by Tina Kirsch

"Where is God online?" It’s a question I asked myself as I
first discover-ed the wonders of the Internet in 1991, during my
freshman year of college. I was amazed that I could send and receive
letters from friends on other campuses, instantly! Soon I discovered the
vast amounts of information on the World Wide Web (which at that time
was probably 1,000 percent less than today), and I was hooked.

But where did God fit into it all? How could he be glorified with
this new technology? Little did I know I’d find my answer in the form of
a job at Christianity Online, which I started in 1995, after my college
graduation.

Resources on Christianity Online

Christianity Today, Inc. publishes 10 Christian magazines, including
Christianity Today, Today’s Christian Woman, Campus Life, and Leadership
Journal. All 10 magazines are available on Christianity Online on
America Online (keyword: CO) and on the World Wide Web
http://www.christianity.net. The Web site includes the Christianity.Net
Search, one of the most comprehensive directories of Christian sites on
the Web, and the Christianity.Net Church Locator, a searchable database
of thousands of links to churches around the world. Also available on
both the Web site and AOL site is up-to-date religion news from various
denominational news sources.

Christianity Online on America Online also offers Christian music
information; a Church Leaders Network featuring resources, products, and
services for church leaders; a Christian marketplace with everything
from best-selling books, Bibles, software, apparel, gifts, and more;
missions and ministries information; and Christian classifieds.

However, the heart of Christianity Online lies in its community
areas for women, men, singles, church leaders, students, kids, and
families. Members interact with one another by posting messages on
message boards and chatting with one another in chat rooms.

Ministry on Christianity Online

Christianity Online joined America Online in October, 1994. At the
time, its goal was to provide Christian content for AOL, which it lacked
at the time. Also, its mission was to cultivate an online community that
provided Christians with the opportunity to fellowship with one another,
to encourage spiritual growth through abundant Christian content, and to
communicate the depth and transforming power of the gospel to all who
visit its site.

Today, Christianity Online is in the top five percent of America
Online’s most popular features, with monthly visits in excess of 600,000
by more than 200,000 individuals. CO has earned the AOL Members Choice
Award four times. Its Web boasts more than 550,000 impressions per
month.

While the above numbers are impressive, the real success of
Christianity Online is measured in terms of lives changed. Through a
"letters to the editor" section in the weekly CO COnnection
Newsletter, an online publication designed to inform members of
highlights and new content in the CO areas, Christians online share how
God has used the communication available online to touch their lives.

"I was having a very bad night and was feeling really low until
I went into one of the Christianity Online chat rooms," one such
letter begins. "Everyone welcomed me with open arms and offered to
pray for me as I sat crying at my computer. It helped me to feel that
the Lord was present in my life. I remembered the poem Footprints: ‘When
you saw only one set of footprints in the sand, it was then that I was
carrying you.’"

Another member shares how her computer brought her and her Christian
husband together:

"I found wonderful discussion in Christianity Online’s chat
rooms, particularly with another man. We were astounded at how much we
had in common, and how much we both loved the Lord. We each knew,
privately, that something was happening. Each of us prayed fervently
that we would follow in God’s design, not of our own accord.

"After many months, many high AOL bills, and many HUGE phone
bills, we finally met in person. We knew at once that we each had fallen
hopelessly in love, knew that God had directed it, and knew that we were
safe and secure in something that he had designated for the both of
us." The couple married in August 1996.

Finally, another member shares how Christians she met online helped
her overcome the hopeless situation she was in and directed her toward
Jesus.

"I was overwhelmed by burdens and thinking about suicide,"
she says. "At an online Bible study, we talked about getting to
know Christ and accepting him as personal Savior. People listened,
prayed for me and with me. I felt good about myself for the first time
ever. I accepted Jesus while online one night and I found a peace I
never knew before. I surrendered my burdens to him. I accepted what
Jesus did for me at the Cross. He died for my sins. My sins are
forgiven. I am a new creation. Now, I’ve found an offline church near me
for more Christian fellowship."

Many have often pondered: What would the apostle Paul have done if
he had used the Internet to spread the gospel? We need no longer ponder.
As ambassadors of Christ, Christianity Online and its members are using
whatever technology is available to them to reach the cyberworld for
Christ.

"One of our strengths is the Christian community we have
online," says John LaRue, vice president of research and
development for Christianity Today, Inc. "We have been given a
great opportunity to serve Christ in cyberspace, and we’re grateful to
all the members who have stood by our mission."

Reproduced with the permission of the Lausanne Website –
http://www.lausanne.org