Division of Education Schedules Ministry Resource Event
In an on-going effort to provide resources to combat societal ills, the Church of God Division of Education will be offering a webinar entitled, “Sexualization and Sanctification: Fostering Faith in the 21st Century.”
The event is scheduled for March 10, 2016 from 11:30 – 2:00 p.m. EST at the Church of God Leadership and Communications Center, but will also be simultaneously livestreamed.
According to Dr. H. Lynn Stone with the Division of Education, the resource luncheon is intended to “help foster a greater sense of influence in addressing the ongoing sexualization of culture within the church itself, as well as shaping thoughts about how better to minister the gospel in a sex-saturated world. In examining sociological information, psychological data, and ultimately tying it together with the truth of the Word, this presentation will help you to better care for those who have, or may yet be, impacted by sexualization.”
Guest lecturer will be Todd Bowman, Ph.D., a graduate of Mount Vernon Nazarene University with a degree in psychology. Currently, he is employed as an Associate Professor of Counseling at Indiana Wesleyan University and is the coordinator of the Sexual Addiction Treatment Provider Certificate Programs.
“The sexual revolution created a fundamental shift in the sexual values, beliefs, and practices of American culture,” Stone said. “In many ways, the effects of this dramatic shift away from biblical values is still being felt today. The primary concept where we can see this truth demonstrated is in the sexualization of society. At its very core, sexualization reduces the individual to parts and pieces to be used visually or physically, rather than another person to share loving, God-centered relationship with. Sexualization is the energy that is driving this continued drift away from biblical values and a Christian sexual ethic.”
Divided into three distinct sections, the ministry resource event will begin with a presentation entitled, “Sexualization in American Culture. It will address how such a beautiful gift to mankind has become distorted through man’s sinfulness. This presentation will examine how the sexualization of society reduces the individual to an object to be consumed, rather than a soul to be nurtured, and the ramifications of this mentality in the church.
Part 2 is entitled, “Angry birds and Killer Bees: Discipleship for Children and Adolescents.”
It will attempt to address how raising spiritually healthy children in a sexualized culture has perhaps never been quite as difficult as it is today. Access to pornography, sexting scandals across the country, and social media exposure to terms like pansexual and transgendered necessitate that our children have a biblical foundation when trying to navigate the choppy waters of our society. Concepts such as sexual stewardship, preventative discipleship, and remedial discipleship will be addressed in this portion of the presentation
In Part 3, titled, “Our bodies Proclaim the Gospel: Sex, God and the Church,” Bowman will speak about how when the tide of cultural pressure rises against the church, we are called to speak the truth in love. As questions about the permissiveness of sexual lifestyles that fall outside of the biblical model increase, we must be armed with the truth, in order to speak it in love. This portion of the training will provide a brief introduction into establishing a biblical sexual ethic that outlines the nature of Christ, the authority of the word, and the role of sex within the biblical definition of marriage.
There is no charge for this event, but registration is required for those wishing to attend the event in person. Call (423) 478-7011 (between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 EST Monday through Friday) to register, or register via email by sending your name, email address, and phone number to [email protected]. Limited seating is available.
Instructions on how to log on for the livestream will be released on the day of the event (March 10) on the home page of www.churchofgod.org.
