God and Nature Spring 2022
An Urgent Cry for Christian Cyber Service |
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By Catherine Lindsay Linsky
(Please share this article with your church’s youth pastor.)
And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed (Isaiah 1:17).
Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed (Psalm 82:3).
Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne (Psalm 89:14).
(New International Version)
Here’s a question for you. Is it possible to seek justice in our modern world?
Our instructions are clear. According to Micah 6:8, the Lord requires that we seek justice and defend the oppressed. But how do we do that? We can feed the hungry and help settle refugees, but unless we serve in law enforcement or as a missionary, many of us in the Western world can’t directly fight tormentors off afflicted orphans or rescue stolen items from the hands of the oppressors.
For me, the answer to this question started in 2015. I’m a teacher by training with a PhD in Science Education. One day, my Associate Dean asked for volunteers to help a cybersecurity camp with teaching tips.
My first thought was: Cybersecurity? You mean, protecting and defending computer systems from hackers and cyber criminals? I imagined the high level of training and computer science knowledge involved, so my next thought was, Wow. That sounds hard…And a little scary. But she assured me they just needed a teacher’s perspective, so I responded to the email with a few pedagogical pointers. That began my cyber mission, and God opened my eyes to the huge need for justice in cyberspace.
(Please share this article with your church’s youth pastor.)
And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed (Isaiah 1:17).
Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed (Psalm 82:3).
Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne (Psalm 89:14).
(New International Version)
Here’s a question for you. Is it possible to seek justice in our modern world?
Our instructions are clear. According to Micah 6:8, the Lord requires that we seek justice and defend the oppressed. But how do we do that? We can feed the hungry and help settle refugees, but unless we serve in law enforcement or as a missionary, many of us in the Western world can’t directly fight tormentors off afflicted orphans or rescue stolen items from the hands of the oppressors.
For me, the answer to this question started in 2015. I’m a teacher by training with a PhD in Science Education. One day, my Associate Dean asked for volunteers to help a cybersecurity camp with teaching tips.
My first thought was: Cybersecurity? You mean, protecting and defending computer systems from hackers and cyber criminals? I imagined the high level of training and computer science knowledge involved, so my next thought was, Wow. That sounds hard…And a little scary. But she assured me they just needed a teacher’s perspective, so I responded to the email with a few pedagogical pointers. That began my cyber mission, and God opened my eyes to the huge need for justice in cyberspace.
Missing and exploited children desperately need Christians to join this cyber fight... |
As of this writing, there are 597,767 open and unfilled cyber jobs in the US, according to cyberseek.org. These include unfilled opportunities to defend vulnerable countries like Ukraine; and, at home, chances to guard our water supply or power grid and rescue hospitals from ransomware or schools from data breaches. In other words, 597,767 unfilled opportunities to seek justice. Basically, cyber is the “Wild Wild West” right now when it comes to crime and injustice. But while all that is alarming, there is another concern that has spurred on this urgent plea.
Three days ago, I had a conversation with a federal advisor to a whole host of important three-letter agencies (NSA, FBI, CIA, etc.). He opened my eyes to an aspect of the cyber world that I hadn’t thought of previously: child exploitation online and the need for child defenders in cybersecurity.
When you visit The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) blog at missingkids.org, you see a staggering number: 100,000,000. Since its inception in 1998, the CyberTipLine at NCMEC has received a soul-wrenching “100 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation, nearly all related to images and videos of children being sexually abused that are circulating on the internet, some even live streamed.” That number has leaped forward in recent years due to the pandemic and the increase of child internet usage that started with seemingly harmless online activities, such as children responding to a phishing attempt and accidentally downloading a rootkit enabling criminals to track their whereabouts and even capture images through their camera. (See https://safetypledge.org for more info on how to keep children safe online.)
But here’s something you may not have considered. While the problem starts with bad actors online, the solution is also found online with people trained to detect bad actors, help law enforcement, and prevent children from becoming targets.
If we had the 597,767 qualified cyber professionals needed in the cyber workforce actively fighting and preventing cybercrimes, we’d cut the child exploitation problem off at the knees. That’s where the biblical justice we talked about comes in.
Missing and exploited children desperately need Christians to join this cyber fight—Christians that join this mission field ready to root out oppressors, defend the afflicted, and uphold the cause of the vulnerable while relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit and drawing strength from Christ. So how do we get there?
