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Do not spend more than 20 minutes on this assignment.
| Welcome to Lutherans.Net | Palmer, Brian M | Lutherans.net calls itself a "website for Lutherans." The site has very little content beyond a searchable database of other Lutheran websites, a prayer request area and a discussion forum. It is pretty clear that the site is not affiliated with any organization and the webmaster feels closest to the LCMS. I found the searchable database of Lutheran websites to be pretty good. The discussion forum and prayer request area had a lot of what many would consider to be marginal theology. I appreciated the way the participants wrestled with their questions/concerns. |
| Labyrinth | Costlow, Beth J | This site has some really good historical information about labyrinths. The authors of the information are noted but no sources are cited. I am puzzled by the photos of people sitting in the labyrinths (especially the picture that depicts a man working on what looks like a laptop computer on page 4). The captions explain the ways in which the people are sitting within the labyrinth using writing, drawing, and even marbles as aids to meditation; but what happened to strolling meditatively and prayerfully through it? The link that leads to the "Guided Tour" is an interesting one; it takes you to a "labyrinth" online and allows you to click on other links along the path. The second link takes you to a meditation....but the sheer number off words on the page make it difficult for me to believe that anyone can meditate while reading it. An interesting site, but not one I would revisit. |
| Church Leader Internet Portal (CLIP) | Wilmer, Roger W | This a very busy web page. The text gets loss in the graphics. But full of useful information. |
| The Center for Progressive Christianity | Beissel, Brian E | The Center for Progressive Christianity is a site that is relatively confusing to navigate around. The opening page, I feel, could use improvement design-wise. Also, the opening questions that it poses seem to be kind of offensive, depending on who you are. I feel that their intent is good, but their execution is where it falls flat. |
| Gospelcom.net | Davis, Jonathan | Gospel Com.net is a very useful website. It includes most daily devotionals for Christians. Its founder is Gospel Communications International (GCI). Its has links to these different organizations under GCI that really broaden you searches for good Christian information on the internet. The site is very user friendly and does not have any annoying pop ups. I would recommend this site. |
| Killing the Buddha | Wise, James H | "Killing the Buddha" is a metaphor for moving past the
complacency of belief, for struggling honestly with the idea of God. It is a community for those who are searching for something more significant than traditional Christian dogma. It is a literary site, run by writers and editors, that doesn't publish poetry but loves rants! To quote one participant "I am happy to discover this site! My investigations have taken me away from religion and even further away from spirituality. I have no idea where I am but it is free in ways that cannot be described." |
| TheologyWebSite.Com | Montgomery, Darnell L | This second web-site is one the that I would bookmark, and
recommend to a friend. I found the site easy to follow, as well as easy to understand for someone who had no little or know knowledge of theology. |
| Virtual Church | McCarthy, Susan J | The Virtual Church is an ecumenical effort at providing a church on-line for what is perceived as an internet "community," the very existence of which we're debating. While I think there are many theological differences between the denominations claiming participation in the Virtual Church and some other mainline Christian denominations, the effort to put together an interdenominational virtual church is excellent. The site offers different rooms of the church... including the furnace room! It also offers prayer, fellowship, Christian chat, and Communion. I am not sure how the Communion thing works, but who am I to judge how far the Holy Spirit can reach when asked? I would bookmark this, but I'd use it with caution. I couldn't recommend it in place of attending church. But, on the other hand, if much of our population is unchurched and searching (and surfing), it wouldn't be the most horrible site for them to land on. |
| Metanexus Institute | Bartlett, James I | The Metanexus Institute is an international online forum on religion and science. It is not exclusively Christian. It includes a monthly annotated digest, daily postings of commentaries and book reviews, daily news clippings from the field, and daily announcements of events and opportunities. The Metanexus Institute includes topical discussion lists, foreign language lists, and small introductory study groups. It hosts email lists for other groups and provide a gateway to the Meta-Library with extensive webcast material. Articles on the site range from evolution & academic freedom, to God & chaos, to Islam, and of course includes an annual appeal for support. Membership fees do apply to gain access to certain information, and a logon application is requested before entering the site. |
| leonard sweet | Wutka, Adam D | This is the 'personal' homepage for Leonard Sweet, a celebrated postmodern religious author. Sweet is a member of the United Methodist Church and in addition to authoring several books and articles and speeches on postmodern theology and religion over the past decade(s), he has served as a professor and an administrator at a number of religious schools. This website is catchy and well organized. There is really only one section that is unfinished, but everything else seems to work well. I would recommend this website to anybody who was interested in Leonard Sweet or wanted to find out more about his literature and/or public appearances. |
