Ohio Baptists Give $500,000 From Camp Sale Proceeds to Cooperative Program

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September 22, 2022

Ohio-Baptists-give-500-000-from-camp-sale-proceeds-to-Cooperative-Program-Baptist-Press — SBC EC Interim President and CEO Willie McLaurin (right) embraces Southern Baptist Convention of Ohio Executive Director Jeremy Westbrook Tuesday (Sept. 20) after Westbrook presented a check for $500,000 to McLaurin to be put toward the Cooperative Program. (Baptist Press photo by Brandon Porter)

NASHVILLE (BP) – The State Convention of Baptists in Ohio (SCBO) donated $500,000 toward the Cooperative Program from proceeds of the recent sale of its Seneca Lake campground property.

Jeremy Westbrook, SCBO executive director-treasurer, made the announcement during Monday night’s (Sept. 19) SBC Executive Committee plenary session.

During his presentation, Westbrook said motivation for the donation came from the impact the Cooperative Program made on his own life and ministry.

“In 2008 I left my hometown of Memphis, Tenn., to plant a church outside of Columbus, Ohio, and when I did, the Cooperative Program was there for me,” Westbrook said.

“In 2009, when I went to the Billy Graham School at Southern Seminary to earn my doctorate, the Cooperative Program was there for me. Then last year in 2021 when I returned back to Ohio to begin my new role as the executive director, I knew that it was now my turn to be there for the Cooperative Program. For Jesus said to whom much is given, much is required.”

Seneca Lake in a campground property in Senecaville, Ohio, that the SCBO had used for ministry purposes such as camps and retreats for church staff.

Westbrook explained that when he took over as executive director, he learned the convention was not doing well financially, and maintenance of the camp property was no longer sustainable.

The convention sold the property this past April to a private buyer for $2.1 million dollars, and choose to divide up the profit a number of ways.

Some of the money was put into the convention’s operating reserves (enough to cover a few months), some went to a church in the convention church that was paying for the renovation of a cabin on the camp property and some will go toward expenses to keep mineral rights (oil and natural gas) on the property.

Westbrook said the convention leadership wanted to use the remaining money to invest in the next generation, which was the purpose of the campground property to begin with.

Expansive Pro-life Legislation Introduced in House, Senate

By

Tom Strode

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September 22, 2022

WASHINGTON (BP) – New legislation to help support pregnant women, young mothers and their children in a post-Roe America has gained congressional introduction.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, introduced a legislative package titled the Providing for Life Act Sept. 15 in each member’s respective house of Congress.

The legislation’s proposals include expansion of the Child Tax Credit, increased tax relief for adoptive parents, authorization of new parents to pull forward their Social Security benefits for paid parental leave, incentives for states to require fathers to pay half of a mother’s medical costs during pregnancy, protection of the rights of pregnant college students and permission for pregnancy resource centers to receive federal funding.

The legislative package followed in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 24 ruling in a Mississippi case that reversed Roe v. Wade, a 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. The high court’s opinion returned abortion policy to the states. Some states have outlawed most or all abortions, while others have promoted themselves as abortion destinations.

“America’s pro-abortion legal regime may be over, but our work is far from finished,” Rubio said in introducing the package. “Being truly pro-life requires an understanding of the pain and struggle, arising from serious difficulties and responsibilities motherhood entails, which lead a woman to abort her baby. As we take steps to protect the unborn, we have a duty to address those challenges.”

Pro-life and pro-family advocates endorsed the proposals.

“At this year’s annual meeting, our convention of churches affirmed our desire to ‘eliminate any perceived need for the horror of abortion,’” Southern Baptist public policy specialist Hannah Daniel said of a resolution approved by messengers to the convention in June.

The Providing for Life Act “contains a number of provisions consistent with that call,” said Daniel, policy manager for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). “It should be seen as a step in the right direction that lawmakers are putting forth proposals that are truly pro-mother and pro-family.

“The ERLC urges all of our nation’s leaders to continue efforts like this that seek to wrap around women and families and resource them to make life-affirming decisions,” she said in written comments for Baptist Press.

5 Mirages That Will Lead You Straight Into Having an Affair

By

Mark Atteberry

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September 22, 2022

Protect your marriage by avoiding these five mirages that will lead you straight into having an affair.

[NOTE: This article is an excerpt from The Solomon Seduction: What You Can Learn From the Wisest Fool in the Bible by Pastor Mark Atteberry.]

King Solomon is known for many things, but let’s not kid ourselves; it’s the women that blow our minds.

The man had a mind-boggling 700 wives and 300 concubines. I’m pretty sure that no one who reads this article is ever going to have a thousand wives and mistresses, but many will be tangled up in an illicit romantic relationship, or at least heading in that direction.

Consider these five mirages and take them as a dire warning for having an affair. They are at the heart of every church leader’s descent into sexual sin.

5 Mirages That Will Lead You Straight Into Having an Affair

Mirage #1: That which seems harmless is actually dangerous and will lead to having an affair.

What seems harmless? Flirting.

Married people do it all the time, sometimes with body language, sometimes with seemingly casual, yet not-so-innocent touches, sometimes with suggestive comments and sometimes with just a look.

Challenge a flirtatious person and you’ll likely be laughed out of the room. And yet, every illicit sexual affair in the history of the world started with flirting.

I can’t think of anything a person can do that has more danger wrapped up in it than flirting with someone who is “off limits.”

Mirage #2: That which seems perfect is deeply flawed and will lead to having an affair.

What seems perfect?

The other woman, of course.

Your wife rolls her eyes at your jokes, while the other woman practically falls down laughing.

Your wife obsesses over the kids and the bills and the laundry, while the other woman is only interested in you.

Your wife wears frumpy clothes, while the other woman is always dressed to the nines and smells like a field of lilacs.

But it’s all an illusion.

If the other woman was really perfect, she wouldn’t be having an affair with a married man.

