The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints launched a new multimedia Web site this week about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The site, JesusChrist.lds.org, was almost a year in the making.
Responding to a perceived need to bring all current and future online Latter-day Saint resources about Christ into one Web location, the site is aimed both at members of the faith and all others with an interest in Jesus Christ.
According to project manager Brian Hansbrow, the site is designed to give people a deeper understanding of who Jesus Christ is.
The site features articles, video clips, artwork, an interactive music page and other sections all focused on the life and ministry of Christ.
Speaking of the site launch this week, Elder Russell M. Nelson, one of the apostles of the Church, said he hoped that many members of the Church would use it in their own homes and also share it with others.
“This should be a great aid to the members of the Church,” he said. “They can identify segments that will be of particular appeal to their family or friends or relatives and just forward it.”
The apostle said the site responds to a 2,000-year-old imperative. When the Lord called His Twelve Apostles, He sent them throughout the world to preach of Him.
“In those days they could talk to a few people, here and there,” he said. “In our time, we’ve had radio, television and now we have the Internet. And the Internet is a very excellent way of promoting the word of God.”
Quoting the apostle Paul in the New Testament, Elder Nelson said that a major motivation for the Web site was the need to help people understand who Jesus is and what He taught.
“We are ‘built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,”’ Elder Nelson said.
“So that’s why we have this Web site. We are to promote unity in our understanding of our faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.”
The launch of the Web site coincides with the March special editions of two of the Church’s official magazines, the Ensign and the Liahona, which also focus on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Hansbrow says that the idea to publish both the magazine special editions and design an Internet site was partly influenced by an increase in discussion in the media, over the last year, about whether Mormons are Christian.
As people visited the new site this week, they began to send feedback to Church headquarters.
“We’re the Church of Jesus Christ,” wrote Utah pediatric dentist Jeffrey Rupp by e-mail. “It makes sense that we should be leading the way among Christians in talking about Christ, using all the available methods.”