![]() Harber cautioned against simply giving people VR content - like putting up a sermon video in a virtual sanctuary - and calling that church. In VR, churches can “create virtual spaces where it’s possible for people to have meaningful spiritual conversations with pastors, theologians, professors, counselors, and more,” Harber said. Ian Harber, who recently co-wrote an article on preparing for ministry in the metaverse, told The Roys Report that VR could lead to more in-person, healthy church involvement if it’s used well. “I fear that creating metaverse risks replacing real-time human contact with animated interactions,” she concluded. What happens when we finally get together in person? Will we be disappointed in the reality of who that person is?” Segal asked in Psychology Today. “The ease at which we can create unreal worlds and unreal personas worries me. That makes VR users more vulnerable to manipulation by bad actors controlling the virtual environment, she noted.Īnd gatherings in virtual reality shouldn’t be confused with real human connection, social policy analyst Elizabeth A. “Everything a person sees and hears – and perhaps even feels or smells – is totally created by another person.” “A person who uses virtual reality is, often willingly, being controlled to far greater extents than were ever possible before,” computer science researcher Elissa M. “But at the core, our focus remains on relevancy as we consistently strive to demonstrate and teach people how God’s Word relates to everyone, no matter where they are in life.”īut ministry and psychology experts alike have been calling for wisdom -and caution - as virtual reality apps go mainstream. “Our methods have changed over the years as we’ve incorporated various technologies and strategies,” the YouVersion website states. 2 reference app on Apple’s App Store and has been downloaded more than 100 million times from Google’s Play Store. Groeschel’s website says Life Church “has led the way in pioneering innovations for the global Church.” Its YouVersionBible app is the No. The metaverse doesn’t yet exist, but might within just a few years. Virtual reality is set to be a major component of the “metaverse.”That’s basically a version of the internet that you browse in 3D or overlay onto real life, like with augmented reality glasses. ![]() She added the church hoped to use the platform especially to reach people “who might not otherwise set foot in a physical church.” In the church’s experience, she said, people “are often more willing to let their guard down and have deep, meaningful conversations more quickly from the safety of anonymity than they are face-to-face.” “While critics might question if real connections can be made in the metaverse, Life.Church has seen countless lives changed through relationships in digital spaces over the years,” said spokeswoman Rachel Feuerborn. In 2007 - nearly 15 years ago - the church launched a ministry in Second Life, a gamein which people interact with each other through their avatars. The Altspace services aren’t the church’s first foray into virtual reality, or VR. “With recent emphasis on the metaverse, organizations around the globe are taking a closer look how to leverage virtual reality-including the local church,” a Life Church spokeswoman said. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of “Wounded Workers: Recovering from Heartache in the Workplace and the Church” by Kirk Farnsworth. ![]()
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