Religious distance education goes online - Wiley Online Library

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This chapter examines a variety of electronic distance education tools used by religious organizations.

Religious Distance Education Goes Online Steven B. Frye Distance learning is a vitally important arena of education that is growing in importance in our rapidly changing world. Keegan (1986) aptly described distance education as “parallel to and a compliment of conventional education” (p. 270). But, in our incrementally changing world, it is becoming more and more difficult to identify what is truly “conventional” about education. As each day brings new technologies, educators are continuously confronted with questions about how to apply them or even if they are applicable at all. Distance education and religious education go hand in hand. Most of the world’s major world religions—Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism—have sought to reach out beyond the geographic boundaries of their formation, and with this comes the religion carrying its concepts and sacred texts “beyond the walls.” Christianity and Islam both have been evangelistic in their efforts to proliferate the world with access to their respective holy scriptures. Within the Christian Bible one can see examples of what modern people might call distance education. The Epistles in the New Testament were originally letters written to fledgling congregations to educate the early followers of Christianity in the ways of the emerging faith. The “propagation of Islam” is a major tenet of the Muslim faith, and sharing the Qur’an is a major part of that process (Bunt, 2000). Rogers and Howell (2004) contend that some consider the Buddhist tradition, with its 330-million-plus adherents, as the “first religion to break free of one local area, spreading into other areas of the world” (p. 9). Merriam, Caffarella, and Baumgartner (2007) identify the defining characteristic of distance education as a “separation of teacher and student in time NEW DIRECTIONS FOR ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION, no. 133, Spring 2012 © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/ace.20003

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EXPANDING THE BOUNDARIES OF ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

and space” (p. 39). They go on to outline three distinct generations of distance education. The first was the print and correspondence era. The second was dominated by broadcast media (television and radio). The newest generation is the realm of information technology, of which the Web is king. In this chapter I focus on the use of technology in religious distance education, primarily Internet-centered technology. The advent of the Internet has forever changed the landscape of teaching and learning as a whole. What was once a highly personalized encounter that occurred in brick-and-mortar facilities has become a rapidly emerging reality, changing as quickly as the technology that carries it. Chalkboards gave way to whiteboards, then overhead projections, projectors were then connected to a computer, then SMART Boards, and now the classroom itself is becoming a connected, virtual environment where “self-directed learning” reigns as king and the mouse drives the learner on a never-ending journey through learning possibilities (LeNoue, Hall, and Eighmy, 2011). According to Internet World Statistics (2011), 77.4 percent of the U.S. population is connected (over 266 million users) making up merely 13.5 percent of the world’s users. This growth has occurred worldwide, with the most rapid growth occurring over the past 10 years in the Middle East (1,825 percent) and Africa (2,357 percent). Worldwide use of the Internet has quadrupled between 2000 and 2010, with nearly 2 billion people currently connected to the Web. Religion has not been absent in this growth. According to Horsfall (2000), “There are hardly any U.S. based religious groups that do not have a presence on the Internet” (p. 154). Rogers and Howell (2005) offer three main ways that religious institutions worldwide are using applications of distance learning: (1) providing theological education, primarily for the training of clergy; (2) expanding opportunities for higher education sponsored by religious organizations; and (3) facilitating lifelong learning opportunities for members of the laity. They state, “[D]espite an expanding usage of distance learning by religious institutions, there has been little published on any of these international efforts” (p. 613). While religious higher education is a growing field of study, the focus of this chapter is the third application: distance learning for the laity.

Organizational Web Sites Many religious organizations are using Web sites to make their presence known and to reach out to their membership and beyond. Most utilize Web sites to disseminate information to attendees about on-campus worship and educational experiences, to publish announcements important to the faith community, and to connect members to outside resources. Distance education is practiced in the hosting of sermon recordings (audio and video), links to online scriptures and study materials, and discussion boards for interaction about teachings or activities of the organization. An excellent example from the Christian tradition is the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas (www.cor.org). The Worship section contains New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education • DOI: 10.1002/ace

