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Please don’t declare me a witch yet for the title of this post. Earlier today I came across an article from the New York Daily News that features a professor with a view that endorses the title of this post. Below are excerpts from the article. Feel free to dissect it, tear it apart, praise it, comment on it, or do whatever you want. It definitely makes for an “interesting” read:

Is sexting the new spin-the-bottle?

At a conference this week, an associate professor at York University in Toronto defended sexting (where teens exchange nude and seminude photos of themselves over their cell phones) as a modern day “playing doctor or spin the bottle,” according to an AFP article.

The professor,Peter Cumming, presented a paper on children’s sexuality at the 78th Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, reported the AFP. At the conference, held at Ottawa’s Carleton University for about 8,000 researchers from around the globe, attendees heard that youths who sexted should not face child pornography charges, according to the AFP.

In the United States, some teens have faced such charges. In one case, according to the AFP article, a Floridaboy was charged after he sent a photo…to a female classmate. Another teen, after e-mailing nude photos of his 16-year-old girlfriend to her family, was listed as a sex offender.

Whether or not sexting should warrant criminal charges will remain a hot button issue, says author and Hollywood media expert Michael Levine.

“We are in unprecedented water,” he says. “We don’t know what the consequences of this will be in 10 years, but we do now that it is much more widespread than people think.”

Levine says that sexting is “extremely widespread and common. If you ask a kid what percentage of her top ten friends sex-texts, they’ll say 100 percent,” he says.
 
Teens are using technology like cell phones to push the boundaries of flirtation, says Dr. Kathleen Bogle, sociology professor and author of “Hooking Up: Sex, Dating, and Relationships on Campus” (New York UniversityPress).

“To teens, sexting is not some sort of pornographic exchange, but a way to communicate sexual and/or romantic interest in one of their peers,” Bogle says. “Much like spin the bottle games utilized by a previous generation, sexting is something that teens do away from the supervision of adults. However, they believe it is a normal right of passage.”

Some 20 percent of American teenagers said they had participated in sexting, according to a survey by a US family planning organization reported by the AFP.

Bogle says that sexting does not necessarily make kids more promiscuous.

“One mistake adults make is that they assume one means the other,” she says. “Even though sexting is going on, it does not necessarily follow that promiscuity is on the rise.”

If you’ve watched any of the NBA playoffs, you’ve probably seen the Nike commercials featuring the puppet-likes of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James (see above). If you ask me, the commercials feature the worst impressions I’ve ever heard. Nonetheless, Kobe and LeBron are the 2 shining stars in the NBA. Since this question may be irrelevant tomorrow, I’ll ask it today…

If you were starting an NBA franchise, which player would you prefer to have on your team? Kobe Bryant or LeBron James?…or maybe even Dwight Howard?

This morning when I opened Facebook, I had an interesting message from one of my friends. Here’s a sample of what he said (he gave me permission to use this):

David, you are my conduit into the social network world. What do you/your friends do about “messaging” or talking with married women? Women who were friends but are no longer as close. I…include them on “group” messages but never make it seem special. Hmmm. . .those are my thoughts. I bet TONS OF GUYS flirt with married women on here. And some of these women have some crazy pictures!…thanks for being my conduit.

That seems to be a topic that we don’t talk about too often. Our parents never told us “Don’t talk with someone who is married of the opposite sex on Facebook” because that wasn’t an issue 10 years ago. That wasn’t an issue 5 years. In many ways, that has only become an issue in the last year.

Where do we draw the line when communicating with a married individual of the opposite sex through social networking? Should it be off limits completely? Should it be for professional/work-related use only? Is it completely harmless?

Is there a clear line, and how do we know if we have crossed it?

Congratulations to Kris Allen for winning American Idol last night in a upset of gigantic proportions! In a competition filled with egos, prima-donnas, and karaoke singers, the 23-year-old worship leader from Conway, Arkansas emerged as a humble, down-to-earth underdog who won the hearts of America. Whether you love American Idol or hate it, I hope everyone can appreciate the talent and heart of Kris Allen. 

Watch the video above to hear Kris’ performance (and beautiful arrangement) of “Ain’t No Sunshine” which helped pave the way to victory.

Today is May 19. It’s not a holiday (that I know of) or any other special day, but on this date in 1992 a significant speech was made that signals just how far our society has come since that time.

From 1988-1998, Murphy Brown was a successful sit-com on CBS. It featured Candice Bergen and chronicled her story as an investigative reporter and news anchor. In the 1991-1992 season, the show decided to take a chance by disrupting the idea of the traditional American family. The story line focused on Brown becoming pregnant, but deciding not to marry the father. Instead, she chose to have the child out of wedlock. In addition, the show decided to remove the influence of the father from the story line, leaving only Murphy Brown to raise the child.

You might be thinking, “So what? Big deal! That happens everyday! I can see that on TV all the time.” Yes, it does happen everyday and you can see that on TV all the time, but in 1992, the idea of a woman having a child out of wedlock was foreign and looked down upon.

On May 19, 1992, former Vice President Dan Quayle made his famous speech regarding the story line of the TV show. Quayle criticized the show for ignoring the importance of the father in the home and birthing a child alone. This speech sparked a major discussion in American about traditional family values. In 2002, Candice Bergen even admitted to the Associated Press that she agreed with much of Quayle’s speech. She called it “a perfectly intelligent speech about fathers not being dispensable” and added that “nobody agreed with that more than I did.”

