The Looking Glass: seeing clearly in a confusing cultural moment
Have you ever wondered how you see the world—and why? It’s because of your worldview, a set of beliefs and assumptions that shape how you interpret life, make decisions, and find purpose. Everyone has one, whether they realize it or not. More than just culture or religion, a worldview underpins how we answer profound questions like, What does it mean to be human? and What is the definition of a man or a woman?
Pastor or Party Planner? How to reach the Next Generation in a Hyper-Sexualized Culture
Whether you are a full-time youth pastor in a paid position or a volunteer bi-vocational youth leader, the call you have from God to mentor and develop young people to be passionate disciples of the Lord is a high calling. You may feel overwhelmed and under-equipped, but what you do matters. Maybe you've experienced being the brunt of jokes suggesting that you just babysit kids who need to put on more deodorant, but the truth is you have an incredible opportunity to be a vessel which God uses to lead others to Himself. That being said, you also have your work cut out for you. The pressure young people are facing in this hyper-sexualized culture is no joke. It’s potent and persistent.
Is Sex Just a Physical Thing?
Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. Ever since the beginning of humanity, God designed sex to be an experience where the two would become one. He wisely prescribed sex as the binding experience between one man and one woman in the lifelong commitment of covenantal marriage. Scripture was announcing it to the world long before brain science could confirm it.
Is Sex the Most Important Thing in Life?
The lie of this modern culture, which is the same lie that God’s people have always faced is, “This life is all there is. Eat, drink, be merry, for tomorrow we die.” The lie is, “Seek pleasure, because that will satisfy you.” And the lie morphs further, “If you can get enough sex, you will be satisfied.” But if sex were the end goal, the epitome of human living, then wouldn’t the prostitute be among the happiest individuals on earth?
Is God Anti-Sex?
Within the church at large, the messages about sex are often reduced to a prohibition, “Sex outside of marriage is bad.” But said often enough or carelessly enough, and that message starts to sound like, “Sex is bad.” Add to that the negative personal experiences that people are having, and it is no wonder that the lie “God is anti-sex” gets propagated.
The Irreplaceable Parent
One of the chief schemes of our spiritual enemy is to separate and isolate the generations. In our modern society, we are often led to believe that we belong primarily with people who are the same age as us. What we see in Scripture is that God established hierarchal structures called families. The purpose of family is multi-faceted, but one essential element was to allow for the transference of values to be passed from one generation to another.
Deciphering Desire- clarity on sinful desire, action and human identity
There is much discussion within church culture about whether it is acceptable, in God’s sight, for a person to have sexual desires but not act upon them. This conversation often arises in the context of individuals dealing with same-sex attraction (SSA) ,while also believing in Jesus, but this can and should be considered with any other possible sexual desire. Some view internal desires as harmless because they do not lead to actions. It's important to have this conversation. This is why we are taking time to explore the scriptures and understand how to interpret desire from a Biblical perspective.
WWJD, Love is Love and Virtues Gone Mad
Think about the statement, “Love is love.” You may have seen this in an advertisement or heard it shouted by those protesting for the “freedom” of the LGBTQ+ community. It sounds like a trendy or noble statement, but I dare to suggest that this statement is both deceptive and destructive.
Can I be happy without sex?
In a world that is becoming increasingly sexualized, with perverted images flooding our feeds, the music industry, and countless streaming services, studies show that people are backing away from one another and from IRL (in real life) relationships. Rates of premarital sex and the number of people choosing marriage are dropping.
Single people both inside and outside of the church are asking the question, “How can I be happy without sex?”
NOT A FAN - Cognitive Dissonance, Therapeutic Deism & OnlyFans
I happened to check a new (to me) podcast that I had seen a clip of on my Instagram feed the other day. It caught my attention because Ruslan (Christian Hip-hop artist & YouTuber) and Lila Rose (Founder of LiveAction) were on the show debating with several people who are involved in making porn content. They were talking about its negative effects on society. Lila and Russian were there making a case for the Biblical design of sexuality within marriage.
Thank God I Am Not Like Them: The Double Standard Of Sin (ours vs THEIRS)
If we were honest, most of us have two different scales we use to measure sin. There’s the one we use with our sins and the one we use with others. If we aren’t careful, the tendency is to make the sins of others out to be more disgusting than our sins. Others have to live under a microscope of judgment while we need…grace. This should not be so.
Transgendered: is there room in the church for them?
The flood waters are rising and we are seeing surging levels of desolation and desperation. No amount of public parading or community affirmation can soothe the wounds or remove the sexual shame that has been heaped onto a young generation.
That being said, I’m concerned that the people of God won’t know what to do when the Good Shepherd brings these lost sheep into the fold. Will we have room in our services, in our homes, and in our hearts?