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:

1. Parents - Talk with your children about why God invented sex but also the dangers associated with it.
2. 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:

1. Is there a biblical mandate to sing?
2. What is singing about anyway?
3. 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?
4. 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.

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.

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