Fifty Ways Porn Might Be Sneaking into Your Church

by Dannah Gresh

       Dannah Gresh shares her concern

    and wisdom to help ministry leaders

       approach "Fifty Shades of Grey" 

                with biblical savvy.

Editor's Note: The popularity of the book 
Fifty Shades of Grey is growing as more 
women (and men) pull it off the shelves 
this summer. Dannah Gresh is a sought-
after speaker and author who has 
studied sexuality in the Bible for more 
than fifteen years. In this bold article, 
Gresh shares her concern and wisdom to help ministry leaders approach the book with biblical 
savvy.

**

I’m not reading Fifty Shades
of Grey. I wasn’t planning to announce this, but I can’t help myself. I told my 
husband, Bob, that I didn’t really want to get involved. But then, I found out my girlfriend’s 70-year-old mom has her name on a long wait list at the library to borrow Fifty Shades of Grey. And then my mom told me that a relative I love and respect for her strong faith had already devoured the book. She regretfully “can’t get the images out of her head.”

So here I am. In an attempt to keep the images out of yours, I’d like to explain to you why I’m not reading Fifty Shades of Grey.

What makes prayer pure?

Job 16:17

Pure motives. Job said his prayers were sincere: He was honestly seeking answers from God without ulterior motives. He was not lying to God; his heart was clean (see Job 6:28).

One of the temptations of prayer is self-gratification. We are inclined to ask repeatedly for things we want, not just things we need. The line between selfish and unselfish prayer is often fuzzy. Scrutinizing our motives can help sort through self-deceit.

Confession is a prerequisite to sincere prayers. Jesus taught us not to pray if we are carrying a grudge. The psalmist wrote that if there is sin in our hearts, God will not hear us (see Ps 66:18). Cleaning up unfinished business involving offenses against family or fellow workers clears the conscience so we can pray with purer motives.

".XXX" - The Internet's New Red Light District

Randy Hicks

(WNS) -- It’s not likely you’ve heard of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), but this international organization in charge of Internet addresses has just approved a policy that will create what amounts to a red-light district online.

We’re all familiar with the top level domains like “.com”, “.edu” and “.org.” Now, after years of debate, ICANN has approved “.xxx” for porn websites.

So now, for the first time, a specific industry will have its own suffix on the Internet. In this case, it happens to be an industry that exploits women and ensnares thousands of men and even children into a harmful addiction that can ruin lives and relationships.

For starters, the new .xxx domain will significantly increase the amount of porn online since adult websites will not have to give up their current web addresses. Instead, they’ll create new websites with the new suffix, making their content more prevalent and accessible.