Digital Media and Anglican Liturgy: Ethical Challenges and Opportunities in Odogbolu Local Government Area, Ogun State. Nigeria 48 19
Keywords:
digital media, Anglican liturgy, Christian ethics, digital religion, worship technology, digital worship, NigeriaAbstract
The rapid development of digital media has altered the ways in which churches communicate, conduct ministry, organise worship, and extend pastoral care. Anglican congregations increasingly employ livestreaming, social media, projection systems, digital biblical resources, audiovisual equipment, mobile applications, and electronic communication platforms. These developments create important opportunities for evangelism, participation, pastoral support, administration, and Christian education, but they also raise ethical and theological questions concerning reverence, embodied participation, sacramental integrity, privacy, digital inequality, distraction, technological dependence, and the preservation of Anglican liturgical identity. This study evaluates these challenges and opportunities in selected Anglican churches in Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria. A qualitative descriptive case-study design was employed. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and documentary analysis involving clergy, church officers, media personnel, choir and youth leaders, and lay worshippers. The data were analysed thematically within a framework of Christian ethics and Anglican liturgical theology. The findings indicate that digital media has strengthened evangelistic outreach, pastoral communication, congregational access, biblical presentation, and administrative efficiency. At the same time, participants identified technical interruptions, distraction, unequal access, privacy concerns, dependence on digital equipment, and the danger of turning worship into a performance. The study argues that digital media should serve Anglican liturgy rather than control it. It recommends clear diocesan and parish policies, theological and ethical training for media personnel, protection of sacramental and liturgical integrity, digital inclusion, privacy safeguards, and continuing theological reflection on emerging technologies.Downloads
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