A recent study came out showing that smartphones are warping our personalities and character at an alarming rate. In recent years, persons aged 16-39 have seen Conscientiousness, Agreeableness and Extroversion rates plummet while Neuroticism has shot up, along with anxiety and depression. Many are using their phones as a drug to check out and go numb with. Mike and Rebekah look at the affects of this recent study – and what smartphones are doing to our spiritual life. It’s difficult to pray for an extended period of time if one’s attention span is fragmented. On average, Americans spend 5 hours a day on their phone. The affects of being hardwired 24/7 are having a profound affect on us chemically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Initial data from a $43 million dollar research initiative show that individuals living in developing countries score higher in having purpose and meaning. The Global Flourishing Study is surveying 200,000 participants from different countries over five years, looking at which ones score highest for human flourishing. The surveys are showing that people in developing countries have a sense of meaning and purpose, while in the States rampant materialism and the chase for more has left people with depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. Mike and Rebekah look at the results of this survey and how the Bible commands us to be content. But first, they discuss Ozzy Osbourne and how some Christians are extolling his music career, which glorified the occult and witchcraft, a message that is missing from many commentaries.

In this broadcast, Mike and Rebekah look at a long list of porn and sex-related statistics in the church, and provide ideas on what you can do to make a difference. The following showing the beginning of the survey results they discussed:

* 75% percent of Christian men and 40% of Christian women are viewing pornography. From a Barna 2024 survey; Porn Use Among Christians Reaches All Time High

* 2022: A pastor of a church of 1,000 in Arizona reported that 80% of the men who attended their men’s retreat confessed to a current struggle with pornography.

* 2023: When a youth group of teenage girls were asked to raise their hands if they struggled with porn, every hand went up.

* After the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, Pornhub, the largest porn site in the world, reported that their worldwide traffic increased by 25%.

* A counseling pastor of a Colorado church of 5,000 reported that every marriage that came to him for help had pornography involved.