4 Reasons My Teenage Daughter Doesn’t Have a Cell Phone

By

Melissa Edgington

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September 22, 2022

“My daughter is thirteen years old, and she doesn’t have a cell phone.” I said those words from the platform at a women’s event and was surprised at the sharp intake of breath all over the room. I am not naive enough to think that my daughter isn’t a bit of an anomaly. I know that most kids her age are already well versed in the ways of social media, texting, and the big world that a cell phone provides. I know that when she leaves school for the day, dozens of conversations are happening via Instagram, Snapchat, and text that she isn’t privvy to and that she doesn’t ever learn about, except when they are hinted at at the lunch table, where she simply smiles and nods even though she is probably somewhat lost as to what ideas transpired between her friends at ten o’clock the night before.

But, it does surprise me to learn that many parents feel that they don’t have the option to hold off on providing a cell phone for their kids. The day that I made my shocking confession, the attitude of the fellow moms in the room seemed to be: She doesn’t have a cell phone? You can DO that?

Why yes, you can. And I would argue that in most cases you should.

Now, before you start thinking that our children are living in the dark ages, we do have electricity and running water. And our two older kids have iPods. They don’t have internet access or texting privileges with their friends, but they are allowed to FaceTime and text their grandparents and cousins. They play games on their iPods and make movies and learn to take and edit photos and generally get a lot of fun benefits of technology through their devices. I’m not anti-technology. But, I am a believer in the benefits of sheltering my kids from social media and unfettered internet access. Yes, I said sheltering. Contrary to popular opinion, kids do need sheltering from some things.

A few days ago a couple of moms with younger kids asked me about our oldest’s cell phone, and when I told them that she doesn’t have one they said, “We were hoping you could tell us how you navigate the whole technology and social media world with your kids.” So, this isn’t really for the parents whose kids already have a phone, although I hope that it will help you think through some of the issues associated with phone use. It’s for those of you who are wondering how you are going to approach this subject with your kids when they get older. Essentially, I’m going to explain some reasons that Chad and I have decided to delay our kids’ access to phones.

4 Reasons My Teenage Daughter Doesn’t Have a Cell Phone

1. The Internet is a huge world full of strangers who can step into your home without your invitation.

Many times we have a false sense of security about the internet. We think of it as a tool when the reality is that it is an enormous collection of people that we do not know. I would never encourage my kids to go find a stranger at the grocery store and hang out in a private room with him, but in many cases this is what the internet leads our kids to do. It can be a very dangerous place where predators and people with bad intentions can learn all kinds of information about our kids. It can be a place where people we don’t know can have tremendous influence over our kids’ thinking and feelings.

When we present phones to our kids, we expect them to try to navigate this complicated online world before they have the cognitive abilities to make sound decisions. Studies show that their brains are literally underdeveloped in terms of decision-making until they are around age 25. So, imagine how inept a fifth or sixth grader’s brain is at understanding how to react to the various situations that could arise in the huge internet world filled with strangers.

2. The Internet is a big world of people your child knows who can step into your home without your invitation.

When you are a middle schooler, no world seems bigger than the one you’re living through in the seventh or eighth grade. Phones allow that world to have access to kids 24 hours a day. I like the fact that my home is a sanctuary for my kids. The only kids allowed within these walls are those kids that I invite, and that is important for the mental and emotional health of my children.

If they were to have a terrible problem with someone at school, if they had an issue with a bully or a group of “friends” who has suddenly turned on them, if something embarrassing were to happen at school that day, my kids know that when they walk to my car as the bell rings, they are free from all of that, at least until the next morning when they set foot back on campus. They don’t have to worry about the bullying following them home. They don’t have to worry about receiving mean texts or having someone post something horrible on their social media accounts.

Even if there are no issues at school, if there is absolutely no drama happening, I enjoy knowing that school and daytime hours are for friends and after school and nighttime hours are for our family. Your child’s time at home needs more protecting than you probably realize. Constant socializing on the internet is leading to all kinds of problems in kids, including lack of sleep, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. They don’t need constant connection with everyone. They need a real connection with their family at the end of each day. Phones make that harder to accomplish.

3. The Internet encourages kids to brand themselves.

I’m always running across funny collections of terribly photo-shopped pictures that teenagers have put on the internet. It makes us laugh, but the truth is that kids feel pressure to create a certain image of themselves on social media. It’s the same reason that so many take and post ten selfies a day. They are looking for approval and are trying to build a brand. They want their name to be associated with beauty or fitness or sexiness or casual coolness or whatever it is that they think will gain them likes and followers and the attention that they crave.

For kids, the work of figuring out who they are and who they are striving to be is only complicated by social media. They can become obsessed with themselves, their image, their approval ratings. And the last thing a middle schooler needs help with is being obsessed with herself. Delaying the dive into social media gives kids a chance to grow an understanding that the internet is not real life. It can be a fun place to play, but not a place to live. And if we give our kids more time to develop a real sense of themselves, of who they are and what their own standards are, then they are less likely to become obsessed with how they are seen on social media. They won’t see themselves as a brand but as an authentic person who is much more than a one dimensional image on a screen.

4. The Internet is where porn lives.

It practically goes without saying that pornography is a huge issue with phones, and one that isn’t taken seriously enough. Some studies now suggest that the average age of first exposure to porn is nine years old. Third grade. I’m in no rush to put that industry into the hands of my children, even with filters and accountability software, especially since pornographers are actively targeting kids to ensure that their industry continues to thrive. Pornography addiction deeply affects the brain, body, heart and spirit, and phones are the easiest way for the industry to reach kids, either through their own phones or through someone else’s.

There are so many other issues that I haven’t touched on here, but these are a few of the reasons that Chad and I are waiting to provide a phone to our oldest daughter. I don’t know when we will feel that the time has come, but I pray that she will have time to grow in Christ, learning her own heart and mind, before she delves into the social media realm. I pray that she will develop decision-making skills that will help her not to be enticed by requests for photos. That will give her wisdom that keeps her from texting things about people that she will later regret. I pray that she will learn to be led by the Spirit instead of being led by an obsession with self or an obsession with the approval of others.

I know many of you reading this have given your kids phones and have done so with great foresight and discernment. I know that many of you have safeguards in place and monitor your child’s phone usage and are beautifully navigating the internet world with your kids. Those of us who aren’t there yet will need lots of guidance from you.

