Empires of the Future

Smart glasses are coming.  This new technology will enable not only easier interaction with the internet and augmented reality, but a greater capability to record everything we see, whether people around us might know it or not.  We talk about all this in this episode of Empires of the Future, dealing with this article by Austin Gravley for the Gospel Coalition.  https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/churches-smart-glasses/ "The Empires of the Future will Be Empires of the Mind" - Winston Churchill

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  Beauty and the Eye of the Beholder In this episode, we consider the article “Gaming’s Uneven Progress Toward Diverse Female Figures” by Jamal Michel for the New York Times.  https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/18/arts/video-games-women-gamergate.html  In addition to considering how women have been and should be portrayed in video games, we ask more foundational questions about beauty and dignity as well.   "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change. 

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  What are the benefits of an Ivy League education?  Recently in his newsletter, Rob Henderson brought attention to one benefit that is rarely thought of: marrying an Ivy League spouse. The Hidden Marriage Market: The college sorting machine has replaced traditional arranged marriages by Rob Henderson, July 14, 2024 https://www.robkhenderson.com/p/the-hidden-marriage-market Additionally, "zoomers" (the generation after Millenials, or Gen. Z) seem to be finding one thing about their work very enjoyable: making friends with coworkers.  After the Lockdown Years, Teens Want One Thing From Their Jobs: Friends By Terell Wright, WSJ – July 6, 2024 https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/summer-jobs-teen-relationships-bf28810c Taken together, these trends outline a path forward for young people searching for companionship in our fractured age.  "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill 

This is Empires of the Future, Conversations to Encourage the Church in a Time of Change Tyler Robinson and the Violence of Pornography The availability and depravity of porn is among the many challenges and toxic elements of the twenty-first century, but one that many adults are not aware of in terms of its subtlety and propensity to twist young minds.  The connection between Tyler Robinson, the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk, and hardcore pornography provides an opportunity and a milestone for us to stop and consider the dangers of pornography in our day.  What is the hope for anyone caught in the net of porn?  Who can free us from its grip?  We consider all this in this episode of Empires of the Future.  "The empires of the future will be empires of the mind." - Winston Churchill https://firstthings.com/tyler-robinson-and-the-violence-of-porn/

Christians are generally in agreement that baptism is an important practice, but there is considerable disagreement on many other aspects of baptism.  In this video we discuss the rise of infant baptism in the church and the teaching of the New Testament on baptism.   Gavin Ortlund's video on "How did Infant Baptism Begin?: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WE0Ea2ke_c Infant Baptism Rap Battle by Reformed and Dangerous: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od5U9qNTpSw&list=RDod5U9qNTpSw&start_radio=1

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  How can we best prepare ourselves and our children for the challenges they will face in the world?  What does it take for a young person to grow up, accept responsibility, hold down a job, and all the rest?  One answer to that question is to take a “gap year”, meaning to take a year off after high school to work or serve one’s country in the military.  We talk about this idea and reference an article by Erica Komisar from the Institute for Family Studies. https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-benefits-of-taking-a-gap-year "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill  

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  The First Sexual Revolution Much has been written about the sexual revolution, and in past podcasts we’ve mentioned a recent book by Louise Perry called “The Case Against the Sexual Revolution”, and believe she makes a strong case that the sexual revolution was actually bad for men, women, and children.  In an article posted at First Things, Kyle Harper explains how Christianity actually drove a completely countercultural sexual revolution in the first century whose effects are not only still felt today, but too often taken for granted.  We explore all this and more in this episode of Empires of the Future.  "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill 

The Problem of Sexual Extortion Sexual extortion, or “Sextortion” as it is sometimes called, is a new and growing problem.  In the 21st century, there have been various problems related to the “connectedness” that being online offers, and sometimes these problems are not evenly divided among the sexes.  Sexual extortion is one of the newer ones.  Young men seem to be particularly susceptible not just to being fooled into seeking and sharing nude pictures but also into an even darker situation when those pictures are used against them.  Because of this, we wanted to release a short episode encouraging christian parents and ministers to do two things:  Parents - Talk with your children about why God invented sex but also the dangers associated with it.   All christians - Be clear that Christ died for all sins, and paid for all guilt and shame in the believer’s life so that we don’t have to fear consequences related to sin, even in our very online age.   This too shall pass.  "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  Sheol, Death, and the Grave “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’  Proverbs 30:15 “Sheol”, here translated “the grave” is a complex concept in the Bible.  What did Old Testament believers (and non-believers) think when they spoke of “Sheol”?  What are Christians to think about the afterlife?  What is the relationship between the Hebrew “Sheol”, Greek “Hades” and “Gehenna”, and English “Hell”?  We consider all these questions and more in this episode of Empires of the Future.  "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  On Gentle Parenting In this episode, we discuss an article by Trevin Wax for the Gospel Coalition entitled “The Church’s Opportunity When ‘Gentle Parenting’ Crashes.”  We agree with Wax that Gentle Parenting is lacking in some key areas, and examine the philosophy behind gentle parenting, what it assumes about children and people in general, and why we believe it does not reach the goals it strives for.  We also outline authoritative, biblical parenting, which does not fall into either the domineering, authoritarian style nor the passive, discipline-lacking parenting that is too often the norm in our culture today.  "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill 