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links to the current sermon series, archives of past sermons, the “GPS Guide” (daily Bible reading program with daily devotionals), and a link to subscribe to the weekly sermon podcast delivered to a person’s desktop. As a whole, the Web site serves to support the “In Real Life” (IRL) activities of the church. The Leawood congregation has developed an online congregation called Resurrection Online (http://rezonline.org). According to the Reverend Andrew Conard (personal communication, April 29, 2010), pastor of the online congregation, the group’s mission is to offer a place of worship and connect people. It offers streaming of the main worship services edited for an online audience via YouTube. The Zen Mountain Monastery (www.mro.org/zmm/teachings/) is an excellent example of a Buddhist temple using the Internet as an “adjunct” to its IRL activities. The site offers the standard fare of programming announcements, directions, and information about residential programs at the monastery. The “Teaching on Zen” section offers various Dharma (the teachings of Buddhism) discourses and talks with various teachers. Visitors can ask questions via the “CyberMonk” feature, where a senior monastic answers Dharma questions. A special section offers meditation instruction, complete with photographs of correct positions, detailed breathing techniques, and a Flash diagram showing correct meditation form. As cited by Zaleski (1999), John Daido Loori, founder of the monastery, had an early vision for an online Buddhist training course: The course in cyberspace is an extension of what we already do. We create videos, audios, CDs. We publish a journal and books. If you package that differently and use an instrument such as the Web, you can communicate with people anywhere on the face of the earth. You make the Dharma available to anyone who has a phone line and a computer. You can bring the Dharma to those who may never be able to come to a training center. People that are housebound, isolated by distance, institutionalized. This is an experiment. I am trying to find out if it can work. Is somebody going to come to enlightenment on the Web? I doubt it, but you can never tell. (p. 4)

Facebook and Social Networking Facebook is the second most visited online site, passed only by Google (mostpopularwebsites, 2011). According to Facebook (2011), there are currently over 750 million Facebook users, and they spend 700 billion minutes per month on the social networking site. Fifty percent of those users log in on any given day. In March 2011, Facebook had 154,971,340 users in the United States, which is nearly 50 percent of the population (Internet World Statistics, 2011). Not surprisingly, organizations are recognizing this growing virtual population and integrating their Web presence with the social networking giant. Currently 2.5 million Web sites are integrated with Facebook. Religious groups are jumping on the virtual bandwagon in an attempt New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education • DOI: 10.1002/ace

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to reach people and spread their messages (Holliday, 2009). Kay Whittenhauer (2009) offers several reasons for using Facebook to promote a church or other religious nonprofit. It is free and does not require a lot of technical knowledge nor require a lot of time. Additionally, a “Facebook profile can be used in lieu of a web page” (para. 4); it can serve as an online bulletin board and as a discussion room (interactive, in real time, and emergency announcements can be sent [up to 5,000 at a time]. Finally, it provides religious institutions with proper exposure and visibility, is designed for action (immediate response), and shows that a church keeps abreast of the times. How do different religious groups actually make use of Facebook as an educational tool? Calderon (2010) conducted a recent study of the Facebook usage of groups representing four major religions: Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam. Among religious groups in the United States, Christian churches were the most numerous on Facebook. According to a 2010 survey conducted by Lifeway Resources, 47 percent of Christian churches actively use Facebook (Rosch, 2011). Seventy-three percent of churches that use social networking tools use them for interaction with congregation, 70 percent for sending news and information in an outbound manner, 53 percent for member-to-member interaction, and 41percent to manage group ministries. Social networking tools are not just being used to communicate within the congregation; 62 percent of respondents related that they use these tools to interact with people outside of the congregation. Calderon states that the church has three main goals on Facebook: “foster community, support spiritual growth, and conduct outreach” (para. 7). One interesting application of Facebook to deepen community is made by Central Christian Church in Las Vegas, Nevada (www.centralchristian .com/onlinecampus/). The church uses Facebook Connect to enable users to participate in conversation during a number of online services it offers each week by utilizing the real-time comment capabilities of the Status Update tool (Holliday, 2009). Jesuit priest Father James Martin uses the Status Update on a daily basis to post devotional thoughts, highlight important spiritual and social topics, and prompt interaction through discussions with the 7,000-plus users who “Like” his Facebook Public Figure profile page. Jewish temples used Facebook for promoting events, sharing photos, posting prayer requests on the Wall, announcing services, promoting Twitter accounts, and encouraging participation (Calderon, 2010). Rabbi Michael Troop of the Temple Beth-El in St. Petersburg, Florida, stated, “[W]e’re looking for additional mechanisms to connect with members. The downside is that we want to make sure that whatever we do as far as our Facebook presence or web presence, does not become a virtual world community or a replacement” (para. 14). The Islamic Facebook pages reviewed contained a “strong reaffirmation of faith” on the Walls as well as interaction within the mosque community. The Wall is used to share religious comments and engage in conversation New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education • DOI: 10.1002/ace


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about faith matters. Affirmations of faith are particularly important as an expression of the first Pillar of Islam. With the popularity of Facebook, religious groups have developed their own social network sites created with the needs of the faithful in mind. Faithbook.com is an example of a social networking site that, while looking much like Facebook, offers an environment with a Christian feel. MyChurch.org is a Christian church social networking site embedded within Facebook with a diverse collection of Christian groups from Baptists to nondenominationals to the Salvation Army (Mehlhaff, 2008). Naseeb .com, with its nearly 700,000 members, offers Muslims a unique social networking experience free of things objectionable to faithful living. GenKvetch.com is a newly launched social networking site fashioned for Jewish adults. Feature and Farina (2009) contend that while they understand the desire of some groups to maintain a less secular community, they recommend the integration with “real life” that Facebook offers.