To those who have younger kids, I ask you to consider some of my reasons for holding off on giving our kids phones. You don’t have to hand your child a phone just because others do. I’m convinced there are great benefits in waiting until kids have matured a little, have grown in their relationship with Christ a little more, have a firmer grasp of who they are and what they believe, before they really need to be grappling with the complicated world of the internet. Life is simpler without that constant din of the world in your kid’s pocket. Your teenager doesn’t have a cell phone. I’m in no rush to invite the noise in.

This article on why my teenager doesn’t have a cell phone originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

What Is a Parent’s Job? Why Happiness Shouldn’t Be a Goal

By

Leslie Leyland Fields

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September 21, 2022

What is a parent’s job? Here’s a hint: It’s not to make children happy. Read on to discover key insights about what parents should and should not attempt.

A teacher friend recently shared this story: “A little girl in my classroom never obeys me. It’s a huge problem. So I called in her parents and described her disruptive behavior. They looked at me blankly for a moment. Then they said, ‘We never tell her no. Your rules aren’t important. Our daughter’s happiness is more important than your rules.’ Then they left!”

I’ve heard similar accounts from youth pastors, teachers, and children’s ministers. And I know you have too. It’s easy to see the consequences of this incredibly short-sighted approach. Yet we all cling to some dangerous ideas about parenting.

Parenting Is Incredibly Hard

For my first 16 years as a parent, I was nearly paralyzed, though I seemed to be running marathons daily. I couldn’t believe how hard parenting was. And I couldn’t believe what a terrible mother I was! Every night, I went to bed with a videotape of all my failures and sins.

Why aren’t I more loving? Where is the unconditional love I expected to always feel for my children?
Why isn’t my home the beautiful, peaceful Christian home I’d heard so much about on Christian radio and in church? Why is there so much discord and wrangling?
How come my children aren’t turning out the way I hoped and planned?
Why do I always feel as if I I’m not doing enough for my kids?
Why is parenting so hard?

I thought I knew the answers: Me. It was my fault. I was a bad mother, a bad Christian, and a “bad Christian mother”! It doesn’t get any worse than that. Except yes, it did! How could my children grow up to become faithful, believing adults with such a flawed mother? Surely I was ruining their lives—for eternity!

But I realized most of my notions about parenting had come not from the brilliance, truth, and grace of God’s Word but from human reasoning. Even within the church. Parents labor under some truly dangerous myths, which I describe in this book.

Newsom Launches ‘Biblical’ Pro-Abortion Billboard in Pro-Life States; ‘This Is Nothing Short of Demonic,” Feucht Says

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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September 21, 2022

Last Thursday (Sept 15), California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Twitter that he was launching pro-abortion billboards in seven of the most anti-abortion states throughout the country. The billboards are part of Newsom’s re-election campaign for governor of California.

The billboards are aimed at state abortion restrictions and urge women who are seeking an abortion to travel to California, where abortion laws are among the most permissive.

“NEW: Just launched billboards in 7 of the most restrictive anti-abortion states that explain how women can access care—no matter where they live,” Newsom posted. “To any woman seeking an abortion in these anti-freedom states: CA will defend your right to make decisions about your own health.”

Texas, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Oklahoma are the seven states targeted by Newsom, who tagged each state’s governor in a post featuring photos of the billboards.

Each of the seven billboards state that they are paid for “by Newsom for California Governor 2022.”

One billboard reads, “Texas doesn’t own your body. You do,” alongside an image of a woman with her hands cuffed behind her back. Other billboards contain similar wording.

The billboards in Mississippi and Oklahoma use a Bible verse to promote Newsom’s pro-abortion cause. Those billboards feature a picture of a young woman and read, “Need an abortion? California is here to help.” Under the information for a California government website is a quotation of Mark 12:31: “Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these.”

Newsom said in an interview that he wants “women to know that we have their backs. We care, they matter, and we’re not going to turn our backs on them because they’re from another state.”

According to Abort73.com, California recorded over 154,000 abortions in 2020, leading all states, including New York, which recorded 110,360 abortions.

Sean Feucht, Benjamin Watson, and Governor Kristi Noem Respond

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem responded to Newsom’s tweet: “In South Dakota, we are a destination for FREEDOM and LIFE. Now that you’ve run your billboards in SD, why don’t you get to work cleaning up the human feces on the streets of your cities and turning the lights back on. By the way, did you write this tweet in the dark?” Worship leader and activist Sean Feacht referred to his governor’s use of Mark 12 to promote abortion as “a level of darkness few have seen before. Even Satan quoted scripture as he tempted Jesus. We need discernment in the body of Christ like never before.”

Tim Tebow Has Raised Over $1 Million for Charity by Auctioning Off His Heisman Trophy

By

Jessica Mouser

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September 21, 2022

Tim Tebow revealed this week that he has used his Heisman Trophy to raise over $1 million toward charitable work, much of which has benefited children. He shared this news with former ESPN anchor Dan Patrick on the Dan Patrick Show.

“It is such a cool award that is so prestigious that very few people have ever had the chance to be around it,” said Tebow. “And you know, I’m so grateful…with all the charities we’ve supported, it’s been able to raise well over $1 million now.”

“A lot of kids are being helped with it,” he told Patrick. “My goal with that is that it could be the most impactful Heisman one day.”

Tim Tebow’s Heisman Trophy Idea

Tim Tebow is also an outspoken Christian who during his football career became known for writing Bible verses on his eye black and for kneeling on the field in prayer. In 2007, he became the first sophomore in NCAA history to win the Heisman Trophy while playing for the Florida Gators.

He went on to be an NFL quarterback for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets and later pursued a career in Minor League Baseball. In May 2021, Tebow returned to the NFL, signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a tight end, but was released from the team several months later in August.

Topics that Patrick and Tebow covered include the toughest defense Tebow faced, whether his arms are bigger now than when he played football, and whether he is interested in coaching.

At the beginning of the interview, Patrick asked Tebow which was harder to give up: football or baseball? Tebow answered that it depends “which part of the year it is. Around Thanksgiving, Christmas, it’s really hard not to be playing football, and around, you know, in the middle of spring when spring training is going on, that’s really difficult.”

