Porn In The USA

Porn now affects virtually everyone’s relationships, even if neither partner actively spends time with it. How so? .  .  .   If a critical mass of emerging adult men consume porn regularly—by most estimates we’re there now—it cannot but shape (sexual practices and relationships).  .  .  .  This is new, too. Online porn is a uniquely modern problem in that it—like hooking up—thrives in part because of its speed and because it encourages men (and some women) to compartmentalize sex as a consumer product to be regularly and briefly consumed. Unlike relationships, it doesn’t require work. And our lives, after all, are very busy. Sex has to fit in somehow (since sex is also increasingly considered a need rather than a desire). Thus porn is increasingly fitting into modern relationships—including marriages.
From Premarital Sex in America: How Young Americans Meet, Mate, and Think about Marrying by Mark Regnerus and Jeremy Uecker.  Oxford University Press, 2011.  Click Here For Amazon.com link

Mark Regnerus is a sociology professor at the University of Texas.  He is just one of a number of social researchers who have begun to identify and measure the sudden and extraordinary impact of pornography on life in the United States.

There is a “New Porn” that has come into existence and influence as a result of high-speed internet connections.  And it is not the Playboy of my own college days "on steroids."  This "New Porn" is as different from that as a nuclear bomb is from a firecracker.  Think computers, iPads and smart phones at work, coffee shop and home.  Think about measurable, enduring changes to brain chemistry and connections.  As I reviewed the research – I was a sociology major in college, so I have some training in this. – I found that those studies that had the best research base were turning up the most frightening impacts.  This is never a good sign.  And the best research is all within the past five years.  This is new.  It is big.  It is pervasive.  It is different.  And it is destructive.

They Changed Their Minds, Why Don’t We?

We are now living with the consequences of two significant societal changes that have occurred in my life time: no-fault divorce and abortion-on-demand.  Perhaps you were unaware that two people who fought hard for each of these changes have lived to see the consequences of each and were then honest enough to change their minds.  Our nation should understand why they changed and then join them.

What Do You Mean By "Missional Church?"

The Kermit Gosnell Trial

While I am more than sympathetic to the feeling of burnout from bad news, I think it is important for every American to be aware of a trial currently in process in Philadelphia.  Kermit Gosnell ran an abortion clinic in an impoverished neighborhood of that city for years, until an investigation regarding drug sales turned up a virtual shop of horrors – and prosecutable evidence of eight deaths: one adult and seven different children that were born alive from a botched abortion procedure and then killed on the table.  Gosnell is only being tried in those live abortion deaths because of evidence and records.  Testimony speaks of this as a common practice done “hundreds” of times.

There are two stories here.  One is the man and his crimes.  The second is the virtual blackout by mainstream media.  No links here to NBC, CBS, ABC, NY Times, Washington Post or the like.  Both stories point to evil of dramatic proportions.

Here are links to a number of sources for your own consideration:

Rest In Peace Ragamuffin

I was saddened by the news of Brennan Manning's death this past Friday. He taught me much about the Gospel of Grace through his book Ragamuffin Gospel.  I'm glad to honor his memory by sharing this passage, also referred to in Tullian Tchividjian's wonderful memorial.

Put bluntly, the American church today accepts grace in theory but denies it in practice. We say we believe that the fundamental structure of reality is grace, not works–but our lives refute our faith. By and large, the gospel of grace is neither proclaimed, understood, nor lived. Too many Christians are living in a house of fear and not in the house of love.

Goespel-Centered Resources For Thinking About Same-Sex Marriage

For all the coverage and conversation about the issue of same-sex marriage, there seems to be very little that I would consider Gospel-centered in a way that is consistent with my understanding of the Gospel of Grace.  I'm happy to pass on these resources that I've found helpful.

Let’s Be Honest, Please! You Meant “Marriage Redefinition” When You Said “Marriage Equality” But Didn’t Have What It Takes To Say What You Mean!

My wife is a great cook, but my son and I still remember the day she tried to slip one by us.  “Enjoy the mashed potatoes!” she said.  They looked a little watery, but who’s to complain we thought.  On bite and there was no hiding it though.  What can you say about cauliflower “disguised” and passed off as mashed potatoes.  Sure, it was an experiment, and she wanted to help us eat more vegetables, and cauliflower is good for you and on and on and on.  It didn’t work.

Her “cauliflower mashed potatoes” came to mind listening to all the people “evolve” and now support “marriage equality.”  Give me a break.  Cauliflower mashed potatoes are not about “vegetable equality.”  They’re about redefining food and trying to slip one by unnoticed, just like “marriage equality” is really no more than “redefining marriage” without owning up to it.