If you think “cloud computing” is an odd concept, try “cloud religion.” It happens like this. I grew up in a wonderful neighborhood church, where “church friends” were best friends, parish suppers were magical, and everything I knew about God was found in the mellifluous voice of our pastor. Like computer programs and files that exist only on the hard drive of a single workstation, my religious experience was rooted in a single place. It never occurred to me that I could pray in other places. All that is changing now.
(Tom Ehrich is a writer, church consultant and Episcopal priest based in New York. He is the author of “Just Wondering, Jesus,” and the founder of the Church Wellness Project, http://www.churchwellness.com. His Web site is http://www.morningwalkmedia.com.)