Empires of the Future

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

Andy Stanley and the Path of Protestant Liberalism

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,” It further claims “”No matter what theological stance you hold, we invite you to listen, reflect, and learn as we approach this topic from the quieter middle space.”  What is the quieter middle space?  Given the speakers at the conference and the claims on the website, it is the same road that other Protestant liberals have walked in the past, leaving behind biblical authority to affirm popular cultural teaching, in this case on accepting LGBTQ+ sexuality.  Unfortunately, this is a path to theological emptiness and ruin, as we examine in this podcast. Here is a link from World opinion by Albert Mohler, which we discuss in this episode. 

https://wng.org/opinions/the-train-is-leaving-the-station-1695036498

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

The West is Repaganizing

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 leading to to a return of pagan morality, if not religion.  Louise Perry deals skillfully with this reality in an article at First Things entitled "We are Repaganizing". https://www.firstthings.com/article/2023/10/we-are-repaganizing

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

 

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney

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 disciplines that come with it?  What is expected of a Christian?  Don Whitney’s book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life is a simple yet comprehensive answer to this question, and in this podcast we dive into Whitney’s summary of biblical teaching regarding the disciplines.  

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

The Boy Crisis

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 studies to consider these questions. 

https://ifstudies.org/blog/boys-are-falling-farther-and-farther-behind-their-sisters-should-we-care-

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