The main focus of this issue is not necessarily about the story line for the show or Quayle’s speech. Rather, it is a deep look into what our society and our media has become. In 1992 it was taboo for TV show to portray a single mother having a baby. Today, we don’t even think about that. While it is the norm, and TV often reflects the norm of society, that doesn’t mean the norm is positive.

We know our traditional values are slipping away. We know the media is taking these values and hurling them into a nosedive, hoping to leave little more than traces of truth in the ashes. 

How far have we come, and how far are we going?

For all of those who have ever eaten at a Waffle House, please read this story: Eggs, Hashbrowns and a Gun?

[Editor's note: The first time this was posted, some of the information was deleted accidentally, changing the tone and views of the post. The following is the updated post]

By now, many of you have probably heard the story of Tyler Frost, a 17 year old from Findlay Ohio. If you haven’t, here’s what USAToday.com wrote:

Officials at Heritage Christian School in Findlay had warned 17-year-old Tyler Frost that he would be suspended and prohibited from attending graduation if he went to the public school dance over the weekend with his girlfriend.

Frost says he didn’t think going to the dance was wrong even though his fundamentalist Baptist school Ohio forbids dancing, rock music and hand-holding.

Frost didn’t go to school Monday. Instead, he and his girlfriend are heading to New York for a Tuesday morning TV interview.

The teen says he’s now getting Facebook and e-mail messages from around the world.

This story is on front page of USAToday.com. Although many may just look at the story and dismiss it as “dumb,” this is another black eye given to Christians. I know we can’t judge everyone based on this story, but this is what the world is seeing.

It seems like we go to 2 extremes. Last week a ruckus occurred because explicit pictures of Carrie Prejean aka Miss California hit the web. She came out and announced she’s a Christian and a model, and since modeling is her profession, there’s nothing wrong with modeling in swim wear and lingerie. Obviously, she hasn’t been able to make the connection between faith and life.

Now we have a story of the other extreme. A school is taking action against a student for attending a prom because the school is against dancing, rock music, and hand-holding (one of these things is not like the other…). The school is making national headlines by threatening to suspend the student and prohibit him for attending graduation. 

Let me make one point clear: I believe a private institution has every right enforce restrictions on students. Students are not forced to go to a private school; it’s a choice. When you choose to attend a private school, you choose to obey their rules. I attended a college that enforced rules I did not necessarily agree with. However, by choosing to attend, I agreed to abide by those rules. Even the New York Yankees have restrictions played on their players. If you play for the Yankees, you are not allowed to have facial hair (apparently steroids is allowed though). Some people think the rule is crazy, but it’s their rule. If you want to play for the Yankees, no facial hair. My problem is that some articles have reported that the school views rock music, dancing, and hand holding as sin. Placing restrictions on students is one thing; calling out sin without providing sound biblical reasoning is another.

It’s sad, but this is how the world sees Christianity. The world sees people like Carrie Prejean and automatically assumes the church is full of hypocrites. This is why movies liked Saved garner so much national attention. This is why we need to understand how God’s truth should shape our lives. This is why we need to personalize our faith and not just rely on “because I said so” answers. So many teenagers drop out of church and turn away from God after leaving high school. Why? Clearly they haven’t understood the need for truth and life to intersect. 

Looking for a good way to spend your Wednesday nights?

A few months ago, several friends introduced me to a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I had heard about the book, but didn’t know much about it. However, my friends told me it was life-changing and turned their lives upside down.

One of the friends that told me about the book, Eric Puschmann, told me about a small group study he wanted to start with the book. It sounded pretty awesome to me.

 On Wednesday, I was really excited to see this has become a reality. Beginning June 3, Eric will be starting a group study of Crazy Love on Wednesday nights at 6:30 PM at Cofer’s Chapel in Nashville, Tennessee.  

This is open for anyone. Eric, being the awesome guy he is, can actually get the books for us for only $10 each. That’s a saving of like $65 off the cover price (not really). Now, this is not a gimmick or ploy to steal you away from your local church. If you’re involved with your church on Wednesday night, stay faithful to that. But, there are many people out there looking for some way to get involved with something like this.

If you’re interested, you can get more info or even sign up at Eric’s blog: www.pastorpusch.com

Today is May 5, or Cinco de Mayo. All across America, people are celebrating this “holiday” in different ways. But have you ever wondered what Cinco de Mayo is all about?

Cinco de Mayo is a regional holiday in Mexico, celebrated primarily in the state of Puebla. The holiday commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.

The outnumbered Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army that had not been defeated in almost 50 years.

While Cinco de Mayo has limited significance nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. However, a common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day, which actually is September 16 (dieciséis de septiembre in Spanish), the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.

In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has taken on a significance beyond that in Mexico. The date is perhaps best recognized in the United States as a date to celebrate the culture and experiences of Americans of Mexican ancestry, much as St. Patrick’s Day, Oktoberfest, and the Chinese New Year are used to celebrate those of Irish, German, and Chinese ancestry respectively. Similar to those holidays, Cinco de Mayo is observed by many Americans regardless of ethnic origin. Celebrations tend to draw both from traditional Mexican symbols, such as the Virgen de Guadalupe, and from prominent figures of Mexican descent in the United States, including César Chávez.

Thank you Wikipedia for that awesome information.