Dog the Bounty Hunter Calls Biden ‘Little Hitler’ at Christian Event, Jokes About President’s Possible Suicide

By

Dale Chamberlain

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September 21, 2022

Duane Chapman — Screengrab via Twitter @RightWingWatch

Reality TV star Duane “Dog” Chapman was a featured speaker at the “Opening the Heavens” conference hosted at Lord of Hosts Church in Omaha, Nebraska, over the weekend.

During the event, Dog the Bounty Hunter referred to President Joe Biden as “little Hitler” and “that freak,” suggesting that Biden could die by suicide once a conspiracy perpetrated by his administration to steal the 2020 presidential election is revealed.

Despite no evidence to substantiate the claim that Biden was fraudulently elected in 2020, many within the right wing of the Republican Party regularly express their belief in the conspiracy theory, with a number Congressional candidates even making it an essential component of their campaign strategies.

The theme of the “Opening the Heavens” conference was “The Lion Has Roared!” Lord of Host’s website described the four-day event as a “time to celebrate the promises of God that are coming to pass in your life and in the nations.”

The conference also featured Mike Lindell, Eric Metaxas, and a live recording of Victory Channel’s FlashPoint featuring Dutch Sheets.

During an address delivered at the event, Chapman discussed Biden’s election, drawing a connection to Jesus’ healing of a man’s blindness as described in the ninth chapter of John’s gospel account.

“So I’m praying, ‘Lord, why have you led us in this way? Why did you let that freak steal the election? Why did you do this?’ And once I tell you why, you’re gonna agree with me,” Chapman said. “The Lord took me to the Bible, and Jesus’ disciples came up to him and said, ‘God, Jesus, why was this man born blind? Was it the sins of his father and his mother that made him blind?’”

“And Jesus said, ‘No, that’s not why this bad thing happened,’” Chapman continued. “‘The reason this bad thing happened is…to show God’s manifestation.’”

As the crowd began to swell with applause, Chapman said, “There’s nothing we could have done about it, not at all. Yeah, he [stole] it. Because now, little Hitler, we are gonna show you God’s manifestation.”

At a later point in the event, Chapman told those in attendance, “Wait till November when the Republican Party—I think I’ve met one Christian Democrat—when the Republican Party wipes them out. Wait till November.”

We Need a Revival of the Bible–500 Years Ago Today Martin Luther’s German Translation Was Published

By

Jeremiah Johnston

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September 21, 2022

Revival — Photo courtesy of Jeremiah Johnston

The miracle of the preservation of the Bible is one of the strongest lines of evidence for the veracity of Scripture. Have you stopped to appreciate how phenomenal it is that anything from the Christian past survives at all? The Christian church was terrorized for its first three hundred years. The fact that we have any early Christian documents is a miracle. By comparison, Herod the Great (c. 74 – c. 4 BC) had a secretary named Nicholas of Damascus, who wrote a Universal History of the Ancient World in 144 volumes. It is all lost to history. None of it survives.

When Paul wrote to Timothy, he admonished him to be fervently committed to the Word of God, “and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). And yet, there was a time (c. 1408) when to possess a copy of the Bible in England was a crime punishable by death. The Bible was a lost book to the people then, much as it is today, but it was a question of access then, not an issue of apathy as it is today.

Five hundred years ago today, Martin Luther published his German translation of the New Testament. I once stood in the room of the German friar, Martin Luther, where lore has it he flung his ink well at the devil where it crashed against the wall. The wall has now been stripped bare to the framing. Over the centuries, visitors to the Warburg Castle outside of Eisenach have availed themselves of pieces of this famous wall as a moment of Luther’s fight with the devil during his isolation and Bible translating work. Luther risked his life to make the Scriptures available to the German people in words they would easily understand. At the age of 33, he boldly condemned the injustices of the Catholic church in the sale of indulgences by nailing the Ninety-Five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, which thrust him to the forefront as the leader of the Reformation. I later visited the birthplace of the Dominican, Johann Tetzel, who famously coined the phrase, “every time a coin in the coffer rings a soul from purgatory springs,” in his quest to raise money for the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica.

In any case, on April 18, 1521, Luther appeared before the Imperial Diet (Congress) at Worms and refused to recant, opposing an empire and the Catholic church. Luther said, “I am bound to the Scriptures I have quoted, and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot, and will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise, here I stand. May God help me, Amen.”

Charlie Dates: Why Your Church Needs To Identify and Raise Up Young Preachers

By

Jessica Mouser

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September 21, 2022

The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast · Charlie Dates: Why Your Church Needs To Identify and Raise Up Young Preachers

Rev. Dr. Charlie Dates became the youngest senior pastor at Progressive Baptist Church of Chicago in 2011 at age 30. He teaches preaching at Wheaton College and serves as an Affiliate Professor of the Baylor University George W. Truett Theological Seminary and as Affiliate Professor of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Charlie is widely sought after for conferences, summits, retreats and board memberships, as well as a guest in pulpits.

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Charlie Dates

► Listen on Apple
► Listen on Spotify
► Listen on Stitcher
► Listen on YouTube

Other Episodes in the Great Communicator Series

Rick Warren on the Kind of Preaching That Changes Lives

Wilfredo de Jesús: How (Not) To Turn Your Sermon Points Into Stop Signs

J.D. Greear: How Your Sermons Will Benefit From a ‘Multitude of Counselors’

Beth Moore on the ‘Most Important Part of the Process’ of Teaching God’s Word

Ralph Douglas West on the Benefits of Being Shaped by Black and White Preaching Traditions

Andy Stanley: Are You Missing This Key Part of Your Sermon Prep?

Max Lucado: ‘The One Thing That Has Helped Me More Than Anything Else’ as a Preacher

Sam Chan: How the Topical Preacher Can Avoid Getting on a Hobby Horse

Priscilla Shirer: ‘Message Preparation Is the Hardest Thing I Do in Ministry’

Key Questions for Charlie Dates

-What makes preaching and teaching compelling?

-What advice would you give for pastors and churches wanting to raise up preachers?

-How do we have a renaissance of local churches raising up preachers?

