The concept of a virtual reality church is being championed by a priest in Florida.
Rev. Christopher Benek of the First Presbyterian Church of Ft. Lauderdale is also working on a PhD in theology, exploring the intersection of technological futurism and eschatology, at Durham University, England.
In an interview with Hypergrid Business, Berek said that he expected virtual worship and Christian education experiences to develop as virtual reality (VR) software such as Oculus Rift becomes more immersive and readily available.
Last year, a priest took a virtual tour of a church being planned for the Catholic community of Burleigh Waters on Australia’s Gold Coast. Fr Ken Howell used Oculus Rift headgear to get “a real sense of how it was going to feel” inside the new church, as part of the planning and commissioning process.
Image: Kah-Wai Lin / Flickr
