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→Christian internet outreach and the Matthew effect: Atheist websites vs. religious websites
Recently, Christians and Christian creationists have faced problems with [[atheist bullying|atheist cyberbullies]], but they [[Essay: Sharing your Christian/creationist videos on the internet|have developed methods to overcome this problem]].
Recently, Christians and Christian creationists have faced problems with [[atheist bullying|atheist cyberbullies]], but they [[Essay: Sharing your Christian/creationist videos on the internet|have developed methods to overcome this problem]].
== History of internet evangelism ==
''See also:'' [[History of internet evangelism]]
[[File:Hong Kong Christians at Gateway Camp.jpg|thumbnail|right|251px|[[Hong Kong]] Christians at Gateway Camp.
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In 2005, there were four times as many non-Western World Christians as there were [[Western World]] Christians.<ref>[https://www.wnd.com/?pageId=30077 Is Christianity taking over the planet?]</ref>
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See also: [[Global Christianity]] ]]
According to the Lausanne World Pulse Archives which was a joint effort between the [[Billy Graham]] Center and the Lausanne Movement from 2005-2011, the four phases of Christian [[Internet evangelism]] are:
{{Cquote|'''1.''' Eccentric – (early 1990s) Newsgroups, bulletin boards and online “flame wars” between Christians and [[atheism|atheists]] were common.
'''2.''' Enthusiastic – (mid 1990s) Online tracts with a gospel outline and a response form were available, but these were overwhelmingly in English.
'''3.''' Evangelistic – (late 1990s to present) Online tracts with snippets of audio and video and testimonies and links to items of interest to Western non-Christians are available. These same post-modern, Western-oriented websites are translated into various major languages in an effort to “reach the world for Jesus.”
'''4.''' Ethnically Aware – (2005 into the future) Indigenous missionaries and experienced Western missionaries combine to do highly contextualized and appropriate websites in their own languages and cultures without any corresponding English language website being established. These websites then link with on-the-ground efforts by those same agencies. The Western missionary may act as a technical and strategic adviser, but the design is done by national Christians who know that culture and its nuances.
The first three phases were good in their time and place but they occurred with little or no reference to modern missiological insights. Internet evangelists and cybermissionaries are beginning to understand the importance of learning language, culture and contextualization. Thus it is this last Ethnically Aware phase that is the true future of cybermissions.<ref>[https://lausanneworldpulse.com/themedarticles-php/213/02-2006 Contextualizing Cyberspace – Missiology Still Matters When it Comes to Cybermissions and Internet Evangelism]</ref>}}
== Christian internet outreach and the Matthew effect: Atheist websites vs. religious websites==
== Christian internet outreach and the Matthew effect: Atheist websites vs. religious websites==