-How do we advise the 20-year-old whom God has called to preach, but who hasn’t gone to seminary?

Key Quotes From Charlie Dates

“Paul writes, ‘Knowing the fear of God, we persuade men and women.’ That’s one of those great lines in the New Testament that speaks to the effect preaching ought to have.”

“I think what makes preaching compelling is when it’s a ‘right now word,’ that preaching needs to be a word from God to a particular people at a particular moment in history.”

“I don’t know that when you talk about the art and science of preaching, that you can separate the message from the messenger.”

“You can tell when a preacher has a burden, when they’re not doing this for fame. They’re not doing this for a paycheck. They’re not doing this for their own status.”

“It doesn’t matter how compelling, how persuasive, how dynamic and believable you are if the very words you are communicating are not the very words of life.”

Executive Committee Votes To Disfellowship Two Churches Following Credentials Committee Report

By

Scott Barkley

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September 21, 2022

NASHVILLE (BP) – “Open affirmation” of homosexual behavior and a “lack of cooperation” to resolve concerns over discrimination prompted a recommendation from the SBC Credentials Committee to disfellowship two churches. The SBC Executive Committee affirmed the recommendation in a closed meeting Sept. 20.

“The Credentials Committee determined that these churches were outside the bounds of fellowship with Southern Baptists,” Texas pastor and Executive Committee chairman Jared Wellman told Baptist Press. “The Executive Committee discussed that in executive session and approved [those decisions].”

College Park Baptist Church in Greensboro, N.C., was submitted due to “open affirmation, approval and endorsement of homosexual behavior,” the Credentials Committee stated. The church, originally founded on March 11, 1906, as a mission of First Baptist Greensboro, states on its website that it is a “Welcoming, LGBTQIA Affirming Baptist Church.” While now declaring it is not a part of the Southern Baptist Convention, the church claims affiliations with American Baptist Churches USA, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina and the Alliance of Baptists.

North Carolina Baptist leaders acknowledged the decision to disfellowship College Park Church and told Baptist Press the executive committee of the state convention’s board of directors will consider the church’s affiliation status at their regularly scheduled meeting next week to be held at Caraway Conference Center.

Amazing Grace Community Church in Franklinville, N.J., was submitted “due to the lack of cooperation demonstrated … to resolve concerns regarding alleged discriminatory behavior.” The church makes no mention of any denominational connection in its constitution and bylaws on its website.

Baptist Press confirmed that an emailed letter of inquiry from the Credentials Committee was sent to Amazing Grace Community Church on Jan. 4 with a request for response within 30 days. A March 3 inquiry by certified mail followed after no initial response, with a letter of intent delivered to the church via certified mail Sept. 15.

On Jan. 12, the Credentials Committee emailed a letter of inquiry to College Park Baptist Church with a request for a response within 30 days of receipt. After receiving no response, another inquiry was sent on March 3 via certified mail. On Sept. 15 a letter of intent was sent, again by certified mail.

This article originally appeared on BaptistPress.com.

Mohler Extols ‘Thinking as a Christian’ During ‘Ask Anything Tour’ Stop

By

Timothy Cockes

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September 21, 2022

LEBANON, Tenn. (BP) – Before attending the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee meeting in Nashville, Albert Mohler made another stop on his “Ask Anything Tour,” at The Journey Church in nearby Lebanon, Tenn.

Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., spoke at The Journey Church on Saturday (Sept. 17), where he addressed a wide variety of questions from the solid Saturday night crowd after a short lecture about the importance of Christian worldview.

In response to a question from and audience member about talking to someone who is resistant to the Gospel, Albert Mohler said, “Sometimes all you can do is say, ‘Even if you will not listen to me or hear me, you know that I love you and I am here the instant you’re ready to talk to me.’” Baptist Press photo by Timothy Cockes

The event was one in a series, in which Mohler travels to various churches and college campuses to answers questions from the audience regarding Christianity and culture. Mohler also preached at the church the following day (Sept. 18).

Erik Reed, lead pastor at The Journey Church and a graduate of Southern Seminary, introduced Mohler as a “faith hero” of his and said the event was designed to help the congregation better learn how think and reason in public as Christians.

“We know in the world we’re living in today that we can’t afford to simply live in a bubble and just try to isolate ourselves in with our Christian thinking,” Reed said. “We want our Christian thinking to be public thinking.”

Mohler opened his talk by explaining that the erosion of cultural Christianity has made it more necessary than ever for Christians to understand and reason with a biblical worldview.

“Christians now must think as Christians, because nobody is going to do that work for us anymore,” Mohler said.

Apologetics can sometimes be viewed as something only “intellectual Christians” are interested in, Mohler said, adding: “Apologetics is actually the mode of Christian faithfulness in any generation. To be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in us.”

Mohler said it would be extremely arrogant for one Christian to stand up and say he could answer any questions asked of him. Instead, the purpose of the event and the tour is to learn how to work toward those answers as a Christian.

“Being always ready to give an answer doesn’t mean that you always know the answer, it means you always know that Christians can find the answer,” Mohler said.

The first step for Christians is to develop a Christian worldview and recognize that the Bible is not like a reference book, but rather God Himself speaking.

Mohler identified four questions that every worldview must answer, and how Christianity provides answer to those questions – Why is there something rather than nothing; What’s gone wrong; Is there any hope; Where is history headed. The answers to those four questions, he said, essentially align with the four basic points of biblical theology – creation, the fall or sin, redemption and restoration.

EC Approves Caring Well Sunday for Abuse Awareness

By

Tom Strode

-

September 21, 2022

caring well sunday — Adron Robinson presents the recommendation for the addition of a Caring Well Sunday in late September to the SBC Annual Calendar of Activities. (Baptist Press/Brandon Porter)

NASHVILLE (BP) – The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee voted Tuesday (Sept. 20) to add a sexual abuse awareness day to be known as Caring Well Sunday to the SBC Calendar of Activities.

Approval of the recommendation that the last Sunday in September be set aside for the emphasis was the latest action taken within the convention in an effort to help churches prevent abuse and care for survivors of abuse. The first Caring Well Sunday on the SBC calendar will be Sept. 24, 2023.

