Monday, June 27, 2011

Is the Gospel Message on the Web "Sticky" Or "Bouncy?"

I daily check out America magazine’s website; I find it very interesting and informative. Today, I came across an article by Father James Martin, SJ, based on an address he gave at the Diocese of Brooklyn celebration of the 2010 World Communications Day. He examines the status of the Catholic Church’s use of digital communications, where is the Church in the world of the Internet.

There are hundreds of websites out there, established by various Church organizations, and individual Catholics. Some of them are very good; the Vatican, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the Archdiocese of Boston, which includes Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s own blog. There are many well constructed blogs created by individuals, many of whom are listed on my blog roll.

The biggest fear that many Catholic leaders have is that the Church is not reaching young digital savvy persons. The Web, if used well, can be a means of reaching out to the young, but it must be done in such a way that it addresses the spiritual needs and concerns of these persons. Finally, what is written on the Web, it must to be lived in the real world.

So will what the Church preaches electronically be “sticky” or “bouncy.”

No comments:

Post a Comment