Division of Education Presenting Livestream Ministry Event This Thursday
The Church of God Division of Education is gearing up for a ministry resource event that will be livestreamed from the Church of God International Offices this Thursday, March 10.
Sexualization and Sanctification: Fostering Faith in the 21st Century will be presented by Dr. 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 Certification Programs.
The event is being sponsored in light of the sexual revolution that has created a fundamental shift in the sexual values, be¬liefs, and practices of American culture. In many ways, the effects of this shift away from biblical values is still being felt today. The primary concept where this truth can be seen is demonstrated is in the sexualization of society. At its very core, sexualization reduces the individual to parts and piec¬es to be used visually or physically, rather than another person with whom to share a loving, God-centered relationship. Sexualization is the energy that is driving this continued drift away from biblical values and a Christian sexual ethic.
This event is intended to help foster a greater sense of influence in address¬ing the ongoing sexualization of culture within the church itself, as well as shap¬ing 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 church leaders and laypersons to better care for those who have, or may yet be, impacted by sexualization.
The two-hour event begins online at 12:00 noon EST, of which the first hour will consist of three parts, presented by Bowman:
PART 1: Sexualization in American Culture. One of God’s most beautiful gifts to mankind is the gift of sexuality. However, that which was created beautiful has become distorted through man’s sinful¬ness. This presentation will examine how the sexualization of society re¬duces 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: Angry Birds and Killer Bees: Discipleship for Children and Adolescents.
Raising spiritually healthy children in a sexualized culture has perhaps never been quite as difficult as it is today. Ac¬cess to pornography, sexting scandals across the country, and social media exposure to terms like pansexual and transgendered necessitate that our chil¬dren have a biblical foundation when trying to navigate the choppy waters of our society. Concepts such as sexual stewardship, preventative disciple¬ship, and remedial discipleship will be addressed in this portion of the presentation.
PART 3: Our Bodies Proclaim the Gospel: Sex, God and The Church. When the tide of cultural pressure rises against the church, we are called to speak the truth in love. As questions increase about the permissiveness of sexual lifestyles that fall outside of the biblical model, 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.
In the second hour (1:00 – 2:00 p.m. EST), Church of God General Overseer Mark L. Williams will host a Q&A and discussion session with the on-site attendees.
To access the livestream, there will be a graphic on the homepage at www.churchofgod.org on the morning of March 10. Simply click on the graphic to be connected to the live event at 12:00 EST. For more information, email [email protected] or call (423) 478-7083.