YouTube Religious groups routinely use YouTube.com to upload sermons, teachings, and worship videos that can be accessed easily by both members and the general public. This free site is usable by anyone with Internet access. Users simply create a YouTube channel, upload videos, and choose whether the videos are public or private. Private videos require that potential viewers be invited by the video poster. The private option makes it possible to share videos without making the content available to the general public. Videos hosted on YouTube can easily be added as links to the group’s Facebook site, allowing easy access to educational videos.

Weblogs One growing form of online education is the Weblog, “an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer” (merriam-webster.com). These Weblogs are often embedded within the organizational Web site and offer ongoing commentary on topics chosen by the blogger, or author. The author can post blogs with the intent of receiving feedback, a strong form of intercommunication. According to a 2010 survey, 16 percent of Protestant Christian pastors use blogs (Rosch, 2011). Mainline religious groups are not the only ones to take advantage of blogging. An example from the Pagan faith is Pantheon (www.patheos.com/ community/paganportal/2010/12/27/ solstice-series-pagan-religious-education/). This site is identified as “the group blog of the Pantheos Pagan Portal.” The purpose of this blog is to engage the Pagan community in dialog. The blog is also linked to Facebook and Twitter. This is a good example of how interactive these different social media have become. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education • DOI: 10.1002/ace

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Podcasting Podcasting is a rapidly growing area of digital information sharing utilized by religious organizations. Recordings are disseminated in MP3 format, in many cases as free downloads. Religious groups record educational materials, convert the recording to MP3 format, and offer them through an organizational Web site or other podcast service (such as iTunes, Podcast Alley, GodCast, etc.). Some services, such as SermonAudio.com, charge a monthly fee to host the podcasts. In 2008, over 1 million sermons were accessed each month from the site (Barnett, 2008). A 2008 Barna Group research study found that “an enormous audience of roughly 45 million Americans report going digital to acquire church sermon and teaching content. In all, one out of every four adults—23%— said they downloaded a church podcast in the past week” (Barna Group, 2008, para. 14).

Webinars The term “Webinar” is derived from “Web seminar” and “provides a presenter or multiple presenters the opportunity to share information with a larger audience who view and listen to the presentation via the Internet” (Hewitt, 2010, p. 5). The presentation is carried via a Webinar hosting service, such as GoToWebinar. Participants log into the Webinar and view a PowerPoint-style presentation while listening to real-time audio of the meeting. Presenters can poll the audience, and live questions and answers can occur using a chat window. Webinars offer a relatively inexpensive way to host training at a distance. Because Webinars can be recorded, attendees who could were not able to be present for the live event can view it later. A good example of a faith-based Webinar service is Adventist Church Connect. This service allows Adventist churches to host Webinars through the church’s own Web site. Easy-to-use templates make the process user friendly for even novices. The service is free for Adventist churches.

Online Discussion Boards One of the more established forms of communication utilized by religious groups is the online discussion board. The history of the online discussion can be traced back to the Electronic Bulletin Board Systems of the early 1980s (Campbell, 2005). Unlike the Weblog, the main intent of the discussion board is interaction. Discussion boards are easily incorporated into organizational Web sites. One of their main advantages is the opportunity for real-time conversation. Any user can enter into the discussion, thus creating a more egalitarian form of discussion, unlike the top-down communication often found in traditional religious settings (Alexenberg, 2004; Hackett, 2006; Veith and Stamper, 2000). The online environment can allow less-outgoing participants the opportunity to enter into the conversation, New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education • DOI: 10.1002/ace


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and those who prefer to ponder their thoughts before jumping into conversations can process ideas before hitting send.

