Empires of the Future

What Good are Children?

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

10 Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health by Don Whitney

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: 

1. Do you thirst for God? 
2. Are you governed increasingly by God’s Word?
3. Are you more loving?
4. Are you more sensitive to God’s presence?
5. Do you have a growing concern for the spiritual and temporal needs of others?
6. Do you delight in the Bride of Christ?
7. Are the spiritual disciplines increasingly important for you?
8. Do you still grieve over your sin?
9. Are you a quicker forgiver?
10. Do you yearn for heaven and to be with Jesus?

"The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill

Rest - What it is and How to Do it

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

Five Challenges Now Facing the Church

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

What Do We Do with Club Sports?

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 Zylstra and Ross Douma for The Gospel Coalition.  What’s the difference between club sports, rec. leagues, and Kiwanis Baseball for that matter?  What is the value of kids’ sports programs?  How does all this fit into Christian faithfulness?  All these questions and more are considered on this episode.  

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/pulled-kids-club-sports/

"The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill

What are Hobbies For?

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 will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill

The Masculinity Pyramid

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 man different from God?
2. How is man different from an animal?
3. How is a man different from a boy?
4. How is a man different from a woman? 

We consider all this and more in this episode of Empires of the Future.https://mereorthodoxy.com/the-masculinity-pyrami

"The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill

 

Singing (with others) is Good for You

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 in this episode of Empires of the Future based on this article by Alexandra Moe for the Washington Post.  

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/06/25/singing-with-others-mental-physical-health/

"The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill

The City of God and the City of Evansville

“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 Chirico, we examine what the Idols of Evansville may be and what we ought to do about it. 

https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/identifying-the-idols-of-the-city/

Caesar Bears the Sword, Uncle Sam Bears the Webcam

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 seeking out those suspected of crimes.  But what are the limits of this system, and what crimes should be prosecuted using this AI?  We explore these questions and more on this episode of empires of the future.  

https://www.courierpress.com/restricted/?return=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.courierpress.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Flocal%2F2023%2F10%2F19%2Fevansville-police-using-clearview-ai-facial-recognition-to-make-arrests%2F70963350007%2F

https://ts2.space/en/facial-recognition-technology-used-by-evansville-police-misleadingly-identifies-crime-suspects/

https://www.14news.com/2023/06/13/epd-utilizing-facial-recognition-software-investigations/

"The Empires of the future will be Empires of the Mind." - Winston Churchill