RELIGION|MEMOIR
A Zoom Call With Zealots
Christianity in the era of Zoom
A few weeks ago, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole. After my friend Denise was indoctrinated by a fundamentalist organization of Christians, I reached out to her. For a few weeks now we’ve gone back and forth on social media. And though neither of us got very far in convincing the other of our beliefs (or lack thereof), we still managed to keep things civil. Our interactions culminated in her inviting me to participate in a Thursday Bible study of hers.
As a cynic on the subject of organized religion, I admit I was reluctant to attend. That first Thursday I let pass me by, deciding instead to go see Cocaine Bear with my girlfriend. Whether a sign from God or Satan himself I’m not sure, but that our movie was directly next to a showing of Jesus Revolution felt like something a little more than an accident. Was it why I decided to participate in their next Bible study of hers? No. In truth, I did it because it was hosted over Zoom and I wouldn’t need to leave my bedroom.
Before blindly jumping in, though, I asked Denise if I’d be able to ask questions.
“Absolutely,” she confirmed. My interest was sufficiently piqued.
“Awesome! I’ll try not to make them too pointed,” I replied only half-kiddingly.