Educational Institution Web Sites Religious-affiliated institutions of higher education offer services that faith groups can utilize to support member development. These programs are well established and focus on the training of lifelong learners as well as clergy in training. Catholic Distance University (CDU) is an online university based in Arlington, Virginia, that seeks to educate both clergy and laity through credit and noncredit online courses. When asked about partnering with local parishes, CDU’s marketing director, Therese Cashen, discussed the Parish Plan, where a local parish partners with CDU for continuing education (personal communication, April 18, 2011). According to the CDU Web site, this plan was developed in response to the U.S. Council of Bishop’s concern that “parishes create ways to encourage and help adult Catholics nourish and grow in their faith” (CDU, 2011, para. 2). CDU also offer a program whereby a diocese (a local organization of individual parishes) can purchase a plan that allows individuals from participating churches access to courses through CDU.

Religious Organization Web Sites Another way that faith groups access distance learning tools is by utilizing the Web sites of larger support organizations to which the group belongs. The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) is a comprehensive Web site offering an array of educational resources to assist the 900 Reform congregations in the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Its Web site (www.urj.org) offers blogs and discussions, “Ask a Rabbi” podcasts, Torah study, parenting help, explanations and resources for Jewish holidays, opportunities for social action, and Webinars on various topics. One focal tool that can be utilized by congregations is called “10 Minutes of Torah.” Participants receive an e-mail five days per week that contains a Torah passage with a devotional reflection. Readers have the opportunity to respond, complain, or question using the blog. According to Rabbi Joan Glazer Farber, URJ’s director of adult learning, the program currently reaches 20,000 people (personal communication, April 11, 2011). (See Chapter 6 to learn more about adult Jewish education.) Loyola Press offers a similar devotional program for Catholic audiences called Three Minute Retreats (www.loyolapress.com/3-minute-retreats-daily-onlineprayer.htm). IslamiCity (www.islamicity.com) is a comprehensive Sunni Muslim site with a plethora of resources. Founded in 1995, the mission of the site is to “promote education and share Islam’s message of peace, understanding, and New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education • DOI: 10.1002/ace

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good will.” Bunt (2000) aptly described the site as nearly overwhelming due to the amount of information posted. A visitor can spend hours perusing the site, uncovering hyperlinks to an array of information and services. As the focal point of Islamic religious education, the Qur’an holds the preeminent position on the IslamiCity site. Numerous language translations of the text are available for viewing, with comprehensive search capabilities. There are also audio recitations and translations available using RealPlayer. The Qu’ran Downloader (MP3 Compiler) enables users to build their personal MP3 audio files containing verses from Sheikh Abdul Basit. As an educational site, IslamiCity offers sections on “Understanding Islam,” “Pillars of Islam,” a comprehensive Hajj Information Center, “Ask an Imam,” and an Islamic glossary. The site also contains many links to other media: icRadio, icTunes, icTV, LiveTV, and an online shopping bazaar. There are ample opportunities to make donations to Muslim causes, an integral component of the Muslim faith. Some of the tools on the site are for members only (for a nominal fee). Unlike some Internet sites, IslamiCity offers easily accessible contact information, including e-mail and telephone.

Creating an Online Community In my research for this chapter, one question was continuously raised across different religious bodies: How does one create online community? Campbell (2005) argues that today a revolution has taken place, an information revolution that has spurred a new generation of social gatherings. The Internet has become the campfire around which people gather to tell stories, meet people, and form relationships. Through the network of the Internet, people are seeking to build social groups that challenge traditional ideas of community. (p. xiv)

The subsequent question is: What then is community? Campbell states it well when she says: In Judaism it is the image of the land, eretz Yisrael. In Islam it is the umma, a meeting around the law. For Buddhists it is the gathered living place of disciples, the sangha, and Hindus describe it as sampradaya, the teaching community. In the Christian tradition . . . community is typically described in terms of the church. (p. 30)

Rabbi Glazer Farber of the URJ (personal communication, April 11, 2011) related that when two people gather together around the Torah, the Divine is present. But can this kind of community occur when the participants are not physically together? In Catholicism, the question surrounds the issue of worship due to the centrality of the Eucharist in worship. How does one New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education • DOI: 10.1002/ace


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experience the physical, visceral reality of Communion on the Internet? For many, this is a stumbling block for full integration of online religious community. In the book Virtually Islamic, Bunt (2000) raises questions about Muslim community online: Even in a virtual world, not everything can be accomplished electronically. It may be possible to pray online, or approach authority, or even have a religious experience. Those promoting electronic umma may stress the communality of the Web. However, can this replace human action? (p. 134)

Conclusion Looking back on the use of distance education tools by religious groups, one word that stands out is change. The old adage “We’ve never done it that way before” will become less valid as religious bodies find themselves in the midst of a world inundated with online possibilities that call them to question how they interact with members and seekers. As is evident in this chapter, the tools are readily available and easily accessible. Technology has made it possible for even smaller congregations to reach out beyond their walls. Doing so was once the domain of affluent groups with large budgets and support for technology. Now, with a simple video recorder and computer, sermons or other teachings can be made available to anyone with Internet access. The responses of religious bodies to this rapid change will offer researchers a number of questions: How does community develop in an online environment? How will the use of distance education tools transform communities of faith? Does technology transform faith groups, or do faith groups transform the tools of technology? Will virtual religious experiences take the place of IRL religion, or will they remain in a largely supportive role to the main ministries of faith bodies? These questions will offer numerous opportunities for further inquiry.