SBC Executive Committee Chairman Jared Wellman expressed his gratitude for the passage of what he described as a “really important motion.”

While observance of emphasis Sundays on the SBC calendar is optional, it is important “just to encourage us to consider putting these on our church calendars, especially this one in light of the season that we’re in,” Wellman told Executive Committee members after the vote.

“In our churches, obviously we want to be building a culture that addresses and prevents abuse,” he said. “And this is a really great educational opportunity, and I know some of our entities are going to be providing educational materials.”

One of those Southern Baptist entities expected to develop resources for Caring Well Sunday is the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), which has been active the last four years in helping the convention and its churches attempt to combat sexual abuse.

“The church should be known as a place that epitomizes the phrase ‘caring well,’ and our hope is that churches across our convention will recognize and participate in Caring Well Sunday,” said Brent Leatherwood, the ERLC’s newly elected president, in written comments for Baptist Press.

“So many of our congregations have taken proactive steps to prevent abuse and to care for survivors through initiatives like the Caring Well Challenge that taking a day to recognize and participate in this vital work only furthers the culture of care our churches are already establishing,” he said.

“Caring well” became an umbrella term for a multi-faceted endeavor to respond properly to reports of abuse among Southern Baptist churches and entities. Then-SBC President J.D. Greear inaugurated a response to increasing reports of sexual abuse by establishing the Sexual Abuse Advisory Group after his election in 2018.

The ERLC and the advisory group collaborated in multiple ways on the initiative, including development of the Caring Well Challenge, a year-long, eight-step effort to assist churches in being safe for survivors and in preventing abuse. They also produced various resources, such as a comprehensive training curriculum for churches. In October 2019, they cohosted a national conference known as “Caring Well: Equipping the Church to Confront the Abuse Crisis.”

California Legalizes Human Composting Bill Against Opposition by Catholic Bishops

By

Alejandra Molina

-

September 21, 2022

(RNS) — The process of converting bodies into soil is now legal in California after Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday (Sept. 18) signed a bill that will allow human composting in the Golden State.

Burial, cremation and alkaline hydrolysis have been the only death care choices available in California. Beginning in 2027, human composting, or natural organic reduction, will be another option for “individuals who want a different method to honor their remains after death.”

The process for composting a body was introduced by the Seattle-based company Recompose, which is now open for business after the state of Washington legalized the process in 2019. Colorado was the second state to legalize it, followed by Oregon and Vermont. It’s seen as a more sustainable alternative to cremation, which requires fossil fuels and releases carbon dioxide.

In the human composting method, a body is placed in a reusable vessel, covered with wood chips and aerated, which creates an environment for microbes and essential bacteria. The body, over a span of about 30 days, is fully transformed into soil.

In California, where the massive number of COVID-19 deaths inundated funeral homes and even led to Los Angeles County’s suspension of air quality regulations on cremation, State Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, a Democrat who introduced the legislation, said this was another “sad reminder” of the need to offer a “more environmentally friendly option.”

Garcia has sought to pass this bill for the last three years. “I look forward to continuing my legacy to fight for clean air by using my reduced remains to plant a tree,” Garcia said in a statement after the governor’s signature.

An example vessel that is used in the Natural Organic Reduction process created by Recompose, which converts human bodies into soil. Photo by Sabel Roizen, courtesy of Recompose

An example vessel that is used in the natural organic reduction process, which converts human bodies into soil, created by Recompose. Photo by Sabel Roizen, courtesy of Recompose

Catholic bishops have opposed this process in states where human composting has been legalized.

Kathleen Domingo, executive director for the California Catholic Conference, said the process “reduces the human body to simply a disposable commodity.” The California Catholic Conference in June submitted a letter of opposition in reaction to the bill.

In the letter, Domingo likened natural organic reduction to methods of disposal of livestock, “not as a means of human burial.” Using this method, Domingo said, “can create an unfortunate spiritual, emotional and psychological distancing from the deceased.”

In New York, where a similar bill awaits the governor’s signature, the New York State Catholic Conference in a statement said composting human remains is inappropriate.

“While not everyone shares the same beliefs with regard to the reverent and respectful treatment of human remains, we believe there are a great many New Yorkers who would be uncomfortable at best with this proposed composting/fertilizing method, which is more appropriate for vegetable trimmings and eggshells than for human bodies,” it said.

Death care specialists say this new and environmentally friendly procedure is crucial as cemeteries fill up and people seek more sustainable practices.

Under the California bill, the soil created by the human composting method could be used on private land with permission and would be subject to the same restrictions as scattering cremated remains in the state, according to the Los Angeles Times. It also prohibits human remains from being “commingled with those of another person,” unless they are family.

This article originally appeared here.

Is Pope Francis’ Diplomacy of Dialogue Failing?

By

Claire Giangrave

-

September 21, 2022

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Francis returned from his brief trip to Kazakhstan, a country nestled between Russia and China, having failed to sit down with his Russian counterpart Patriarch Kirill or the delegation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

With the pope surrounded by empty seats in Kazakhstan, critics questioned the efficacy of his diplomacy of encounter and his strategy of silence when it comes to outright condemning human rights violations in China, Russia and Nicaragua. But Vatican diplomacy insiders urge patience, arguing that even as the pope remains silent, the institution’s diplomatic corps is hard at work behind the scenes, advancing the cause for dialogue.

Soon after being elected, in 2013, Pope Francis scored a major win for Vatican diplomacy efforts. As the United States and its allies prepared for an offensive against the regime of Bashar Assad in Syria, the pope beseeched all parties involved — including Russia — to stop the conflict. According to the memoirs of the then-foreign minister of Australia, Bob Carr, the tensions were diffused as Russian President Vladimir Putin urged U.N. member states to “listen to the pope.”

Three years later, Francis sat down with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in the airport of Havana for a meeting that seemed to pave the way for the pope to be the first Catholic leader to visit Moscow. Vatican observers marveled at the peacemaking prowess of the pope from the Global South. But today, as Ukraine enters its seventh month of war with Russia, Francis seems to have lost his touch.

