Culture Archives - Page 7 of 11

Porn, Your Marriage, and Our Lackluster Sex Lives

Today I’m writing over at the Good Women Project on Porn, Your Marriage, and Our Lackluster Sex Lives. Here’s how I begin:

They want you to believe that pornography isn’t harmful, and safe even. They want you to believe that it is somehow vastly different from actual physical adultery. They want you to believe that pornography in no way effects your sex life, except that it enhances it and makes it “sexier.” They want you to believe that porn can actually jump start a dull sex life and bring about renewed sexual desire in a marriage. They want you to believe that a husband or a wife viewing pornography will look at their spouse exactly the same way even after staring at strangers’ naked bodies. They want you to believe because they know good and well that it is all a lie, but the more of it you fall for, the better.

Read the rest…

DON’T Be Yourself

A lot of people seem to think that who you are is more important than what you do. “Just be yourself” has become a slogan in the self-esteem movement.

Being yourself is touted as some kind of aspiration worth achieving–a sort of goal that, once fulfilled, equates to happiness and wholeness.(Doesn’t Oprah tell people to “be themselves” along with telling them they are their own gods?)

When life throws you trouble, people tell you to be yourself. When conflict arises, people tell you to be yourself. When you question your purpose in life, we often remind ourselves to, well, just be ourselves.

But what if being yourself is what got you into trouble in the first place? What if being yourself ain’t so great? I propose that you actually shouldn’t be yourself.

Continue reading DON’T Be Yourself

Your Kid is Gifted…Who Cares?

I know I might step on some toes with this one and I (truly) apologize in advance. I’m really not trying to be divisive or mean. I hope you’ll be understanding.

I’m not sure when this trend began–somewhere in the eighties, I’m sure, alongside the self-esteem movement. Parents were suddenly thrust into a world of comparison and competition. Oh, well, my kid did this and my kid did that. Out of this movement grew the increased pressure for children to perform.

Labels were slapped around liberally. Excelling. Talented. Superior. And my least favorite…

Gifted.

I am tired of hearing about kids who are “gifted.” There, I said it. If your kids are gifted, please, don’t hate me. Let me explain… Continue reading Your Kid is Gifted…Who Cares?

Top 10 Christian Films of All-Time (According to Me)

Last week, I asked the question: Why Do Christian Movies Suck? Many of you responded in both agreement, and in defense, of Christian films. I decided I would add to the discussion and compose a list of the Top 10 Christian Films. Turns out, this list was harder to compile than I originally assumed.

To be fair, this list is based on criteria of what I consider to be a great Christian film. Here they are:

* The film must be Christian in tone, although it does not have to be overtly “Christian.” It can simply imply Christin themes, as long as the message being shared lines up with scripture and/or Jesus Himself.
* The film should be of great production quality, including cinematography, set design, producing, editing., and of course, acting.
* The film should be timeless and enjoyable, both now and for future generations
* The film should be somewhat realistic in the story it is telling, choosing to steer away from Christian stereotypes and cliches.

Without further ado, here are my picks for the Top 10 Christian Films of All-Time (In no particular order…well sorta). Continue reading Top 10 Christian Films of All-Time (According to Me)

The Twitter Gospel

In our high-tech, digital, on-line worlds we have begun to abbreviate everything. Our relationships are virtual. Our messages are edited. Our off line life rivals our on-line persona.

The generations coming up are completely enveloped in their on-line and technologically created worlds. A text message is the new 5-page letter. A “like” is the new customer review. A tweet is the new word of mouth endorsement.

And where does the Gospel fit into all of this? Have we begun to shorten the message of the risen King in order to cram it into 140 characters? Do we need to? Continue reading The Twitter Gospel

Why are Christian Movies so Bad?

My husband is a movie junkie and a film geek. By osmosis, I too ,have become somewhat of a movie nerd (although not quite a geek…yet). Jonathan and I often sit and discuss the films we love. We talk cinematography, direction, screenplay, and of course, acting.

We see all kinds of movies, from comedies, to dramas, independent films, to cult classics. But one type of film we avoid at all costs is the dreaded Christian film. [twilight zone music here…followed by a woman’s scream]

Lets face it, Christian movies suck. Continue reading Why are Christian Movies so Bad?

7 Things the Church Should Change

Today’s guest post is from Antwuan Malone, a truth-speaking, word-slinging writer and blogger. Antwuan has appeared on Modern Reject before (and rocked it, I might add) and I am excited to have him back. I hope you enjoy this post as much as me.

I received a rant from a fellow writer and friend of mine, about some of the more frustrating things going on in the church community. It was so great a list, it inspired me to create my own. So here it is. At the end, I hope you comment with some of your own suggestions too.

I don’t want this post to become a mindless bashing of Church culture. That’s not the point at all. The things on the list are things we feel stand in the way of true Christian community as God intends. In essence, it’s an iron sharpens iron kind of thing, not a “let’s look at all the things wrong and make fun of them” thing. In fact, you should be on the lookout for the next Seven Things post, “Things I Hope Never Change About the Church.” coming very soon (you can comment on that as well if you’d like to get a jump start.)

Disclaimer aside, let us begin!

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My Own List of 7 Things the Church Should Change! Here we go… Continue reading 7 Things the Church Should Change

Is Online "Church" Really Church?

from the archives

The gathering of believers via the Internet is not a new phenomena. In fact, it is a growing one. More and more churches are offering online “church services.”

Can’t make it this Sunday? Traveling? Sick? Well, then maybe online church is just what you need. There is, however, the growing number of individuals who only experience church through a computer screen. They do not simply use online church services as a supplement, but rather the sole source of their church life.

As our culture shifts towards more dependency upon technology and as the Internet begins to infiltrate our daily lives at an ever increasing rate, is online church for the masses inevitable? More than that, is online church what God has in mind? Is it really “church”? Continue reading Is Online "Church" Really Church?

Top 5 Lies Christians Believe

The apostle Paul wrote:

“For the time is coming when people will not endure soundteaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4

We are all susceptible to believing lies at any given time. The world is magical at presenting it’s counterfeit products as the genuine article. One would assume that because Christians are followers of the Truth, that we would be less susceptible to such lies.

The real truth however, is that Christians believe many lies. We sometimes don’t even realize that they are lies because they are wrapped up so nicely with what appears to be a “Bible bow”.

There are hundreds of lies Christians believe, either collectively or individually. I chose these 5 lies because I have personally seen them infiltrate the Church, the lives of my friends and family and my own life. Here are the Top 5 Lies Christians Believe (according to me): Continue reading Top 5 Lies Christians Believe

What is the Purpose of the Church? Part 2

Yesterday I posed the question: What is the purpose of church? It seems, at least based upon the comments left, that many of us agree on the answer to this question.

Yet, as I set out to write this post, I did a little research to see how others answered this question. There are wildly varying answers, to be sure. After a quick Google search, I found thousands of articles and blog posts asking this very same question, each with a different answer.

Some say that the purpose of the church is to evangelize. Others say that the Great Comission sums up the Church’s purpose. Even C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity says “the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs.”

But dare I say that I disagree with C.S. Lewis…because I do. I don’t disagree entirely, but I think the sole purpose of the Church is something different… Continue reading What is the Purpose of the Church? Part 2