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan Beginning in 1678, Puritan John Bunyan published The Pilgrim’s Progress, a religious allegory that took the English-speaking world by storm and remains one of the most read books in the English language.  According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, it is the most famous Christian allegory still in print.  Written while the author was in prison, this work attempts to consider and reflect upon all manner of troubles the christian will encounter in his or her life, and remains a gold mine of devotional reflection and christian imagination and encouragement.  In this episode Jackson and Denton reflect upon their own experiences with the book.  "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  Why Don’t Men Sing in Church? Some men do sing in church, to be sure.  But many don’t.  A great deal of ink has been spilled about contemporary worship music and whether or not it encourages men to get involved in the corporate gathering, but we want to ask a few different questions in the four parts of this episode:  Is there a biblical mandate to sing? What is singing about anyway? Are we assuming that women do sing in church? Is the struggle to get men to engage in singing a new development in the church?  How do we foster and encourage male voices? The article that we discuss in this episode is entitled “All about that Tenor: Why Men Don’t Sing in Worship” by Kelsey Kramer McGinnis for Christianity Today https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/09/men-not-singing-in-church-male-voice-masculinity/ "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill  

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  The Anxious Generation By Jon Haidt, Part 2 - A Plan of Action Can childhood be salvaged?   “After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on most measures. Why?” - The Anxious Generation https://www.anxiousgeneration.com In this episode, we look at the challenges Gen. Z is facing according to this book.  The technology, and the cultural trends that have followed it, have changed childhood.  This calls for the current generation of parents to make changes for the sake of their children, so that childhood can be free from excessive comparison, bullying, distraction, and information overload. "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill 

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  The Anxious Generation By Jon Haidt, Part 1 - Defining the Challenge “After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on most measures. Why?” - The Anxious Generation https://www.anxiousgeneration.com Matt Castro rejoins Empires of the Future for this installment of the podcast!  In this episode, we look at the challenges Gen. Z is facing according to this book.  The technology, and the cultural trends that have followed it, have changed childhood.  All who care about young people should ask how childhood has changed and what we can do about it.  "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill 

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  Law Amendment, In Vitro, Sex Abuse Reform - SBC Annual Meeting 2024 Recap What is the SBC Annual Meeting? ·         Messengers are elected from churches, starting at 2 per church and adding more dependent on giving to the cooperative program, with a maximum of 12.  Link to kentuckytoday.com summary: https://www.kentuckytoday.com/baptist_life/wrap-up-2024-sbc-annual-meeting/article_f23f9cc4-29b1-11ef-bedb-27acbbb11f5e.html Link to In Vitro Resolution: https://www.sbc.net/resource-library/resolutions/on-the-ethical-realities-of-reproductive-technologies-and-the-dignity-of-the-human-embryo/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3jYwrmfT7uJ__8qjE1MF9SMCCvGI5rjN5L8Vs1C9mGa4VySOPt2tgq06o_aem_ZmFrZWR1bW15MTZieXRlcw Link to SBC Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force Ministry Toolkit: sbcabuseprevention.com "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill 

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  We will all suffer.  Life is not suffering, but suffering is a part of life.  In this episode, Jackson interviews Matt Higgins, the worship pastor of Northwoods Church on the north side of Evansville concerning the Doctor of Ministry that Matt is working on at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville.  The conversation ranges from trauma and sadness to joy and hope.  It was an encouragement to us, and we hope it will be an encouragement to you.  "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill 

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  “What Good are Children?” In a recent New York Times opinion piece called “The Birth Dearth and the Smartphone Age”, Ross Douthat speaks to the precipitous fall in the birthrate that marks all of the western world in our day.   https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2024/04/06/opinion/the-birth-dearth-and-the-smartphone-age/?utm_source=ground.news&utm_medium=referral What are the possible reasons for this decline?  Is modern western culture itself hostile to children?  What good are children, after all?  We consider all these questions and more in this episode of Empires of the Future.  "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  “10 Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health” by Donald Whitney Donald Whitney, popular author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, also wrote this very helpful book called Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health.  Here are his 10 questions:  Do you thirst for God?  Are you governed increasingly by God’s Word? Are you more loving? Are you more sensitive to God’s presence? Do you have a growing concern for the spiritual and temporal needs of others? Do you delight in the Bride of Christ? Are the spiritual disciplines increasingly important for you? Do you still grieve over your sin? Are you a quicker forgiver? Do you yearn for heaven and to be with Jesus? "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  “Rest - What it is and How to Do it” What’s the difference between “rest” and “sleep”?  Why, with all of our modern conveniences and with all the advances in medical care that have taken place over the last hundred years are we seeing such increases in anxiety and struggles with stress, work, and peace?  How much peace does God even want us to have?  All these questions are considered in this episode of Empires of the Future, which uses the Holman Treasury of Key Bible words by E.E. Carpenter and P.W. Comfort (2000) as a references.  "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  "Five Challenges Now Facing the Church" Hershael York retired from 43 years of pastoral ministry just a couple of weeks ago in January of 2024.  In an article at Southern Equip, he speaks to five ministry challenges he didn't anticipate in his time as a lead pastor.  In this article he speaks candidly about new challenges facing the church in the twenty-first century and encourages christians to face these issues with courage and wisdom.   https://equip.sbts.edu/publications/magazine/five-ministry-challenges-i-didnt-anticipate/ "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill