Straight From Pastor Ey

Image credit What does it say about our culture when a religious title or a sacred activity become twisted to mean something racy?  Esquire magazine exposed a disturbing social media trend here in the Philippines. “Pastor” is now a name used by several Facebook pages and closed groups that distribute pornography and engage in sexually explicit group chats. … The largest of these groups has 2.9 million members, while many others are in the tens of thousands. … In these “Bible Study” pages and groups, members post different forms of “ambag,” or contributions to the collective sexual appetite of the community. It could be anything from a slightly risque celebrity photo to mainstream hardcore porn. [1] In their thought-provoking “ A Practical Guide to Culture: Helping the Next Generation Navigate Today's World ,” John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle warned that what we have is no longer “a porn problem” but, much worse, “a porn epidemic.” [2] There are those who assume t...

Image credit It appears that no one is immune to fake news, not even the Secretary of Justice himself. Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre insinuated that opposition lawmakers instigated the clash with the terrorists in Marawi City, alleging that they met with some influential clans in Marawi City weeks before it erupted there. As evidence, he showed a photo on his mobile phone of the alleged meeting, “which turned out to be an image taken on Sept. 4, 2015 at the Iloilo International Airport.” [1] In short, it was a fake news. Aguirre later on apologized and even denied making such accusations, claiming he was actually misquoted. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines took him to task for his alibi. There was no misquotation. Your words were recorded on video and audio. So, no, you are not passing the buck on to reporters who did what they are supposed to do – accurately report your official acts and pronouncements. [2] But, more than fake news prolifera...

Image credit Thanks (but no thanks) to social media, we are inundated with fake news. Add to that free Facebook on our mobile phones (which allows us to see the headlines for free but charges us if we want to read the news), clicking the “Share” button without even thinking has become rampant! Sadly, many believers—and even pastors—who are followers of the Lord who declared that He is the Truth have been guilty of sharing fake news. Conspiracy theories are nothing new—they’ve been around for centuries. People love to speculate on hidden meanings or to jump at the potential of juicy secrets. Unfortunately, when these things are unfounded, lies are told and people are hurt. And most unfortunately, Christians are often involved in perpetuating them. … Simply put, the spreading of these conspiracies are hurting our witness and making Christians look, yet again, foolish. And it’s time to repent. [1] We are commanded not to tell lies. According to Exodus 20:16, “You shall no...

Image credit It appears to be a random killing. It was so senseless that it’s got to be a random one. Robert Godwin Sr. of Cleveland, Ohio, a 74-year-old retiree, was on his way home after enjoying an Easter meal with his son’s family. Then, a stranger walked up to him. After a brief chat, he shot Godwin point-blank. The suspect later on uploaded the video of the cold-blooded murder on Facebook. In the video, apparently recorded by the suspect, Steve Stephens, a person is getting out of a car in a residential area and says, “Here’s somebody I’m about to kill. I’m about to kill this guy right here. An old dude.” The person walks up, stops Godwin on the sidewalk and talks to him. Then the video shows a gun pointed at Godwin’s head. The gun is fired. Godwin recoils and falls to the ground. [1] Facebook already removed the video. As of this writing, the police manhunt is still ongoing. But, while grieving their father’s senseless murder, his children shocked CNN’s Anderson Cooper ...