“The two are better than the one… for if they fall, the one raises up his companion—but woe to the one who falls, and there is not a second to raise him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
If there is one place anyone can go to hide, it’s the Internet. And while you are here, you will be tempted to look at or do something you shouldn’t. Whether the danger you face is as serious as viewing pornography, or as innocuous as spending too much time playing FarmVille, it is simply unwise to go into the world alone—even, and especially, if that world is the Internet. Reporting every click of your Internet activity to another person is not about lack of trust, it’s about being there for one another—parents for children, spouses for spouses, friends for friends.
At Perfect Word Ministries, we have Covenant Eyes software installed on every computer and mobile device. While Covenant Eyes does also offer Internet filtering as an option, we find that the Accountability portion of the software is sufficient to remind us of the “covenant [we have] made for [our] eyes” (Job 31:1). Covenant Eyes is the kind of service that no serious disciple of Messiah should ever be without.
Accountable2You is similar to Covenant Eyes, in that it provides alerts and an email report of Internet activity, however, the report is not as robust, and is not as helpful at assisting the accountability partner to pinpoint harmful patterns and activity. What Accountable2You does do that Covenant Eyes does not, is provide a report of all computer activity, not just Internet use. Overall, Accountable2You is a good supplement or a decent alternative to Covenant Eyes.
“…as many things as are true, as many as are serious, as many as are righteous, as many as are pure, as many as are lovely, as many as are of good report, if any[thing is of] virtue, and if any[thing is worthy of] praise, think upon these things.” Philippians 4:8
While a ClearPlay DVD player and filter subscription does not redeem our poor choices in movie entertainment, or give us an excuse to view material with unedifying or defiling scenes and story lines, it does provide a very effective method for real-time editing of commercially available DVDs.
If watching movies or tv shows on DVD with higher than a G rating is something that you feel is permissible for you and your family, then you really need to take some of that DVD rental money and put it toward a ClearPlay player and subscription. Don’t fool yourself: no one is “mature” enough to deliberately expose themselves to the sights and sounds of sex, violence and profanity. If you’re a DVD watcher, then bear the standard of Scripture, and clear up the movies you play.
And if you absolutely must see the latest films released in the theater (or on DVD without ClearPlay), then at least know what you’re getting yourself into with ScreenIt.com. Screen It provides at-a-glance content summary ratings for free, and comprehensive, full content movie reviews for a monthly subscription. The reality is, you may be far more desensitized than you think, and Screen It will open your eyes to what you’ve been feeding your soul.
For a less robust, but free alternative to Screen It, try parentpreviews.com.
“…and I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve in his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in the Messiah…” (2Corinthians 11:3)
One of the greatest obstacles to understanding and applying the standard of Scripture to our lives is our failure to think critically and logically. Indeed, the formation of many deceptive beliefs and theologies come from logical fallacies. “A fallacy is an error in logic—a place where someone has made a mistake in his thinking.”
The Fallacy Detective is not just a charming, fun book for teaching logic to children—it is a practical, easy-to-follow tool for helping people of all ages learn how “to spot common errors in reasoning.”
We (the Geoffreys) have been through this book as a family more than once. It was simple enough for our six-year-old, and challenging enough that it truly honed our ability to recognize and overcome logical fallacies. This skill will affect every area of your life—and with it, you will get to the truth.
Visit the Perfect Word Resource Center for excellent discipleship materials and other Messianic Jewish teachings.
