--- title: "HTC Thinks Virtual Reality’s Killer App Could Be Christianity" description: "Christianity takes on VR: Christians are using VR to preach to virtual congregations and experience Biblical stories in immersive 360-degree video." date: "2018-12-16" modified: "2018-12-16" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/htc-vr-killer-app-christianity" categories: - "Future Society" - "Virtual Reality" tags: - "7 miracles" - "christianity" - "htc" - "vive studios" --- # HTC Thinks Virtual Reality’s Killer App Could Be Christianity ![Christianity takes on VR: Christians are using VR to preach to virtual congregations and experience Biblical stories in immersive 360-degree video.]() *\Image: Pixabay\* ## Wing and a Prayer In spite of impressive virtual reality hardware from the Facebook-owned Oculus and HTC's Vive — not to mention the [Steven Spielberg-directed "Ready Player One"]() singing the praises of the technology — VR has [failed to break into the mainstream market](). Facing that reality, the *Verge* reports, HTC has its [sights set on a niche audience]() it thinks could be the tech's breakout users: religious Christians, who are using VR to preach to virtual congregations and experience Biblical stories in immersive 360-degree video. ## Miracle Whip To bolster its case, the *Verge* points to [*Wired*'s February 2018 feature]() about preachers who are using VR to assemble virtual congregations. "Lord thank you for this time to be together,” said Brian Leupold, who uses VR to distribute footage of church services to hospital-bound children. "We just thank you for VR Church, and we thank you for the opportunity to be able to help people and spread your word." There's a long history of Christians adapting to new technological and cultural developments, *Wired* and the *Verge* pointed out, from the Gutenberg printing press to religious radio programming and Christian rock music. ## HTChristians Now HTC's Vive Studios is throwing its weight behind the same market with "7 Miracles," a feature-length VR experience about the life of Jesus [currently showing at festivals](). Vive Studios' vice president and "7 Miracles" executive producer Joel Breton told the *Verge* that he saw Christians as a perfect test audience for VR. "When I look at where’s my target audience, that’s a nice audience to be engaged with," he said. **READ MORE:** [HTC Thinks Christians Are VR's Next Big Audience]() \[*The Verge*\] ***More on religion:** [No, Science Does Not Say That Religious Children Are More Likely to be ‘Immoral”]()* ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()