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REVIVAL OF INTERNET FORUMS Page 1
Revival of Internet Forums: Utilizing Forgotten Digital Communication Tools — A Christian
Perspective
Andrew Burl Dornan
Dr John Rost
STCO 532: Media Technologies & Communication Strategies
October 12, 2025
NOTE FOR PROFESSOR: THA NK YOU FOR LETTI NG ME SUBMIT THIS AFTER
SUNDAY FOR NO ADDITIO NAL PE NALTY.
REVIVAL OF INTERNET FORUMS Page 2
Abstract
Revival of Internet Forums: Utilizing Forgotten Digital Communication Tools — A Christian
Perspective seeks to analyze the potential benefits of reigniting the popularity of internet
discussion forums as an alternative for modern-day social media platforms, especially as a
means of congregation for communities. These online discussion forums provide a uniquely
democratic means of communication not possible with modern-day social media platforms,
especially with regards to the emphasis on automated tools and algorithms that seek to push
content onto people's feeds. Specifically, this paper aims to view the prospect from the
perspective of those of the Christian faith who would possibly view such online meeting and
communication locations for one or more of the following reasons: spreading the word of God,
having more effective communications with fellow Christians without the need of filtering out
excess noise, providing a safe and secure space for anyone to visit and communicate with one
another, or to engage with those of other faiths to broaden their own worldview.
Keywords: online forums, discussion forums, digital communications, internet communications,
Christianity, gospel, Christian perspective, religion, community, digital technology, online
communications
Revival of Internet Forums: Utilizing Forgotten Digital Communication Tools — A Christian
Perspective
Introduction — Online Communication & Internet Forums
Today's world offers a great many channels of communication for people to get in
contact with one another. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram allow users to add
each other as friends or followers—typically referred to as 'mutuals' on the latter two—and then
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enable private one-on-one communications through direct messages. All three of the
aforementioned platforms also allow users to post their own content to the website, which can
then reach countless others. These are just some of the many digital communications tools that
Christians can use in their daily lives, whether that is to connect with fellow Christians, contact
non-believers to spread the word of God, or even to broaden their own horizons and learn about
the cultures and beliefs of others. The possibilities have the potential to be endless.
Unfortunately, with the rise of social media platforms, a shadow fell over one method of
online communication that many of the younger generations know nothing about: internet
forums. Internet forums, sometimes referred to as online discussion forums or online discussion
boards, offer a unique experience by allowing users to engage with others through asynchronous
communication by replying to threads nested within topics and categories. Furthermore, a forum
can be made in such a way that allows unregistered guests to view these discussions without the
need to register an account, which might then entice them to become members themselves
(Holtz, et al., 2012). These online platforms that have been mostly forgotten typically avoid the
same pitfalls of modern social media sites which have decided to put the desires of advertisers
over the wishes of the end users (Doctorow, 2022). Additionally, many forums are still online
despite low amounts of active users; their threads acting as an archive or some form of
institutional-level memory (Pitta & Fowler, 2005). That being established, there is yet to be
sufficient literature on the subject on the usefulness of online discussion forums with some
papers arguing that there are major limitations, such as them being ill-suited for deliberation of
public policies (Loveland & Popescu, 2011) or emotional support (Sauls, et al., 2016). This
paper seeks to explore three key uses of internet forums that Christians can use: spreading the
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word of God, communicating with fellow Christians, and as a means of learning more about the
greater world.
Spreading the Word of God
When it comes to spreading the word of God, one must be careful that they are not doing
so to be seen as righteous or claim that this is what God commanded, as stated in Matthew 6:1,
where it states the following:
"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order
to be seen by them, for you will have no reward from your
Father who is in heaven."
The Bible warns about such acts many times throughout the text. Rather, it is best to
provide a welcoming environment for outsiders to feel comfortable and encourage them to ask
questions to learn more about the Lord. An online discussion board offers an excellent way to
spread the word of God while avoiding the trap of being seen as forcing one's beliefs onto those
who wish to keep to themselves. Additionally, it has been found that those who seek out
information through discussions with others via online forums are more effective in generating
interest than those who simply look up isolated pieces of information (Bickart & Schindler,
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2001). These online forums can be accessed by anyone across the world, allowing for a secular
technology to aid in the spread of Christianity much akin to how other secular processes have the
ability to increase a religion’s followers (Cook, 2004). If the creators of the forums are leaders or
staff of local churches, then they might be able use said forums to spread the gospel to new groups
in a similar manner to other institutions like the Seventh-day Adventist Church (Reddy, 2019).
Due to the high level of freedom in deciding how to structure an online forum, it is up to the
individual(s) or group(s) what they wish to do with their discussion board.
An Effective Communications Channel
Another possible use for an internet forum can be as a means for actively-practicing
Christians to be able to communicate with one another on a scale not properly suited for social
media platforms. As alluded to previously, modern day social media websites such as Instagram,
FaceBook, and X (formally known as Twitter) have a strong emphasis on users creating singular
posts that are then sent to the feeds of other users that are displayed in different orders based
upon each website’s own algorithms for determining what content should be sent to which users.
Online discussion boards do not possess this issue. Administrators and moderators, while they do
possess the ability to modify categories, threads, and topics that are on a forum, rarely manipulate
the order in which the various elements appear for each user, instead opting for the elements that
contain the various threads and topics to remain static while threads with recent replies appear
towards the top of their respective topics. An example of this could be structured can be seen in
Figures 1 and 2 below.
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Figure 1. starment.net Forum - Main Page Figure 2. starment.net Forum - Gen. Disc.
As seen in the images on the previous page, the fan forums on the website starmen.net are
neatly organized into main categories/topics that have their own threads for multiple different
users to communicate with one another. For an additional example, one could look for various
internet forums for freelance writers wherein those of the same profession gather online to discuss
writing tips, guidance on navigating business-related challenges, and general discussions (Sarraf,
2022), all of which could serve as inspiration for an online forum for fellow Christians to
communicate better than on any of the current major platforms.
Broadening Horizons
Finally, an online discussion forum can be set up and promoted as a means for Christians
to learn about people from other faiths, lands, and cultures. No matter who they may be or where
they may come from, everyone benefits from becoming more well-versed in the ever-changing
landscape of this wild, complicated world that the Lord created, who even He suggests that there
should be no man-made divisions.
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there
male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”
(Galatians 3:28).
There are other instances wherein the Bible suggests that to be an effective follower of
Christ, one must let go of their obsessions with man-defined labels and instead embrace all of
those around the world, as all humans are the creation of God.
Conclusions
In summation, internet forums, while they might not be as prolific as modern day social
media platforms, have great potential in being excellent digital communications tools for
followers of Christ whether their goal is to reach out to fellow Christians, spread the word of
REVIVAL OF INTERNET FORUMS Page 7
God, or broaden their own horizons. Online discussion boards can also serve as archives of
knowledge for future generations with their potential to be public-facing and viewable with a
visitor needing to register an account. There is also a level of privacy and security that users of an
internet forum can have that are not awarded to them with services such as FaceBook,
Instagram, and others.
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Reference
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influential-sources-consumer/docview/229608823/se-2
Cook, R. R. (2004). The Globalization of Charismatic Christianity: Spreading the Gospel of
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