The pandemic forced a meeting between Francis and Kirill to be rescheduled, and the two met instead in an online conference in May where the pope warned the patriarch not to become “Putin’s altar boy.” But even as Pope Francis refused to openly condemn Putin and Russia for the war in Ukraine, relations with the Kremlin and the Orthodox Church chilled.

Victor Gaetan, author of “God’s Diplomats: Pope Francis, Vatican Diplomacy, and America’s Armageddon,” thinks that’s only half the story.

“The Holy See is the only Western institution that has an ongoing dialogue with the Russian state and the Russian Orthodox Church,” Gaetan said, speaking to Religion News Service on Tuesday (Sept. 20).

“It was actually the Western states, and especially the United States, that have failed in the path of dialogue with Russia and its state religion,” Gaetan said.

Gaetan said that Metropolitan Anthony, chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church’s foreign relations department, has kept a steady relationship with the Vatican and even met with Pope Francis in May to tell him that while Kirill wouldn’t be going to Kazakhstan there would be a Russian Orthodox delegation in his stead.

While “any leader could be accused of not having done enough,” Pope Francis could have probably been more outspoken at the international level, said Mario Aguilar, professor of religion and politics at St. Andrews Divinity School.

Aguilar, author of “Pope Francis: Journeys of a Peacemaker” and a political adviser for the Vatican, told RNS that the Vatican “is a finite institution” and its foreign policy is no stranger to failure. “I have seen Pope Francis say many times: ‘Let’s pray and let’s try again.’ But he’s not bothered by failure,” he said.

Francis’ struggle to gain traction on the path toward dialogue was also evident when Xi, the Chinese president, reportedly refused to meet him while they were both in Kazakhstan. “I didn’t see him,” Francis said, vaguely answering questions by journalists while on the flight returning from Kazakhstan on Thursday.

Homeland Security Appoints a New 25-Member Security Faith Advisory Council

By

Yonat Shimron

-

September 21, 2022

(RNS) — The Department of Homeland Security has announced the appointment of a new, 25-member faith-based advisory council to assist Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in finding ways to protect houses of worship.

The council consists of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh clergy plus some law enforcement and nonprofit faith group leaders.

The safety of religious congregations has been a growing concern for a decade — since the shooting at the Oak Creek, Wisconsin, Sikh temple in 2012. It was followed by the massacre at Emanuel AME in Charleston, South Carolina, a mostly Black congregation, in 2015; the killing of nearly two dozen worshipers at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas; the killing of 11 Jews at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018.

And those are only the most notable mass killings. Other acts of violence, include the 2017 and 2019 firebombings of mosques in Victoria, Texas and Escondido, California.

The council is expected to help the department evaluate the effectiveness of existing security-related programs and improve coordination and sharing of threat and security-related information.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, has a Nonprofit Security Grant Program that provides federal funds for nonprofits and houses of worship to beef up security on their premises.

Funding for the program was increased to $250 million in 2022, up from $180 million in 2021. But not all houses of worship that apply get the grant. This year, just over half of the 3,470 applications received were approved, the Jewish Insider reported. Several religious groups are advocating for $360 million in funding in 2023.

The advisory council’s mission will be broader than advocating for more money through the grant program, said Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, who was appointed to the council.

“I don’t think we’re going to pay our way out of the crisis of white supremacy and violent antisemitism and too many guns in too many hands,” he said. “This is not just about more security cameras. We have to get to the root of these questions.”

Sunday night marks the start of the Jewish High Holy Days, beginning with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. The holidays draw the highest attendance at synagogues across the country. While services in the last two years saw lower attendance because of the coronavirus pandemic, Jewish leaders are expecting a return to record attendance this year. With that comes a degree of anxiety about security.

“There’s a sense of both joy and return and renewal and fear,” Pesner said.

Shortly after 5 p.m., local time, authorities escort a hostage out of the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. Police said the man was not hurt and would be reunited with his family. (Elias Valverde/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

Shortly after 5 p.m. local time, authorities escort a hostage out of the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, Jan. 15, 2022. (Elias Valverde/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

Earlier this year a gunman entered a Colleyville, Texas, synagogue and took several congregants hostage as he demanded the release of a person in prison. The congregants and their rabbi managed to escape and the gunman was killed by an FBI hostage rescue team.

The Risks of Venting and 4 Tips To Safely Vent at Small Group

By

Chet Gladkowski

-

September 21, 2022

This side of eternity, people are going to vent. I know that’s so shocking to you, but it’s true. Think about the past few years with the pandemic, governmental and organizational failures, and fallen leaders. The cost of everything keeps going up while the availability of just about everything continues to remain tight. And the natural thing we humans do is to default by grumbling. Venting. Complaining. But what are the risks of venting?

The Risks of Venting

Sometimes, it feels like you just have to let it out or you’re going to pop. But do you really need to vent about your unbearable boss who you meet at the end of your morning’s grueling commute? There’s a mountain of stuff more important to grumble about these days.

But the risks venting are real. If you unburden yourself with the wrong person, you’ll never be able to take those words back. People who complain too much get tagged as negative, a complainer, or someone who never sees the good.

Ethan Kross, author of the book Chatter says it all. “We want to connect with other people who can help validate what we’re going through, and venting really does a pretty good job at fulfilling that need. It feels good to know there’s someone there to rely on who cares enough to take time to listen.”

But both the Bible and data suggest that there is venting, and then there is venting. Sometimes we get stuck in the “feel good” mode of venting. If all we do is vent, we never move to the place where we address both the external and internal problems.

4 Tips To Safely Vent at Small Group

So, how do we promote healthy venting? Also, how do we nip unhealthy venting in the bud? Here are four tips to use.

Venting Carefully. Just because you see a road doesn’t make it a great way to go, especially if there’s a “Do Not Enter” sign. Just because someone feels like venting doesn’t automatically make it right, or give them the go-ahead. It must be approached with wisdom and discretion, two attributes missing in lots of people that feel they have the spiritual gift of venting.