| Project Constant Hope | Beauregard, Suzanne M | This website was created by the "American Bible Society" after the events of September 11th, 2001. It's a small website and obtaining information is easy and pretty straightforward. The viewer can access different Bible quotes, request free Bible study guides and other materials and submit a prayer request. There is a short plea for donations for anyone interested in supporting the programs that the American Bible Society offers. I found nothing offensive or contradictory to basic Christian teachings on this site. It represents itself in a truthful manner. There are no inflammatory or propagandistic tactics used as an effort to make a point. The links are easily accessible and there are no annoying pop-ups to distract one's browsing. |
| The Journal of Lutheran Ethics | Catlett, Delancy L | The Journal of Lutheran Ethics web site is an official web site of the ELCA's Division for Church in Society. It is easy to navigate and loaded with good information. This site contains journal articles on many controversial issues plus Church Social Documents including those of the predecessor bodies. The site says it is dedicated to promoting awareness of, and conversation about Christian Ethics in the Lutheran tradition. |
| Theology and Religion Resources | Craley, Joshua D | Theology and Religion Resources on the Internet is a page for someone looking to find academic resources in the field of religion on the internet. The page lays out what it is for, its purpose and who made it, right off the bat. The audience for this site would most likely be student trying to find useful information on the internet without doing a whole lot of searching. |
| Crosswalk.com | Deeben, Wendy S | This site appears that it would target someone who is looking for answers in the world today. It has various categories of information such as news, family, faith, fun, and shopping. It has several links that take the viewer to articles that are cited. It doesn't appear to be a bad site, but has a lot of links~it almost feels like the site is trying to reach every one on some level than to have any other goal. |
| Christian Spotlight on Entertainment | Fraser, John T | Christian Spotlight on Entertainment is produced by Films for Christ/Eden Communications (A Faith Ministry). This site has some very serious dangers and theological pitfalls. Besides some evidence of bad theology, the website is a very busy site that gives the viewer the impression that it is merely just thrown together. Many of the links review movies and television in a Christian light, but many of the links merely report sport scores or let viewers play games which have little Christian identity. This site will not be recommended and probably never viewed again. |
| Beliefnet.com | Pittsnogle, L. Keith | There are annoying pop-up ads and distracting flashing ads on the sides of this sight. It tends to be very consumer oriented and does have religious topics but they seem superficial. There are discussion groups and dialog groups and prayer groups. I don't recommend this sight. |
| WebChurch - Scotland's Virtual Church | Robinson, C. Scott | The WebChurch is billed as the first virtual Church outside the United States. It is based in Scotland and has an ecumenical flair with various denominational "Side Chapels". None for Lutherans though. As a Presbyterian for thirty years, I chose to check-out the Presbyterian Links, where I was met with, "who hasn't read the Westminster Confession?" (I never have, and the link to it is broken.) Other links were to mostly good sites though. Worth a look. |
| The Confessor Site | Schultz, Paul A | The Confessor website is just what it sounds like. It is a site which leads potentially penitent sinners through scripture readings and an actual opportunity for confession. There are set words of confession which may be used, or the penitent may choose to write down the sins which grieve him or her. While scripture is quoted, there does not appear to be any legitimate ministry associated with this site other than a vaguely named “Premier Online” and a “Lifeline” (which appears to list an international telephone number). This site does assure visitors of God’s grace to penitent sinners, but does not have any value apart from that. Its offer of absolution is impersonal and the graphics of skies and clouds are so cheesy, it could make Wisconsin jealous. |
| CrossDaily.com | Wirtley, Jerry M | The crossdaily.com and ChristianAdvertising.com are run by a private corporation, which maintains crossdaily.com for your personal entertainment, information, education, and communication. The audience for our site is definitely a Christian audience. The site is filled with links to other site, some of which are governmental agencies, to websites from individuals. There is a notice that they can not make any warranties or representations as to the accuracy of material found on this site, and that the external/third party links are completely out of their control. This seems like a useful sight with a lot of information, graphics, and things to raise the fun level. I would make sure you verify any information from here before you go and say it is truth though. |
Extras just for fun:
The Postmodern Bible (http://www.bible.gen.nz/ )
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
North American Mission Board, SBC
Guide to Christian Literature on the Internet
The Omnilist of Christian Links GOLD