Empires of the Future

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...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  “What do we do with Club Sports?” Over the last twenty years, club sports have come to replace many other activities that used to take place in the recreational life of a young person.  In this podcast, we consider the article “Why We Pulled Our Kids from Club Sports” by Sarah Eekhoff...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  What is the purpose of hobbies?  If Labor produces Leisure, how should we balance work and play?  In this episode of Empires of the Future, Jackson and Denton share their top three favorite hobbies and consider why God might have given us hobbies at all.   "The Empires of the future wi...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  "We are in a masculinity crisis", begins Seth Troutt in his article at Mereorthodoxy.com.  In an age that struggles to answer the question "what is a man?", is it any wonder that that men are struggling?  Seth answers this question by considering four important questions:  1. How is ma...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  One of the things that certainly decreased during the pandemic and has not returned its previous levels is singing with other people.  What are the benefits of singing with others?  Why is it a big deal to actually sing when you gather for worship?  We explore these questions and more...

“Identifying the Idols of the City” by Leonardo de Chirico” Every city has patterns of living and ever group of people has certain ideas, practices, and opinions about the kind of life that is worth living.  The Bible describes an idol as anything that takes the place of God in our hearts.  Through the lens of this helpful article on Acts 17 by Italian church planter and missionary Leonardo de Chi...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  “Company Says facial recognition can’t be used in arrests, but it’s happening in Evansville” 10-19-23 By Houston Harwood for the Evansville Courier & Press Here in Evansville, Indiana, the Evansville Police Department is using facial recognition software to give them a leg up on se...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  In an upcoming conference billed for parents of LGBTQ+ children and ministry leaders, Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point community church, claims “You will be equipped refreshed, and inspired as you hear from leading communicators on topics that speak to your heart, soul, and mind,” I...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  The West is Repaganizing Anyone who grew up in the 80s or 90s remembers the claim that if the west could just get free of religion, then a golden age of science, reason, and technology would await.  What we are finding in the 21st century is the receding of Christianity in the West is...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney “Read the Bible, pray everyday, and you’ll grow, grow, grow.”  This phrase common among christian teachers agrees with one of C.S. Lewis’ sentiments that Christianity is a form of education in itself.  If so, what are the d...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  The Boy Crisis Boys seem to be falling behind their sisters in almost every way, from educational achievement to emotional resiliency.  Why is this happening, and what can be done about it?  In this episode we examine an article by Physician Leonard Sax from the institute for family st...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  New Methods and Timeless Truths - 8 Ways Modern Relationships are Forming Who makes the first move in modern relationships, and does it matter?  What methods and platforms are people meeting on and forming relationships through today? To answer these questions, we look at an article by...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  Season 4, Episode 1 - A Christian Esports Coach? Sam Henderson has recently moved to the Evansville area to pioneer an ESports program at the University of Evansville.  In this interview, we ask him about being adopted from South Korea, growing up as a gamer, becoming a Christian, and...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  In this article we consider the actions taken two weeks ago at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in June 2023.  We talk through an article written by Denny Burk at https://www.dennyburk.com/the-narrative-vs-the-reality-of-sbc-23/ and consider such issues as compleme...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to understand culture and encourage the Church in a time of change.  More than Nice People - Mere Christianity, Part 11 Should Christians always be nice?  Why do my daily decisions matter? What is God's goal for humanity anyway?  In this, the final installment of our review of Mere Christianity, we cover Chapters 10 and 11 of Book 4 and complete our jou...

Let's Pretend - Mere Christianity, Part 9 Is Christianity Hard or Easy, and how does moral change happen at all?  What is the value of many of the old stories, which often surface as Disney movies in our day, about character and how it grows in us?  In this review of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, we explore Book 4, Chapters 7-9, which deal with these very questions.   "The Empires of the future w...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  Good Infection - Mere Christianity, Part 9 How can we receive the spiritual life God has for us, and how is God working to give life to humanity at all?  How does God hear a thousand prayers all at the same time?  In this review of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, we explore Book 4, Chapters 3-6, which deals w...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  God and the Atlantic - Mere Christianity, Part 8 How can we have knowledge of God?  What is the use of good theology, and how do we get it?  In this episode we talk about Book 4, Chapters 1&2 of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.  These chapters deal with questions about what makes Jesus unique, why God should...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  The Greatest Good and the Deepest Evil - Mere Christianity, Part 7 In this chapter we engage with both what is the deepest problem with humanity as well as the greatest heights God may take us to.  We begin talking about Chapter 8 of book 3 which is on Pride, the Great Sin.  We also cover Chapters 9 and 10 w...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  In this episode we talk about an article by Eric Levin for New York Magazine titled "No,Teen Suicide isn't Rising Because Life Got Objectively Worse". https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/02/teen-suicide-depression-girls-social-media.html  He discusses the crisis facing Gen. Z (born 1995-2015).  We reflect o...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  Christian Marriage and Forgiveness - Mere Christianity, Part 6 What is meant by the "one flesh" union in christian marriage?  How does this explain and affect the nature of divorce as well?  How do we find the heart and the courage to forgive?  These topics are discussed here in Part 6 of our discussion of "...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change. In this episode we discuss this article from the Independent in the UK: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mounjaro-uk-ozempic-weight-loss-drug-b2295499.html?amp What is a balanced life?  What new vulnerabilities do our online lives bring us?  Here we talk about the feud over Mounjaro that is t...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  Psychoanalysis and Sexual Morality - Mere Christianity, Part 5 What do we know about our own consciousness and unconsciousness?  Is it wise to give in to our desires?  In this section of Mere Christianity, we deal with Book 3 Chapters 4 and 5 which includes Lewis' writing about psychoanalysis, a topic that w...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  How can we think clearly about morality?  Is there anything beyond the level of individuals hurting each other?  In this chapter we look at a deeper way to think about right and wrong and how it extends to individuals, society, and the meaning of life itself.   "The Empires of the future will be Empires of t...

This is Empires of the Future, conversations to encourage the Church in a time of change.  This is part 3 of our review through Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.  Here we cover Book 2, Chapters 4 and 5 entitled "The Perfect Penitent" and "The Practical Conclusion", respectively.  "The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill