WiFi Woes

I had planned to blog live from the Indiana Baptist State Convention, but the wifi that was promised in the hotel was not working. However, over the next couple of days I will be posting updates on the Pastor's Conference and the State Convention. Check back soon for these updates.

Common Sense Media

As some of you might know I am always looking for new websites to check media content. I believe Christians should experience secular media (Movies, Music, TV, Video Games, Books, etc.). But we must check to content of the media first. I have found a really good website: Common Sense Media. This website is not a Christian website, but does offer some very good articles on most popular media. Check it out and give me names of other sites that rate media. I have compiled a list over at our student website, Clinestudents.org.

Indiana Pastor's Conference and State Convention

Next week is the Indiana Pastor's Conference and State Convention at the Horizon Convention Center in Muncie, IN. I will be there with my computer and as unexciting as it might sound, I will be blogging. This may not draw as much attention as the national convention, but each state convention is very important.

I am most excited about the Pastor's Conference. Alan Scott, the Senior Pastor at my church is the president this year. Basically that means he plans the whole things. The theme that he has picked is "Word of God Speak", more specifically what does God's Word has to say today in the areas of family, church, and culture. He has secured three very good, well known speakers.

Word of God Speak
Family:
Dr. Jimmy Scroggins
Dr. Scroggins is the Dean of Boyce College and Minister to Students are Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, KY

Church:
Dr. Hershael York
Dr. York is President of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, Senior Pastor of Buckrun Baptist Church in Frankfort, KY, and Preaching Professor at Southern Seminary

Culture:
Dr. Ergun Caner
Dr. Caner is an renowned author and speaker. He is also the Dean of Liberty Seminary in Lynchburg, VA.

So, if you are in the Muncie area and want to hear some really great preaching then come by the Horizon Convention Center either Sunday night or Monday morning. Also, check out my blog next week for updates. This convention should be the best in years.

Porn Industry: Behind the Scenes

As you probably know I am a huge fan of XXX Church's ministry. Craig and Mike are two guys that are waging a war on porn in an unconventional way. They are not only helping people kick the porn habit, but also reaching out to people in the pornography industry. They have a website www.xxxchurch.com, a blog, a national porn awareness day, and many other things going on, but one of their most excited new endeavors in their new internet radio show.

Because of their ministry they have been able to make friends with people in the porn industry (gasp) and they talk to them on their radio show. It is like a behind the scenes tour into the lives of these people. They talk to a famous pornographer Jimmy D who shares that he will not let his son, who I think is 9 or 10, on the computer alone. They also talk with Moonshine, who is a retired porn star that made a documentary to expose how some porn makers trick girls into doing hardcore and even sick and twisted porn. That's right, there are people in the porn industry with morals.

Christians, do you see what is happening here? People in the porn industry are trying to protect young people from porn. What are our churches doing? Nothing, most are silent on the issue. It is like the big elephant in the room that no one is talking about. Many people, including a rising number of women, struggle with porn. And if the statistics are correct many ministers struggle with porn. However, Christians are silent. We need to be leading the charge: reaching out to these people in the porn industry, put the problem on the table for discussion, and help other people kick this habit.

Check out Craig and Mike's radio show and website. Be prepared for a shock, they are extreme to most Christians, but maybe it is time for an extreme minstry against an extreme industry.

Porn Statistics
More Stats including one on Pastors

Smitty Weighs In

For more on the Freedom In Christ issue, check out Smitty City. He is a good friend of mine from Lexington, KY. This is a really good post on the issue.

Freedom in Christ

Since, I have now been called a legalist, (however if you lived in northwest Indiana with the Independent Baptist Churches I believe your idea of legalism would change), un-scholarly, and all around bad guy. I figure we need to explore the issue of freedom in Christ. What does in mean to have freedom in Christ?

I have seen many people enjoy areas, not just alcohol, in the name of freedom in Christ. I have seen seminary students listen to music and watch all kinds of movies that they should not because of freedom in Christ. They feel that they are mature enough to enjoy these things and not be effected by them.

Just a note to all of you that call me a legalist. Let's take music for example, I am not against secular music at all. I have stood up against people that say only Christian music should be played all the time. I say that we need to look at the media and judge it based on content. If an band has content that is bad (i.e. obscene language, racial slurs, sexual imagery, etc.) then it should not be listened to by a Christian. The same goes for movies, TV, video games, etc.

At this point you might be asking yourself what does this have to do with alcohol. Well, this all falls into what Dr. Daniel Akin calls the gray areas of life. These are the areas in life that are ambiguous in the Bible. For instance the Bible never says that we shouldn' drink or the bible doesn't say anything about music. So how do we handle these areas? In a theology class that Dr. Akin taught at Southern Seminary, he address these gray areas.

The Gray Areas of Life
1 Corinthians 6:12-11:1

1. Will this action edify self? 6:12
2. Will this action enslave my soul? 6:12
3. Will this action exalt the Savior? 6:13; 10:31
4. Will this action encourage other saints? 8:13
5. Will this action evangelize sinners? 10:32, 33
6. Will this action emulate my Savior? 11:1

If any thing that I wish to partake in is on the fence, I use this criteria to judge my actions. As I look at the issue of freedom in Christ, I understand that we can do many things, but not everything is beneficial to our Christian walk. This is the very issue that Paul is addressing when he writes 1 Cor. 6:23-24,

"Everything is permissible" but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible" but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others."

We as Christians should be looking at these gray areas of life and judge them by the principles in 1 Corinthians. We should not be looking to see how much we can dance around sin and still not sin, but be looking for ways to be closer to God. We must be asking how can we glorify God and reach people for Christ.

Please understand my heart, it is not to lay down rules for Christians. My heart is to see Christians be a godly example to all people. We need to reach people with the gospel using God's Word and our lifestyles.

Worst American Idol Perfomance Ever!

Even if your not a fan of the show you have to appreciate how terrible this guy is. He is wearing a T-shirt from Random Shirts. Did he try to get on the show just for publicity? Whatever the reason he is terrible.

Worst Idol Performance Ever