Overview of Is Online Church REAL Church?
This episode of Ask N.T. Wright Anything (Premier / Premier Unbelievable) features Mike Bird interviewing N.T. (Tom) Wright. They handle listener questions about models of church (service-centered vs. daily-life community), whether online church counts as real church (especially post‑COVID), the textual integrity of the Lord’s Prayer doxology (“for thine is the kingdom…”), and the influence of New Age practices in contemporary Christianity. The conversation mixes pastoral/practical insight, historical perspective, and textual-criticism awareness.
Key topics covered
- Models of church: institutional, service/event-focused vs. incarnational, everyday communal life.
- Online church: its role during COVID, limits of disembodied worship, and when it’s an acceptable substitute.
- Lord’s Prayer doxology: manuscript evidence, liturgical tradition, and how to treat non‑original but ancient additions.
- New Age influences: mindfulness, meditation, Celtic-style practices, Jesus Prayer, and where to draw the line on syncretism.
- Broader reflections on Scripture, tradition, and the life of the church.
Main takeaways
- Neither/or is a poor posture: aim for a both/and. Services, programs and intentional daily-life community each have roles; context, demographics and personalities matter.
- Online church served as an important emergency measure during COVID and reached people who otherwise wouldn’t attend; however, embodied, local gatherings remain the biblical and historical norm and should be prioritized where possible.
- The phrase “for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory” is not in the earliest New Testament manuscripts but has an ancient liturgical pedigree (e.g., Didache, Chrysostom). Using such doxologies in worship is defensible as part of the church’s living tradition.
- Textual variants are numerous; rather than a rigid “mechanical” view of inspiration, Wright prefers seeing the Bible as formed within the worshiping, copying life of the church. This calls for scholarly humility and pastoral realism.
- New Age practices require discernment: some practices (e.g., meditative repetition) can be re‑shaped within Christian prayer if their content and purpose are biblical; others that invert core Christian claims (e.g., “the goddess within”) should be rejected.
Notable quotes & concise paraphrases
- “The church has often become a weekly meeting of Jesus’s Facebook friends.” (Nick Perrin, quoted by Mike)
- “The Word became flesh and didn’t become an algorithm.” (Tom Wright on the embodied nature of the gospel vs. purely digital church)
- On tradition: liturgical additions (like psalm doxologies or the Lord’s Prayer doxology) can embed Scripture within the wider worship life of the church.
- On prayer practices: repetition (e.g., the Jesus Prayer) can be a legitimate Christian discipline when its content remains biblical.
Practical recommendations for listeners
- If you’re frustrated by a service- or program-only church:
- Start or join smaller relational groups (house groups, neighborhood prayer teams) that meet during the week.
- Be realistic about context: in some places, a single weekly gathering is the most viable way to sustain a Christian presence.
- Encourage leadership toward mixed models (sacramental/worship life + intentional midweek community).
- Regarding online church:
- Treat online worship as valuable, especially for those unable to attend in person or in emergencies.
- Guard against using it as a permanent substitute for embodied community where that community is possible.
- On liturgy and textual variants:
- Understand the difference between original wording and ancient liturgical additions; both can have legitimate roles.
- Approach textual questions with humility: the New Testament transmission is rich but complex; sound exegesis requires attention to manuscript evidence and tradition.
- On New Age influences:
- Discern by content: evaluate spiritual practices by whether they center biblical confession (Christ, the Father, the Spirit).
- Don’t reflexively reject everything outside Western Protestant forms; many ancient Christian disciplines (repetition, ascetic prayer) are legitimate when grounded in doctrine.
- Reject elements that undermine core Christian commitments (e.g., relativistic “inner divinity” teachings).
Short Q&A summary (questions from the episode)
- Q: How reconcile service-centered churches with a desire for everyday community?
- A: Aim for both/and. Build intentional relational groups; recognize demographics and personalities shape possibilities; don’t force uniform models.
- Q: Is online church really church?
- A: In extremis (e.g., COVID) it was necessary and valuable; ideally the church is embodied community meeting together for the sacraments and mutual life.
- Q: Should the Lord’s Prayer include “for thine is the kingdom…”?
- A: It’s not in the earliest manuscripts but has long liturgical usage. Using it as a doxological liturgical addition is acceptable and historically grounded.
- Q: Have New Age practices infiltrated Christianity?
- A: Some practices overlap (mindfulness, meditative repetition). Be discerning—some elements are compatible and can be Christianized; others that deny core Christian truths should be rejected.
Brief notes for further listening/study
- Textual-criticism examples mentioned: the Didache, the woman taken in adultery (John 7–8 variant), Trinitarian expansions in 1 John; Romans 5 wording debates — useful intro points for studying manuscript evidence and liturgical tradition.
- Suggested future episode topics (mentioned at the end): Jesus and the demonic; liturgical revival / interest in “high church” practices; Sabbath observance.
This summary captures the episode’s practical pastoral counsel, historical-theological perspective, and balanced approach to worship, tradition, and cultural influence.