Keepers - this is a unique ministry especially for men that helps us keep our promises, especially to our family. They also have a testimony each week about the impact that the gospel has had in peoples' lives. The Southern Baptist Convention - offers "God's Eternal Plan" - a presentation of the gospel, on their Web site. This group has made particular fame recently by sticking to their plan to evangelize Jews to Christ. In Touch Ministry - Charles Stanley's Simple Truth ministry that offers a creative presentation of the Gospel, the Bible, world religions, and the meaning of Jesus Christ in pelples' lives. The American Tract Society - offers the evangelistic tract - "Why God?" Many other tracts can be read and ordered online. The International Bible Society - provides a number of evangelistic resources. These include "Discovering Ancient Wisdom" - a series of books for those interested in investigating Christianity based on wisdom literature from Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, and the sayings of Jesus. Studentlife.org - uses popular culture to bridge the gap between traditional Christianity and today's youth. There are sections on truth, famous quotes, testimony, and much more - all without Christian buzzwords. The Holy Land - This is a wonderful site from Israel, showing videos from the Holy Land, Radio broadcasts, a Cyber Prilgrimage, and much more! God's Love in Action - Sammy Tippit's Ministries: a ministry devoted to prayer and revival, definitely worth a look. Especially interesting is his book, America at the Crossroads of Ruin and Revival. Creation and Evolution - A provocative page concerning an old earth, theistic evolution, Darwinism, Creation Science, the local Flood hypothesis, and much more. Makes for much interesting - and controversial - reading. Christian Legal Defence - Christianity is constantly under attack from politicians eager to limit our religious freedoms for political gain, the ACLU, and all manner of activists eager to silence forever the voice of the Christian Church. Thankfully in American, we have basic freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, but constant vigilance is required to protect and enforce these freedoms. Read about these organizations on the front lines fighting for religious freedom. The Rutherford Institute - This organization based in Charlottesville, VA is one of the leading legal defence organizations in the United States. They will - without charge if necessary - defend a case of religious persecution. You would be amazed at how our religious freedoms are "under fire!" The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) - A very active legal defence organization fighting for religious liberty in the home and workplace. Learn about laws relating to same-sex marriage, proposed lisencing requirements for evangelism, student's rights in the public schools, churches and the IRS, and much more. You can also hear Jay Sekulow Live - a radio broadcast featuring calls from listeners experiencing atacks on their religious liberties, and up-dates on issues relating to religious freedom. Christian Radio:
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