The unique risk which the web author faces is his ability to become a self-proclaimed author and theologian, with an international audience, within ten nanoseconds. (We may not even be inspired to caution by that imposing term, Submit!) The concurrent possibility is one documented since the tale of Jeroboam , and with unsurpassed scope.

Evangelisation requires stewardship, and neither creativity nor zeal may be properly channelled without a commitment to truth and awareness of the effect our presentation may have on its readers. The desire to spread the gospel does not automatically sanctify the effort. A self-made author, subject only to his own review, can produce material which neither spreads the gospel message nor enriches his own spiritual life.

Classically, evangelisation involved personal contact or academic discipline, with direct consequences for carelessness. Human nature recoils from criticism and complaint, but a situation where the source of same could be silenced with the stroke of a delete key is of very recent vintage. With neither clear responsibility nor the capacity for reproof from those we serve, our efforts can descend to a display of our own supposed brilliance, confirming pride and self-absorption.

Creativity and aesthetic expression can enhance the expression of the gospel, but are only as valuable as the truth which they communicate. The greater one's literary or artistic abilities, the more caution one needs. Beautifully presented pages may convince us of their own perfection.

The task at hand may be staggering. Previously, the status of author or homilist assumed knowledge, discipline, experience, and a security in one's own convictions. Evangelisation always has led to criticism (at best!), yet past authors had the degree of professional discipline which preserves integrity. With this discipline no longer pre-requisite, sites can become a personal project, to be protected and defended at all costs. Distance from the reader can allow us to demolish ideas without charity, if we reduce his feelings to a "virtual" reality!

We cannot see the faces (whether elated, pensive, or flinching!) of those to whom we "preach." The Internet provides an opportunity (unmatched, for sheer scope) for a reader's exploration of the gospel without immediate personal contact which they may fear. Yet the sheer speed of the ability to provide information or responses can make our enthusiasm exceed our consciousness of responsibility.

It is far too simple to seek to provide instant answers. Facing one who is, for example, tortured with pain and doubt may help us realise that no glib response would be useful. Hitting a reply key may be quite a different matter.

Our desire to attract an audience, despite a laudable element of wishing to spark interest, can make us advertisers rather than evangelists. Preparation of a site requires the honest questions of what one wishes to accomplish, and to what extent this is possible. Our sites must not contain implicit promises we cannot fulfil.

A conventional Christian author, faced with requirements imposed by a publisher, is not likely to undertake a project involving extensive time, discipline, and effort without dedication to the topic he intends to pursue. "Look at what a wonderful Christian I am" does not qualify. Motive for creating a web site is not to have an adoring congregation of one.

Spell check - export to HTML - fix - add graphics - a little Shockwave and Java - and one's ideas, viewed in the browser, are unquestionably... brilliant. Essays produced on the Internet, perhaps in a spark of enthusiasm (impetuosity!), shall shine their light before the Internet community with a simple upload

This, as well, makes serious questioning essential. Credibility is critical to our presentation of the word, and we must have the knowledge and experience to defend what we have presented, or the resources to supply for a lack. Well intentioned error is error nonetheless

Internet sites are dynamic, constantly begging for new and fresh material. One may ignore the amount of time and effort which conventional presentation would require. The wonderful ability to link removes the discipline of the footnote, where one was forced to understand what one quoted (or, at least, to make the attempt.)

Fervour does not excuse a lack of intellectual integrity, for God did not give us the will without reason and intellect. There are probably 25 Wicca sites for every solid Christian one - those who are confused are all the more likely to respect an honest and well formulated Wiccan essay then a poorly prepared Christian rant or exercise in sentimentality.

Effective presentation of Internet sites which have evangelisation as their goal requires the same respect for the power of the Word, and the same discipline in preparation, as were true of any other media. Nor have two millennia changed the requirement that we be people of prayer ... which, for an Internet author, should include the petitions that one's zeal never exceeds one's prudence, and that our art be an instrument of grace rather than of vanity. Stewardship, a response to and thanksgiving for our gifts and the Creator who is their Author, can be an Internet author's contribution to a wonderful new avenue for evangelisation as a result.

Respectfully submitted, to the honour and glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ-
Elizabeth G. Melillo, PhD
Internet Designer