Monday, September 17, 2007

Southern Baptist Convention: Chaplain spreads Gospel via Internet

re: "...Tober, as an Internet chaplain endorsed by the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board, has been venturing into this missions frontier for 15 years without ever leaving home... [snip]... Following retirement from the Navy chaplaincy in 1992, Tober and his wife Sally moved to her homeplace in Adams, Tenn. While doing supply preaching in area churches, he began exploring the Internet and did not like what he saw. /"I began going into chat rooms and saw them for what they were. Even then they were sleazy," Tober said, adding that they have become increasingly worse. /To counter the perverse culture of the chat rooms, Tober, a member of First Baptist Church in Clarksville, Tenn., began providing a Christian perspective. /"It was learn by doing," he said. /A few years later, Tober took on the name "Chaplain Bill" or "Pastor" in chat rooms. He said he makes clear to everyone he communicates with that he is a Christian. /"People know up front who they’re dealing with. I don’t hide anything," he said. /Since then, he has ministered to thousands of people each year... [snip]... Tober wants other people to join him in his role as an Internet chaplain. He especially sees it as a viable ministry for a retired minister and is willing to train anyone interested..."...

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