The Aeropagus of Our Time
Picture yourself in Athens, circa 50 A.D. St. Paul, in the midst of his second great missionary journey, stands in the center of the Areopagus, defending the Christian faith to the people of Athens and providing for us one of the first examples of the Christian apologetic method (Acts 17:19-31).
Return to the present. A young adult, amidst potato chip bags and empty Coke cans, sits in his easy chair before a much more global medium, defending the Christian faith to people all over the world, continuing in the example that Paul gave us so long ago.
What is this global medium that allows us to spread the Gospel so profusely?
The Internet "is the Areopagus of our time, the instrument to spread the Christian message," Archbishop John Foley tells us in "Internet and the Catholic Church in Europe." The Internet is shaping the way young adults learn, defend and live their faith.
It is no surprise that young adults flock to the Internet. They have grown with it. As such, it is not a novel invention but instead something that has always been a part of their lives. They embrace it because it allows them to transcend the boundaries that confine them and to connect with other young adults of like mind and interest.
What is novel is the overwhelming number of young adults who use the Internet to fulfill a purpose that before was only reserved to priests, teachers, authors and missionaries: learning, explaining and defending the Catholic faith.
-- Read the rest at phatcatholic apologetics -- Not a bad fourth post, eh? (Though I am admittedly biased.)
I was thrust into my faith in a deep way through the internet. It was phatmass (mentioned in the article) that first brought me to the concept of apologetics. I wrote tracts (nothing worthy of reading but still found in the reference section) and debated people on Christian phorums. I no doubt had my pride handed to me on a silver platter, mutilated and unrecognizable, many times but I loved it!
Then there are blogs... oh the blogs! How much fun AND knowledge do I get from my favorite blogs!
There's a reason my outgoing email has the tag...
"The internet causes billions of images to appear on millions of computer monitors around the planet. From this galaxy of sight and sound will the face of Christ emerge and the voice of Christ be heard?
--Pope John Paul II, Message for World Communications Day, 2002"
Return to the present. A young adult, amidst potato chip bags and empty Coke cans, sits in his easy chair before a much more global medium, defending the Christian faith to people all over the world, continuing in the example that Paul gave us so long ago.
What is this global medium that allows us to spread the Gospel so profusely?
The Internet "is the Areopagus of our time, the instrument to spread the Christian message," Archbishop John Foley tells us in "Internet and the Catholic Church in Europe." The Internet is shaping the way young adults learn, defend and live their faith.
It is no surprise that young adults flock to the Internet. They have grown with it. As such, it is not a novel invention but instead something that has always been a part of their lives. They embrace it because it allows them to transcend the boundaries that confine them and to connect with other young adults of like mind and interest.
What is novel is the overwhelming number of young adults who use the Internet to fulfill a purpose that before was only reserved to priests, teachers, authors and missionaries: learning, explaining and defending the Catholic faith.
-- Read the rest at phatcatholic apologetics -- Not a bad fourth post, eh? (Though I am admittedly biased.)
I was thrust into my faith in a deep way through the internet. It was phatmass (mentioned in the article) that first brought me to the concept of apologetics. I wrote tracts (nothing worthy of reading but still found in the reference section) and debated people on Christian phorums. I no doubt had my pride handed to me on a silver platter, mutilated and unrecognizable, many times but I loved it!
Then there are blogs... oh the blogs! How much fun AND knowledge do I get from my favorite blogs!
There's a reason my outgoing email has the tag...
"The internet causes billions of images to appear on millions of computer monitors around the planet. From this galaxy of sight and sound will the face of Christ emerge and the voice of Christ be heard?
--Pope John Paul II, Message for World Communications Day, 2002"
posted by Laura H. at 8/13/2006 06:14:00 PM
1 Comments:
thanks for posting my article! :D
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