Is Online Church Really Church? N.T. Wright on Models of Church, the Lord’s Prayer & New Age Faith

Is online church really church? Why do Christians add “For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory” to the Lord’s Prayer when it isn’t in the earliest manuscripts? And have New Age practices—like mindfulness, energy work or quasi-spiritual meditation—slipped quietly into modern Christian life?

In this episode of Ask N.T. Wright Anything, world-renowned Bible scholar Tom Wright joins Mike Bird to take on three listener questions about church life, biblical text, and spiritual discernment.

⛪ 1. What is the real church?

Tom and Mike explore the gap between the service-centred Western model and the New Testament vision of daily, embodied community. They also ask whether livestream services and “online church” can ever be a genuine substitute for gathering in person.

🙏 2. Why do we add “For thine is the kingdom…”?

The Lord’s Prayer often ends with a line that many modern Bibles don’t include. Tom explains the history, manuscript evidence, early church liturgy, and why Christians still pray this doxology today.

✨ 3. Has New Age spirituality infiltrated Christianity?

From mindfulness to meditation apps to “finding the goddess within,” the hosts discuss where Christian spiritual practice overlaps with wider culture—and where it crosses dangerous lines.

If you’re interested in biblical studies, church practice, theology, New Age spirituality, scripture reliability, or Christian discipleship, this episode is packed with clarity and insight.

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