Second Life is—well, for the uninitiated, it is hard to explain. Some call it a game, but in reality it is ultimate virtuality: a virtual, 3D, online world that is continually created and updated by its residents. Originally introduced to the public in 2003 by the company Linden Lab, Second Life now boasts over a million members from around the world, up to 50,000 of whom will be online at any time.
In this virtual world you can take on an entirely different personality, do things you'd never do in your 'First Life', behave badly - or do good. It sounds like a place where Christianity has no place.
In fact, there are some 100 'churches' listed in Second Life. Some, like the Church of Apathy, were obviously created as a joke, but others advertise legitimate doctrine, membership, and church functions. Because Second Life is as real to many people as the life you and I live, some Christians have found it a place of opportunity to talk about the Gospel to those who haven't heard.
One such is Second Life resident “Emmanuel Hallard.” He started the Christian Church of Second Life two and half years ago. “I felt that Jesus’ saying, ‘Go into all the world’ included Second Life,” explained Hallard, who in his “First Life” is Lee Wilson, a minister, author, and actor who works for the Family Dynamics Institute, a nonprofit marriage and family ministry located outside of Nashville.
Wilson spends around 10 hours per week in Second Life, communicating with his church’s 1,000 members, developing the church “property,” leading Bible discussions, talking with church visitors, and exploring new areas of the world.
Other Second Life churches function in a similar manner, offering Bible studies and discussion groups. Some hold special events based on the liturgical calendar, such as Easter gatherings and special prayer services.
What may seem strange to people who don't inhabit this 'other' world plainly works for those who do.
Who would imagine the Gospel reaching into such a place?
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