Anglican <cite>Second Life</cite> Inhabitants Construct Medieval Cathedral

A group of Anglican Second Life users from around the world have pooled resources to purchase an island in the virtual world, and build as its epicenter a decidedly medieval cathedral. The "Epiphany Island" group is led by Mark Brown, CEO of the Bible Society of New Zealand. So why a medieval cathedral? In Brown's opinion, the few churches already operating within Second Life are, for the most part, "poor imitations of what exist in real life." He continues:

I have identified two factors which are behind the cathedral. There’s an attraction to tradition. Evidence of that is renewed interest in Christian practices of the Middle Ages - the prayer practices, meditation. There is an interest in what I call depth, and a moving away from light, fluffy Christianity.

Services within the virtual church have yet to begin, but that doesn't mean that Brown's group--of which one member is a PhD in Theology--hasn't begun to consider the nitty-gritty elements of virtual faith. You can track their progress here.

Christian presence in a virtual reality world [Assist News Service]