I analyze how the Catholic Church has responded to the advent of the Internet and how the Internet has been used for the task of evangelization. I look at major shifts in communications technology, but focus on the development of the printing press.
Towards a definition of Communication
While the Internet has improved our ability to communicate technologically, it is also profoundly changing the very fabric of human communication. The Internet is an expression of the self – through a specific code of communication that we must understand if we want to change our reality” (2001: 6).
The Development and Evolution of Communications
The advent of the printing press created a new way to share knowledge. The printing press, invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-fifteenth century, had extraordinary consequences.
The Transformative Power of Communications Technology
Jonscher says that '..TV played an important role in introducing a new pattern of domestic life, where people typically spent hours in front of the set every day' (:215). Television also has completeness; the content of the channels may have changed significantly, but the daily habits that people have fallen into since the dawn of television remain the same.
Conclusion
Jonscher says that 'Countless challenges will confront us as we learn to take advantage of this new networked world. Perhaps the only way we can assess the benefits of technology and the way this technology can be used to evangelize is to begin with. , by considering the impact that technological development, especially in the form of the mass media, has had on human society and behavior. In the next chapter I will outline the work of a number of theorists who have extensively studied and written about human communication and the power of the means of communication, specifically electronic media, and how it affects the attitudes, behavior and lifestyle of people.
Harold Adams Innis
In a sense, the problem of the German people is the problem of Western civilization. The so-called 'war on terrorism', which US President George W.
Marshall McLuhan 6
This causes us to underestimate the power of the new media (perhaps in our context, the Internet). In each of these cases, the proximate effect of the rearview mirror was to obscure some of the most important revolutionary functions of the new medium.
Neil Postman 8
Keeping the machinery hidden and the relieving character of the device go hand in hand' (:44). He says that, thanks to the 'devices' we have, we have 'gradually divided and dissolved the structure of our lives' (: 124).
Paul Soukop 14
Christology can "use Christ as a symbol of the new humanity in its teaching and preaching" (:66). Rooted in Trinitarian theology, we already have a foundation for communication as relationship.
Conclusion
There is power in the means of communication themselves which, as many suggest, can be more persuasive than the actual content of the message being conveyed. Many theorists are also concerned about the amount of information available and seem to suggest that more information available more widely may not always be to the benefit of society.
Media shifts Theology
34;Baptize the culture: adopt modern trends by truth-testing theology by opinion polling. Debate culture: take a missional approach with the assumption that we live and work in a post-Christian culture.
God as Communicator
God's revelation has been entrusted to the church, and it is the church's task now, in the power of the Spirit, to fill everyone's hearts, so that as Paul says in the letter to Thessalonians 3:1, 'The word of God can go forth and prevail' (DV26). In Dei Verbum, the church says that the scriptures are the word of God and are intended for all people, and because God speaks to people, God needs to speak in a human way.
Communication in the Early Church
For these three have changed the appearance and condition of the entire world (Francis Bacon in Eisenstein 1983: 12). What was now mandatory was the ability of the faithful to know the catechism by heart.
The Catholic Church and the Media
In 1954, the Commission was again renamed the Pontifical Commission for Cinematography, Radio and Television. It was not until March 1, 1989 that the Pontifical Commission for Social Communications became the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and thus an independent office of the Roman Curia.
Social Communications from Vatican II
It also recommends the training of believers, laity and clergy in the field of social communication. There is a parallel in the use of media in the Church between the invention of the printing press and the development of new media.
The Catholic Church and the Internet
The document provides a comprehensive and positive account of how the Internet can be used by the Church. It tries to measure the Internet by its solidarity and service to the common good.
Challenging Issues Ahead
Through cooperation and presence on the Internet, the Church contributes to its formation and direction. There seems to be no deep-seated sense that the Internet can be used as a tool for Christ's transformation of culture.
