Authenticity, Presence, Embodiment: Remaining Problems Concerning Online Liturgy

The coronavirus pandemic in particular has shown how important and indispensable digitally mediated liturgical practices are for the Christian faith. Nevertheless, some serious theological challenges remain. This article discusses three problems and open questions concerning online liturgy. In order to achieve a balanced assessment, I begin with a summary of advantages and opportunities of recent forms of online liturgical practices. I then refer to the question of authenticity of digitally mediated liturgical practices. In the following section, I focus on the ontological problem of God's presence in the context of online communion. I then discuss the question of embodiment in online congregations with reference to a phenomenological distinction. In the final section, I conclude with a brief outlook.