It is interesting to see how different people see the internet going in opposite directions.  On the one hand, in this article on churches and the internet, the internet is held responsible for the increasing privatization of religion.  On the other hand, in this blog entry by Pastor Brent Thomas of Grace Community Church, the internet is providing for an impulse to community that the Church has perhaps not been supplying.

Of course, part of the problem is that evaluating "the internet" as a whole is hard to do.  The internet is a tool.  The question is, what are you using the internet to do?  If you think a podcast of your worship service is a possible substitute for being present at the time and place of worship and participating in the worship yourself, then, yes, the internet is going to help you unravel community.

But Brent points out that the "myspacebook" phenomenon represents the way the urge to community that is routed in who God is and who we are as his creatures.

These sites have skyrocketed in popularity over the past couple of years, yet I have heard little theological reflection on the popularity of these sites. These sites and others build on the of “social networking,” connecting people based on similar interests, whether it be music, movies, sports, hobbies or a variety of other interests. The more I think about sites like these, there seems to be something deeply theological happening. [READ THE REST]

I hope Brent will share more of his thoughts on this topic, because it is a great post.  And it shows, I think, why Connect Our People is offering a service that uses computers to enhance rather than detract from community.