A Cyber Christian is . . .

Proposing a new definition!

A Cyber Christian is a Christian who sees the emerging technology of our times as offering an unparalleled opportunity. (Much of North American Christianity appears to view technology as a threat or hazard to be approached with caution.)

Cyber Christians are not wiser than other Christians nor do they necessarily have more technical skills or greater wisdom than other Christians. They simply fervently believe that the technological developments of our time offer truly exciting possibilities.

A Cyber Christian does not pretend to have all the answers, or even any of the answers, but is genuinely excited by the prospect of digital technology being harnessed for communicating the Gospel both locally and internationally.

Cyber Christians also recognize the validity and value of the digital online community. They do not see it as a replacement for physical community, but they heartily endorse it as a genuine expression of community rather than as an impersonal impediment to real community.

Unfortunately, from the perspective of the present writer, denominational structures and local congregational realities offer little realistic expectation that the vision of the Cyber Christians will even get on the agenda of the institutional church. There appears to be widespread contentment with the way that the computer has replaced the typewriter, that e-mail is a convenient alternative to snail mail or voice mail, and, sometimes with some reluctance, that having a website is probably a necessity in these times. Digital options are perceived as challenges to be overcome rather than as opportunities to be explored with enthusiasm.

So, must the vision die? No, but I believe that Cyber Christians need to change their tactics. Taking a lead from Cyber visionaries in other disciplines, Cyber Christians need to switch from seeking to recruit local converts to their vision and instead, to start using the very tools that this digital age offers, to seek out the global company of others who already grasp it. And although Cyber Christians do not yet share a unified set of priorities they are at one in understanding that the longer it takes for bold Christian technological initiatives to be launched the more difficult it will be to ever get them started at all.

Cyber Christians of the world unite!