References Alexenberg, M. “An Interactive Dialog: Talmud and the Net.” Parabola, 2004, 29(4), 32–36. Barna Group. “Barna Technology Study: Social Networking, Online Entertainment and Church Podcasts.” 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2011, from www.barna.org/mediaarticles/36-barna-technology-study-social-networking-online-entertainment-andchurch-podcasts. Barnett, R. “Religious Teaching Straight to Your iPod,” USA Today, April 9, 2008. Bunt, G. R. Virtually Islamic: Computer-Mediated Communication and Cyber Islamic Environments. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2000. Calderon, S. I. “Religious Groups Build Communities on Facebook.” 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2011, from www.insidefacebook.com/2010/09/page/6/. CDU. “Parish Plans.” 2011. Retrieved April 11, 2011, from www.cdu.edu/documents /continuing/parish_plan.html. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education • DOI: 10.1002/ace

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Campbell, H. Exploring Religious Community Online: We Are One in the Network. New York: Peter Lang, 2005. Facebook “Statistics.” 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2011, from www.facebook.com/ press/ info.php?statistics. Feature, R. J., and Farina, M. (Producers). Using Facebook in Your Church Ministry [Audio Podcast]. March 29, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2011, from http://geeksandgod .com/episode113. Hackett, R. I. J. “Religion and the Internet.” Diogenes, 2006, 53(3), 67–76. Hewitt, S. “2010 Is the Year of the Webinar.” Christian Computing Magazine, 2010, 22(1), 5–8. Holliday, M. “FaithBook: Churches Use Facebook to Develop Online Congregations.” 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2011, from www.insidefacebook.com/2009/11/05/faithbookchurches-use-facebook-to-develop-online-congregations/. Horsfall, S. “How Religious Organizations use the Internet: A Preliminary Inquiry.” In J. K. Hadden and D. E. Cowan (eds.), Religion on the Internet: Research Prospects and Promises, New York: JAI, 2000. Internet World Statistics. “Facebook Users by Country 2011Q1.” 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2011, from www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics. Keegan, D. The Foundations of Distance Education. London: Croom Helm, 1986. LeNoue, M., Hall, T., and Eighmy, M. A. “Adult Education and the Social Media Revolution.” Adult Learning, 2011, 22(2), 4–12. Mehlhaff, R. “Churches Using Internet for Social Networking.” Christian Century, 2008, 125(16), 13–14. Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., and Baumgartner, L. M. Learning in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide (3rd ed). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 2007. Mostpopularwebsites. “Most Popular Websites on the Internet.” 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2011 from http://mostpopularwebsites.net/. Rogers, P. C., and Howell, S. L. “Use of Distance Education by Religions of the World to Train, Edify and Educate Adherents.” International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 2004, 5(3), 1–17. Rogers, P. C., and Howell, S. L. “Distance Education from Religions of the World.” In C. Howard and others (eds.), Encyclopedia of Distance Learning. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Reference, 2005. Rosch, D. “Churches Increasingly Fans of Facebook, Other Social Media.” 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2011, from www.lifeway.com/article/170635/. Veith, G. E., Jr., and Stamper, C. L. Christians in a .com World: Getting Connected without Being Consumed. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2000. Wittenhauer, K. How to Use Facebook to Promote Your Church (or Other Religious Non-profit). 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2011, from http://www.associatedcontent .com/article/1893006/how_to_use_facebook_to_promote_your.html. Zaleski, J. “Straight Ahead: An Interview with John Daido Loori.” Tricycle, 1999, 9(2). Retrieved April 11, 2011, from www.tricycle.com/special-section/straight-ahead-aninterview-with-john-daido-loori?page⫽0,0.

STEVEN B. FRYE is an assistant professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee. He holds a Ph.D. in adult education from the University of Tennessee. Prior to joining the faculty at TTU, he taught in the Religion Department at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee, and served in church parish ministry.

New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education • DOI: 10.1002/ace