Exploring Religious Community Online : We Are

Exploring Religious Community Online is the first comprehensive study of the development and implications of online communities for religious groups. This book investigates religious community online by examining how Christian communities have adop

Heidi Campbell is Assistant Professor of Communication at Texas A&M University.

Acknowledgments

ix

Preface

xi

Introduction

xiii

chapter one Understanding the Internet and Cyberspace

1

(24)

A Brief History of the Internet

2

(4)

The Story of Cyberspace

6

(7)

Reactions to the Internet

13

(5)

The Internet: Information, Identity, and Experimentation

18

(7)

chapter two The Internet as a Social Network: Community Online

25

(28)

Describing Community

26

(4)

Describing Religious Community

30

(6)

Community as a Network

36

(3)

Religious Community as a Story

39

(1)

Defining Online Community

40

(13)

chapter three The Internet as a Spiritual Network: Spirituality and Religion Online

53

(22)

Cyber-Spirituality and Religion Online

55

(6)

A Look at Online Christianity

61

(8)

Considering Challenges of Online Religious Community

69

(6)

chapter four Story-Formed Community Online: Identity Narratives in Cyberspace

75

(32)

Researching Life Online

76

(3)

Finding the Story of Community Online

79

(1)

The Community of Prophecy

80

(8)

The Online Church

88

(8)

The Anglican Communion Online

96

(11)

chapter five Communicating Online: Creating Community Through Email

107

(20)

Appeal of Email

109

(6)

Using Email to Visualize the Invisible

115

(4)

Negative Effects of Disembodied Communication

119

(4)

Creating Community Through Email

123

(4)

chapter six Connecting Online and Offline Community

127

(24)

Connecting the Offline with the Online Through Prayer

129

(5)

The Online in Daily Life

134

(5)

Going Beyond the Screen

139

(7)

Online versus Offline

146

(2)

Bringing Online and Offline Together

148

(3)

chapter seven On Being the Church Online: Reflections on Online Religious Community

151

(22)

Connecting Online Religious Community to Offline Church

153

(8)

Supplement, Substitute, or Something Else?

161

(8)

Online Community on Offline Church

169

(4)

chapter eight We Are One in the Network: Understanding Religious Community Online

173

(24)

Embodied Church versus Disembodied Congregation

174

(2)

Claims About the Nature of Online Religious Community

176

(5)

Attributes of Religious Community Online

181

(7)

We Are one in the Network: Two Lessons and Two Challenges

188

(7)

Becoming the Network

195

(2)

Notes

197

(4)

Bibliography

201

(10)

Index

211

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Exploring Religious Community Online : We Are One in the Network

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

FREE SHIPPING

Rent More, Save More! Use code: BBRENTAL

5% off 1 book, 7% off 2 books, 10% off 3+ books

Exploring Religious Community Online : We Are One in the Network

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Digital License