New Media Blog

By Monica A. Coleman | In many traditional churches in my denomination (A.M.E. Church), there are altar rails. An altar rail is a wooden railing that distinguishes the pulpit area from the rest of the sanctuary. They are most common in Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Methodist communions. Altar rails are sometimes ornate with carvings in marble. Other times, they are made of plain wood.

By Julie Vieira | Many of us have experienced powerful moments of healing within our local faith communities. But what about online communities? Can healing take place when we are not face to face? Can we be healed through the laying on of hands—on a keyboard? There are many kinds of healing that affect us in body, mind, and spirit.

By Deborah Arca, guest blogger | The Internet today is a unique and extraordinary space for Christians to practice love and model compassion, charity, and hospitality to the rest of the world. And we need to learn how to do this amidst conflict. Unfortunately, we don’t tend to do a very good job of it most of the time.

By David Hayward, guest blogger | One of the most important aspects of community is strong leadership, or moderation. This is also true of an online community. If you are not involved with the leadership of the community, make sure someone is. Don't assume that it will run itself. With my online community, The Lasting Supper, I am not the only one involved.

By Kathryn Reklis | Last fall the National Catholic Reporter published an article on a recent study conducted by Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA): “Study: Most Catholics aren't searching for spirituality online.” The study focused on Catholics who attend mass at least once a week and found that of that group only “13 percent of them read Catholic blogs and 17 percent view religious material on YouTube,” whereas one in four read diocesan newspapers or magazines in print form.