But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. Matthew 12:36 NIV

Venting Constructively. Like a piston that pushes out exhaust, it then immediately pulls in fresh air and fuel, so it is with venting. While there is an initial emotional “release” with venting, it’s never to end there. It must lead to building up and correction. Venting for venting’s sake is never constructive or a solution to anything except more hurt and pain.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29 NIV

Venting Peacefully. When we start venting, it’s so easy to fall into our long-practiced habit of uncontrolled anger. When we vent because we’ve been hurt, our rights have been violated, or because our expectations were not met, then we’re trading on ground that God claims responsibility for. So, we must tread carefully, with a goal of restoration, making peace.

100 Tips for Leaders That Everyone in Ministry Should Know

By

Joe McKeever

-

September 21, 2022

1. In all the world, there are only three Christians who love change; none of them are in your church.

2. When you speak before an unfamiliar group, be careful what you say because you never know who is listening to you. You’ll start to tell a story about some guy in your former church and his mama is sitting right in front of you.

3. There will never be a time in your life when you know all the Bible and have your questions all answered; if you cannot serve Him with some gaps in your knowledge and preach without knowing everything, you’re going to have a hard time.

4. Your church members should submit to your leadership, but you’re not the one to tell them that.

5. The best way to get people to submit to your leadership is for you to humble yourself and serve them the way the Lord did the disciples (John 13); they will trust someone who loves them that much.

6. The best way to get run off from a church is to take your eyes off Jesus and begin to think of yourself as hot stuff who is worthy of acclaim; from that moment on, your days are numbered.

7. In worship services, try not to talk so much, pushing events and meetings, that you are worn out by the time you open the Word and begin to preach.

8. Only a pastor with a suicide wish will tell a story about his wife and children in a sermon without their complete and enthusiastic approval. Even if they give it, you should go over it with them ahead of time to make sure they’re OK.

9. Some of your biggest headaches will come from adlibbing in your sermons, saying things “off the cuff” which you just thought of. Try not to do that until you have fully mastered your tongue.

10. If the Lord is ever to use you mightily in His service, He will first have to break you. (Usually, this involves some failure on your part which comes to light and embarrasses you.) This will be humiliating to you and so painful you wonder if you can go back into the pulpit. However, you will survive and forevermore be thankful for what this taught you.

Are You Pastoring in the Death Zone?

By

David Manner

-

September 21, 2022

Death Zone is a mountaineering reference to the altitude above a certain point where the oxygen level is no longer high enough to sustain human life. It has been generally recognized as any altitude above 8,000 meters or 26,000 feet. Spending time in an oxygen-deprived atmosphere can cause climbers to make irrational decisions due to the deterioration of their physical and mental capacities. An extended stay in the death zone without the proper safeguards will ultimately lead to a loss of consciousness and death.

Pastoring in the death zone means attempting to sustain an elevated level or pace that has the potential to jeopardize your family, your ministry, and your health. How can you expect to lead others to a place you no longer have the spiritual, emotional, or physical resolve to go yourself?

Recognizing and acknowledging the following warning signs can help establish safeguards before you no longer have the capacity to replenish your reserves. Pastoring in the death zone may be a slow death, but it’s still terminal.

How to Know if You’re Pastoring in the Death Zone

1. You’re Trying to Do It Alone

You probably have enough talent to succeed alone for a time. But there will come a time when the risks of trying to succeed alone will cause you to fail…also alone.

2. You’ve Stopped Taking Care of Yourself

To sustain effective pastoral leadership, you must learn to take care of yourself spiritually, emotionally, and physically. If you aren’t doing it for yourself, no one else will.

3. You’ve Started Ignoring Your Family

Loving your family means spending time with them. Don’t ignore family in the name of ministry since taking care of your family is ministry. You’ll never recover those missed opportunities with your spouse and children.

4. You Aren’t Setting Appropriate Boundaries

Boundaries are those spiritual, familial, professional, emotional, physical, mental, ethical, and relational counter measures or limits. They are precautionary gauges put in place to ward off impending dangers before they occur. Boundaries give you permission to say no.

5. You’ve Stopped Learning Anything New

Pastors that ignore steps to recalibrate in order to actively increase their spiritual, physical, and professional shelf life often find themselves only prepared to lead a church or ministry that no longer exists. What you once learned is not nearly enough to sustain you for future ministry.

This article on pastoring in the death zone orignally appeared here, and is used by permission.

TikTok Suspends Controversial Pastor Mark Driscoll for Saying ‘Men Can’t Have Babies’

By

Jesse T. Jackson

-

September 20, 2022

Mark Driscoll, founding and senior pastor of Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, has dealt with controversy surrounding his ministry since planting Mars Hill Church in 1996 and then Trinity Church in 2016.

Driscoll, who has been accused of bullying staff members, elders, church leaders, and congregants throughout his years of ministry, has never hesitated to tell it as he sees it—even sometimes screaming it in his sermons.

This time, the world of social media took issue with Driscoll. TikTok temporarily banned him from posting on their platform for, according to him, arguing that men cannot bear children. The video appears to have been removed from the platform.

“What happens on TikTok when you say that men can’t have babies,” Driscoll tweeted alongside an image of his TikTok account status, which indicated that he had been temporarily prevented from posting due to “multiple violations” of TikTok’s community guidelines.

Driscoll followed up his comments with the Apostle Paul’s words from Romans 1:18: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

TikTok warned the pastor that if he receives another violation, it could result in his account being restricted to view-only mode.

“Resistance often means you’re on to something,” Driscoll wrote in reply to a follower’s comment.

The Arizona pastor leads Trinity Church’s “Real Men” group, which meets for two hours every Wednesday. According to the church’s website, the group consists of men from the church who “come together to build each other up to be more like the true real man, Jesus Christ.”

In one of Driscoll’s latest Instagram posts, he shared that the group is starting a 9-week series titled “Real Men: ACT LIKE A MAN.”

“In a world void of strong men and fathers, we want to build you up to bless women and children, and transform legacies for generations to come,” the description reads.

“At ‘Real Men: ACT LIKE A MAN’, I will take you through exactly what the namesake says; how to act like a man,” Driscoll explains.

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2. The Internet is a big world of people your child knows who can step into your home without your invitation.

3. The Internet encourages kids to brand themselves.

4. The Internet is where porn lives.

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