Florida pastor: VR technology can make church more immersive

Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com @BednarChuck

Virtual reality cameras have been used in pornography, at sporting events and in many other ways, but one Florida church is looking at using the technology for a higher calling.

According to Gizmodo reports, Rev. Christopher Benek of the First Presbyterian Church of Ft. Lauderdale is exploring the use of devices like the Oculus Rift as a way to reach members of the congregation who live in remote areas or who cannot leave their homes due to health issues.

As the website points out, some places of worship allow their members to view services online, but Rev. Benek believes that adopting VR technology will make churches more accessible, more immersive, and more attractive to the general public.

Numerous persons and groups have developed churches in the virtual world, mainly Second Life, he said earlier this month in an interview with Hypergrid Business. I would venture to say that most have been less concerned with true evangelical success and more focused on what their technological exploratory experience may yield in the future.

A great asset to the church universal

Essentially, the reverend who is currently working on a Ph.D. in theology with a focus on the intersection of technological futurism and eschatology at Durham University in the UK thinks that most modern virtual churches are experiments, not significant faith-based outreach efforts. However, he believes that this will change as the technology becomes more widespread.

For those of us who tend to be more inclined to the developments of human technology, we are keeping abreast of the important advancements that are occurring in the virtual world, explained Rev. Benek, adding that devices such as Oculus Rift could be a great asset to the church universal, as it will enable the infirm, homebound, and potentially even the poor to participate from afar regardless of their personal mobility or lack of affordable transportation.

He added that there are several ways that churches and other religious groups could benefit from removing physical obstacles to worship. It would allow pastors and congregants to visit and pray with more people more often, he explained, and small worship groups would be able to meet on a more frequent basis, even when they are separated by considerable distances.

The way that we currently do care and discipleship will radically change as will our expectations as to what it means to participate in those aspects of the church, added Rev. Benek. In addition to the physical barriers that virtual reality can help overcome, the technology could help overcome language differences by allowing services to be seamlessly translated.

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Florida pastor: VR technology can make church more immersive