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Sep 06
2007
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Greetings and welcome to our blogging experiment! We hope this part of the site will become an active forum for the discussion of all things related to spreading the Gospel through modern media.
The Orthodox Church has been blessed with the truth faith, but, as St. Paul once asked the Romans, how can people hear about the truth unless someone tells them? Very few people even know of the Church's existence, and our own faithful don't have access to Orthodox spiritual and theological teachings in a format that they can easily access and enjoy on a daily basis.
Let's face it. The modern world desperately needs to hear the joyful message of Orthodox Christianity. Our own parishes need to be able to communicate with, encourage and engage their faithful more often than on Sunday.
The best way to meet these pressing needs is to use the mass media tools already available to us.
That's where you -- and this blog -- come in. Many Christian Churches and other types of organizations have well funded, sophisticated media outreach programs. The technology is already out there. The path has already been blazed. All that remains is for us to use what God has given us to share the light of our precious Orthodox faith with the world!
Of course, that's exactly what our SCOBA hierarchs have commissioned Orthodox Christian Network to do, and, with your prayers and support, we're already succeeding.
But there's so much more that needs to be done. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Americans spend more time watching TV, listening to the radio, surfing the Internet and reading newspapers and magazines than they spend doing ANYTHING ELSE except breathing! Amazing, isn't it?
That means that modern media and technology -- especially on TV, radio and the Internet -- have an unprecedented influence on people's lives. We can tap into that power for the cause of Christ, but to do it right takes a concerted effort from a team of committed believers. That's why we need your help on this blog.
We'd like this place to be a source of great ideas, far-reaching vision and practical tips. A resource center with helpful links. A school house in all forms of modern media that can be or already are being effectively used for Orthodox Christian outreach. And, as always, a place for friends to meet, interact and share ideas.
Look for more in the coming days, including comment features and more!
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I live in Brazil and there is no Orthodox Church in my neighborhood including a large area.
The few communities are scattered in very distant places and nobody cares about a new evangelization that requires weekly meetings, and material available in the local language (Brazilian Portuguese).
You said 'And, of course, anyone who can speak a little English can listen online -- we even have listeners in China!'
As I told you in an e-mail this is a non-sequitur as people here don't understand English to the extent to learn and follow a cathecumenate course either written or listened. I wonder the same must happen with Spanish country speakers.
Faith is something to be lived inside a community as Father Alexander Schmemann pointed out so well. If we don't have any material even in Portuguese inside small circles how do you expect people getting to know Orthodoxy through internet? Our reality is too different from yours. Even in USA imagine if it would be possible to teach using Greek/French/Italian/Spanish/Portuguese for example. And I know USA quite well to say that.
In the past I tried to set a partnership with Goarch and also OCA to get their stuff translate into Portuguese but never got a response from anyone of them.
Blessings from
Claudia Gaspar
BRAZIL
[The Orthodox Church has been blessed with the truth faith, but, as St. Paul once asked the Romans, how can people hear about the truth unless someone tells them? Very few people even know of the Church's existence, and our own faithful don't have access to Orthodox spiritual and theological teachings in a format that they can easily access and enjoy on a daily basis.
Let's face it. The modern world desperately needs to hear the joyful message of Orthodox Christianity. Our own parishes need to be able to communicate with, encourage and engage their faithful more often than on Sunday.
The best way to meet these pressing needs is to use the mass media tools already available to us.]