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BY DARRYN SCHESKE

Let me ask you a question. Have you heard anything about the Internet today? In just 1 month's time, the Internet was mentioned over 2,486 times on CNN alone. Almost every major retailer in the world is now on-line, and the majority of television commercials now include a World Wide Web address. The presence of the Internet in everyday life is everywhere.

Pastors cannot ignore the effect of this medium on people in their communities and congregations. You no longer need personal computers to surf the Internet. TV-based web browsers are now available for under $200. A recent Barna report estimates that although 42 percent of the population has access to a personal computer, 98 percent of U.S. homes have a television.

In our part of the country, Microsoft recently acquired ComCast, the largest cable company in the U.S., with plans to provide Internet connections to every home via the existing cable network. The Internet will soon be as easy to browse as it is to pick up FM radio. Plus, with Microsoft's release of Windows 98, Internet access will be completely integrated into the operating system of every PC sold worldwide. The Internet is here to stay.

ON A POSITIVE NOTE

I'm glad for the Internet. It's a wonderful tool. With E-mail I stay in touch with people all over the world, communicating instantly regardless of distance. My wife and I are both second generation MKs. When our grandfathers, John Lynn and the late Alfred Cawston, went to their respective mission fields of Africa and India in the early 1940s, it could take 6 months to send a letter home from the field and receive back a reply. Today, I can send an E-mail to a missionary in Tibet and receive a response within 5 minutes.

I can make phone calls over the Internet (I use VoxPhone 3.0, www.voxphone.com) to my parents who are Assemblies of God missionaries to Belize, Central America. It's a local call for both of us to our Internet Service Providers (ISPs) so we can talk as long as we want with no long distance charges.

The Internet is the primary support mechanism for thousands of computer users worldwide. If a company or organization maintains a computer network, it is virtually impossible to support that network without an Internet connection.

The Internet is the greatest research tool imaginable. You can find information on just about any subject. I regularly use Internet resources for writing and sermon preparation. Most universities and research libraries have been on the Internet for years. And if it's not on-line, the largest bookstore in the world (www.amazon.com) is now on the Internet, with an inventory of over 2 million books in stock.

From a ministry perspective, it is my opinion that every church should have or be considering an Internet home page-a presence on the Internet-if only to appear relevant to our present culture. We will see more and more churches on-line in the next few years.

ON A PERILOUS NOTE

Pastors need to proceed into the on-line community with caution. The greatest asset of the Internet is its greatest problem: You can find just about anything you want to look for-good or bad. Several issues must be addressed regarding on-line activity, especially in relation to protection of churches.

SECURITY ISSUES

Most churches do not think too much about data security. Passwords and good security habits, such as logging off the network when you leave your desk, can seem silly and unnecessary. I still have a hard time getting our secretaries to stop telling their passwords to each other. "Why the clandestine, Mission Impossible behavior?" you ask. The Internet exposes your PC and your network to a whole new set of potential risks.

Sound paranoid? Perhaps. But what's undeniable is that security breaches aren't merely the stuff of legend. Malicious programs with ominous-sounding names such as WinNuke have caused system crashes when downloaded from the Internet. Hackers-individuals who would delight in crashing your network, corrupting your data, or worse, gaining access to financial information-do exist.

The Internet has also given new impetus to an old security threat: computer viruses. Thanks to the Internet, new viruses appear at the dizzying rate of more than 200 a month.

If you are connected to the Internet, you must install virus detection software for your own protection. If you plan to go on-line or host a web site for your church via your local network, get advice from a network security analyst before you go on-line.

PORNOGRAPHY AND OTHER OBJECTIONABLE CONTENT ON-LINE

The Internet has become the pornographers' playground. Every imaginable (and unimaginable) type of pornography is available. When people tell you that pornography on the Web is available only to those with credit cards, don't believe them. There's plenty of filth out there for free. Also, the racists, cultists, Holocaust deniers, paranoid conspiracy buffs, militant hate groups, and homosexual community all have access to post their material on the Web just as much as we have the ability to present the gospel on this new medium.

In addition, Internet "Chat room" (where users can converse by typing responses to each other) and USENET group discussions may be about subject matter a Christian would find objectionable.

SOMEBODY IS WATCHING

What you do and where you go on the Internet should be no different than what you would do out in the real world. With the right software, owners of web sites can tell exactly who is accessing their pages and from where they originate. Small text files called "cookies" can be placed on your local machine identifying you to a web site the next time you come back. Other web site administrators can also see where you've been.

Here's how it works. Let's say I visit a web site for the first time. Without my knowing it, the server can gather information about where I am connecting from, my E-mail address, the specifications of my PC, other sites I may have visited, and so on. A "cookie" is then transmitted and placed on my PC. The next time I come back to that site, any advertising that may be present is tailored to my "profile." The site knows where I am from and may provide custom links to other services such as my local news and weather forecast. In essence, the site "knows" me and attempts to automatically provide me with what I want. Should web site owners desire to generate more income, they may sell the information collected to a marketing firm that targets my profile for other companies. Then solicitation E-mail may soon begin to appear in my mailbox. The truth is, you are not very anonymous on the Internet.

Your Internet Service Provider can also see where and what you are browsing. This can be potentially harmful to your church organization and its reputation if someone is viewing something questionable on your Internet connection.

PROTECTING YOUR CHURCH

The rapid development of the Internet has left churches, organizations, and companies in somewhat uncharted legal territory. If someone in your organization downloads objectionable material-pornography, for example-and another employee or member sees it, your church could be liable for a harassment suit. Worse yet, if a user downloads material that is illegal within your community, your church could face criminal charges.

For ways to establish a corporate Internet-use policy see sidebar on "Corporate Policy Elements Governing Internet Use."

CONCLUSION

The Internet is arguably the greatest communication asset of our day. In the years to come all of us will venture one way or another onto the information superhighway. The Internet itself is not evil. We must remember that the Internet is a communications medium just as TV and radio. It's just newer and as yet unregulated. Therefore, how you use the Internet reflects your own discipline and personal moral integrity.

Darryn Scheske is senior associate pastor at Christian Life Center, Bensalem, Pennsylvania.