TRUTH - Scripted scripture?

Fans of the old Sunday School "sword drill", in which participants have to be the first to find and read a particular verse of the Bible, will surely enjoy the new SLBible. After typing a verse in chat, "John 3:16" for example, the SLBible posts the text of the verse for all to see.

The SLBible is the work of resident California Condor, a web programmer and Christian evangelist. He says it only took him a few days to put together, and it's already being put to good use by people who want to share their faith or discuss theology. "There may be newer utilities in the future to bring more of the word of God to SL but this SLBible is the first of its kind." he says.

Condor, a New Jerseyite in real life, credits his participation in Metaverse Meetups in New York City for showing him that scripting such an object would not be too daunting. He says he chose the King James Version for his project because it is one of the few English translations that is out of copyright in the United States.

Benjamin Psaltery, leader of the 770 member "Second Life Christians" group and pastor of the ALM Cyberchurch, likes the SLBible. "It seems to work really well," he reports. "But usually I know the verse [text] really well and not the reference."

For Christians like Condor and Psaltery, Second Life is a logical place for Christians to share their faith. "SL was created to be a new nation. This new nation is included in the great commission for the gospel to be preached," Condor says.

Condor says Second Life is simply the latest development in communications, and he doesn't want Christians to be left behind. "New media have always faced controversy," he says. "Back in the days when radio came around there were some who denounced radio as from the devil because the devil is 'prince of the power of the air' and radio is 'on the air'. Same happened with TV. Christians were slow getting in on the movie industry also, which left the secular world to run it. By the time the [web] showed up, Christians like myself were quick to respond. I have been on the web with my ministry 'dokimos' since 1996. Now that Second Life is growing as the new 3-D Internet, Christians are not slow to approach this media to share the love of Jesus in a most immersive environment."

Condor says he hopes his contribution to SL continues to spread rapidly and spurs others to create even better tools for Christians. He adds that a coming upgrade will include other tools such as a concordance and bible dictionary, and may include other versions of the Bible as well.