Conclusion
Introduction
Defining Evangelisation
Conversion is one of the central elements of evangelism, but this is not simply the sole task of evangelism. There are many believers who still need evangelism; by this I mean a deeper conversion to Christ and the Gospel.
The Different uses of the Internet
Therefore, it is important, first, that the Church is aware of what kind of needs it is trying to meet in cyberspace, and also what will be needed in terms of the type of site for the Internet to be used effectively. It is worth noting that in the 1930s the French theologian and scientist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin predicted the emergence of the noosphere, a network that connects humanity on a mental rather than physical level.
The Internet in South Africa
The report says that the success of the mobile phone industry appears to have come at the cost of a "data gap" between those with access to the Internet and its benefits and those without (: 132). The report claims that there is a general consensus that access to the Internet is important for work and career purposes and that the most common users of the Internet are younger people (:147).
Research
Methodology
The questionnaire is divided into two sections: the first about internet use and the second about the Church and the internet. The number of people who participated in the research was small and it is therefore simply a sample of habits and attitudes regarding the Internet and what people think about the Church/religion and the Internet.
Discussion of the Research Findings
- Section B: The Church and the Internet
None of the respondents said they used the internet because they felt isolated or lonely. 97% of respondents said they had used the Internet to gather information about the church and 3% said they had not.
Summary
Therefore, the majority answer would be that the Church has not realized (or does not want to?) the potential of the Internet. I hope to show how this model can help the Church use the Internet.
Ignatius Loyola and the Internet
The life of Ignatius Lopez de Loyola 1
Literature inspired him and he found himself thinking about living his life like some of the saints. He kept records of the various religious experiences he had, which later formed the basis and were the beginnings of the Spiritual Exercises. 2.
Ignatius and Communication
The visibility and accessibility to others of the Society of Jesus was important to Ignatius. 9 In this thesis I use David Fleming's translation of Spiritual Exercises: Draw me into your friendship.
Ignatius and the Imagination
Ignatius saw the power of the imagination and wants the one doing the Spiritual Exercises to be mindful of their ability to imagine, and he constantly reminds the practitioner to do so. Ignatius wants the practitioner to use their imagination to imagine the life of Christ, but he also uses the imagination himself in a creative way by setting two of the key meditations of The Spiritual Exercises in the imagination.
Ignatius and Community
The brand not only fulfills the desires created in the imagination but also gives the wearer a sense of 'new' identity and the mass media is used to make people believe in brands. People are focused on the brand and their lives are 'directed' according to their focus.
Ignatius and Focal Practices
7 The Spiritual Exercises are, among other things, a communication tool, so Ignatius tries to establish a context in which effective communication between the practitioner and God can take place, which is why Ignatius pays special attention to the details within the Spiritual Exercises themselves.
The Discernment of Spirits
In the guidelines for the second week on discernment (SpEx 328-336), Ignatius focuses us on the direction of our thoughts, noting whether they came from the good or evil spirit through the path and the outcome of the path we take. be led. Are we being led, by the mass media, by the good spirit or by the bad spirit and how, by taking note of this movement within, can we redeem it.
Learning from Ignatius - An Ignatian Communications Model
The Church and the Internet document clearly called for a judicious reflection and use of the Internet. Prudence is needed to clearly see the implications - the potential for good and evil - in this new medium and to respond creatively to its challenges and opportunities (12).
An Analysis of Two Websites
Most of the content on the site is written by young adults - even the faith guides are written by young adults with relevant expertise. The site was launched by advertising on other sites - they wanted to reach beyond the Church's restrictions.
Conclusion
The Church wasted no time in using the press as a tool, not only within the Church, but also in the Reformation. As internet access increases in South Africa, I suggest it would be a good idea to start looking at ways forward in internet usage.
Questionnaire on the Internet
Do you think the internet is a useful and effective tool for converting people to the Christian faith? What possibilities do you think the Internet offers for people to interact about religious and spiritual matters.
