A Proper Gander at Propaganda

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As you can probably tell, the world is getting really political. And the more political it gets, the more people throw around the word propaganda. But not very many people are bothering to actually define that word—and, as Mr. Sandor recently said, definitions are important. 

So, what even is propaganda? Well, the most recent issue of the Living Church News just so happens to have an article by Mr. Paul Kearns on that very subject. Mr. Kearns goes into what propaganda is and, more importantly, who’s really behind all the propaganda out there.

Intrigued? Just click the link below to be instantly transported to Mr. Kearns’ article through the mysterious power of the internets (which seems to run on some form of electricity).

Whiteboard: Seven Proofs God Exists

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As mentioned in our “Five Questions” interview with Mr. Mike DeSimone, the creator of the TW Whiteboards (that interview is right here, if you haven’t seen it), the new one that went up Thursday evening is “Seven Proofs God Exists.” Mr. DeSimone, Mr. Jonathan Riley, and the whole Whiteboard team did a great job, and we hope you like it! If you didn’t see the interview where we talked about this one, click here for that post and video.

A Couple of Tips on Meditation

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Here’s a basic question for you: How do you draw close to God? 

If you’ve heard that one before, you might know some of the answers. The Church of God helpfully focuses on four big actions we can take to draw close to God: Christians can pray, study their Bibles, fast, and meditate.

It can be a little tricky to start doing these things regularly. Thankfully, the Church provides plenty of help on how to get the most out of prayer, study, fasting, and meditation. When I tried to start doing these activities regularly, it was a slow process, but I gradually felt myself get better at prayer, study, and fasting. Little by little, I felt like I was getting more out of these things. Some days were better or worse than others, but generally, these practices seemed to be going in the right direction in my life. 

Meditation was different—I rarely felt like I was getting much better at it. I knew the basics: think about a godly concept deeply. True meditation is not emptying one’s mind, as some religions teach. Philippians 4:8 tells us that “whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” That’s a great list, but what does it mean practically? How exactly are we supposed to think deeply about those things?

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Thinking Biblically: Definitions

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When I think about what it means to “think biblically,” I usually think, “How do I look at situations with the Bible as my guide?” And that’s fine! Most of the content on this website takes that approach: “How do we think biblically about entertainment? About dating? About current events?” 

But sometimes we also have to think biblically about something much more basic, like the definition of words. This might seem too simple, but you would be surprised by how many contentions spring from people not even agreeing on how words are defined. 

“Come on, Mr. Sandor,” you might think, “we know what dictionaries are. They give the same words and definitions to all of us.” Well, you have a point—to a degree. While dictionaries give us the opportunity to uniformly define words, it’s still not uncommon for people to just ignore dictionaries and use whatever definitions they have in their heads. 

But there’s a bigger problem: Dictionaries don’t use the Bible to define words. The Bible provides definitions for sin (1 John 3:4), righteousness, (Psalm 119:172), faith (Hebrews 11:1, 6), and a host of other words—and these definitions are different from what you’ll find when you google a word (or dig out a hardcopy dictionary). 

For this post, let’s briefly consider the word love. How should we define that? Well, if you’re still reading, you’re about to get some answers. 

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Interesting in applying to Living Education–Charlotte?

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Living Education is still taking applications to join the on-site educational program for the 2022–2023 academic year, where students spend a year in Charlotte at the Church’s Headquarters, getting grounded in the faith and working part-time at the office. If you are interested in applying or have questions, you can start by clicking right here!

Are you checking out Tomorrow’s World Viewpoint?

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Many teens and young adults have mentioned how much they like the Tomorrow’s World Viewpoint videos produced out of the Church’s Canadian office. If you haven’t checked out the YouTube channel, click here to take a look at what’s been added recently. Here, below, is a recent upload.

Using Thankfulness as a “Life Hack”

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Reflecting this past week on the importance of gratitude and having an attitude of thankfulness brought this old TW article to mind from about a year and a half ago. It’s a short read, and in it, Mr. John Robinson notes how researchers have discovered that actively cultivating a grateful outlook produces a better, happier life—and notes, too, how the Bible was already giving this advice thousands of years ago. So, if you’re looking for a good “life hack,” you should consider actively seeking to increase your level of thankfulness.

Don’t take our word for it: Read the article! It might be a quick read, but the advice has long-lasting effects for those who will take it to heart. It’s one click away, in the link below.