Get Me to the Church Online

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

“Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps; set thine heart to
towards the highway,” said the prophet Jeremiah. If you are a
Christian looking for waymarks on the information highway, this
ecumenical resource offers a heap of good advice. The first chapter
guides noncomputer people through the process of getting connected to
the Internet and understanding the basics of Web surfing. A glossary at
the end of this chapter provides easy reference for “newbies.”

The next 12 chapters review 120 Christian Web sites under subject
categories like Music; Youth; Family; Outreach; and Spirituality,
Sexuality and Health. Another chapter lists Christian search engines
(Starting Points), online Christian newspapers and journals (The News),
sites for religious leaders (Clergy Resources), and Bible study sites
(Scholarly Resources). The “Denominational Sites” chapter lists the
Web pages of nearly a dozen mainstream Christian denominations ranging
from the American Baptist Church to the World Council of Churches. And
if you are interested in creating your own Christian Web site, the
“Churches Online” chapter will give you the resources. Regardless of
the subject matter, each Web site is rated as to whether it is
inclusive, interactive, and/or denominational. In a sidebar on each
page, “Christian humourist” Ralph Milton provides commentary.

The Web sites listed in the book reflect only the extremes of
mainstream North American Christianity. The more conservative surfers
will find sanctuary at the Evangelical Lutheran home page; those who
like their dogma mixed with a little humour and controversy might enjoy
visiting the Virtual Church of the Blind Chihuahua. The book comes with
a floppy disk that installs a “Church Online” icon and Christian
screen savers on your computer. Unfortunately, the icon is really a
device designed to sell Wood Lake products, and the screen savers are
rather mediocre. The book, however, is a first-rate resource.