Final Paper

So. Take all the material we have covered in the last fifteen weeks and write about an issue the church must deal with in the 21st century in light of all the writings we have read, all the issues the church has dealt with in the 20th century, and all the theological concerns we have covered. Whew! Daunting to say the least.

I work back through my notebook at everything we have discussed, researched, written about, struggled with. There are so many issues, so much church history, so much theology. Where to begin? First, a topic. Oh, and make it relevant to your ministry. My ministry? Praying for and with cancer patients? Creating and providing resources that will spiritually support cancer patients and survivors? OK.

So I select virtual community. Nowdays it is common for people to attend church online or via TV and never see anyone face to face. For cancer patients who are too weak, too compromised, too susceptible to germs, a virtual worship service, especially if oriented towards their coping with cancer, might be just the right approach. But I cannot get away from the need for personal encounter, for live community.

Yes, the topic will work. I can consider this question in light of the various topics we have encountered in the course. Now all I have to do is outline the sequence of the paper and fill in the paragraphs. Right. Oh, and draw some conclusions and make some applications and attempt to solve the question posed. Not gonna happen, but I will pose the question anyway. I anticipate about 20 hours of keyboarding brain bending labor. Better get started.