For many of us over the age of 20, starting a new career in a technical field may not be an easy option. That’s why teens are the answer! Young people are the ones who must rise to this call and defend the oppressed. According to the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation, the best cyber workers have these four dispositions:
It doesn’t matter if you aren’t the typical “computer nerd.” If cyber only had people like Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory, we would never solve this problem. What cyber needs are the teenage Martin Luther King Jr.’s among us with the four cyber dispositions, much-needed cyber missionaries who refuse to turn a blind eye on injustice any longer and will use their talents, energy, and (most of all) faith to fight the good fight against oppressors. Please. For all the missing and exploited children.
While this call to action is aimed mostly at teenagers and young adults looking for a rewarding career that will benefit the world and save children, retired folks can also lend a hand. Help your grandchildren stay safe and learn more about digital citizenship at ISTE.org or Common Sense Media. I encourage you to sign the online safety pledge on safetypledge.org and encourage others to do so. You could also ask your pastor to hold a informational session for other parents. If you are interested in learning more, look for sessions at your local college or university’s continuing education center.
I once heard a pastor say: “Find the things that break your heart because that is where you can be the biggest blessing.” Well, exploited kids break my heart. I hope you will be the blessing.
Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? (Psalm 94:16)
NOTE: Other ways to seek justice: Parents: Encourage your children to try CyberStartAmerica.org; Sign the Safety pledge; Support or volunteer for organizations like https://www.streetgrace.org/take-action.
By the grace of God, C. Lindsay Linsky is an Associate Professor of Education at The University of North Georgia. She earned her PhD in Science Education from the University of Georgia, where her dissertation centered on ocean literacy. She is the author of Keep It Good: Understanding Creation Care through Parables. You can contact Lindsay at [email protected].
Three days ago, I had a conversation with a federal advisor to a whole host of important three-letter agencies (NSA, FBI, CIA, etc.). He opened my eyes to an aspect of the cyber world that I hadn’t thought of previously: child exploitation online and the need for child defenders in cybersecurity.
When you visit The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) blog at missingkids.org, you see a staggering number: 100,000,000. Since its inception in 1998, the CyberTipLine at NCMEC has received a soul-wrenching “100 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation, nearly all related to images and videos of children being sexually abused that are circulating on the internet, some even live streamed.” That number has leaped forward in recent years due to the pandemic and the increase of child internet usage that started with seemingly harmless online activities, such as children responding to a phishing attempt and accidentally downloading a rootkit enabling criminals to track their whereabouts and even capture images through their camera. (See https://safetypledge.org for more info on how to keep children safe online.)
But here’s something you may not have considered. While the problem starts with bad actors online, the solution is also found online with people trained to detect bad actors, help law enforcement, and prevent children from becoming targets.
If we had the 597,767 qualified cyber professionals needed in the cyber workforce actively fighting and preventing cybercrimes, we’d cut the child exploitation problem off at the knees. That’s where the biblical justice we talked about comes in.
Missing and exploited children desperately need Christians to join this cyber fight—Christians that join this mission field ready to root out oppressors, defend the afflicted, and uphold the cause of the vulnerable while relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit and drawing strength from Christ. So how do we get there?
For many of us over the age of 20, starting a new career in a technical field may not be an easy option. That’s why teens are the answer! Young people are the ones who must rise to this call and defend the oppressed. According to the National Cyber Scholarship Foundation, the best cyber workers have these four dispositions:
- They love learning.
- They like new challenges or new technologies.
- They are tenacious and persistent.
- They are effective problem-solvers.
It doesn’t matter if you aren’t the typical “computer nerd.” If cyber only had people like Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory, we would never solve this problem. What cyber needs are the teenage Martin Luther King Jr.’s among us with the four cyber dispositions, much-needed cyber missionaries who refuse to turn a blind eye on injustice any longer and will use their talents, energy, and (most of all) faith to fight the good fight against oppressors. Please. For all the missing and exploited children.
While this call to action is aimed mostly at teenagers and young adults looking for a rewarding career that will benefit the world and save children, retired folks can also lend a hand. Help your grandchildren stay safe and learn more about digital citizenship at ISTE.org or Common Sense Media. I encourage you to sign the online safety pledge on safetypledge.org and encourage others to do so. You could also ask your pastor to hold a informational session for other parents. If you are interested in learning more, look for sessions at your local college or university’s continuing education center.
I once heard a pastor say: “Find the things that break your heart because that is where you can be the biggest blessing.” Well, exploited kids break my heart. I hope you will be the blessing.
Who will rise up for me against the wicked?
Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? (Psalm 94:16)
NOTE: Other ways to seek justice: Parents: Encourage your children to try CyberStartAmerica.org; Sign the Safety pledge; Support or volunteer for organizations like https://www.streetgrace.org/take-action.
By the grace of God, C. Lindsay Linsky is an Associate Professor of Education at The University of North Georgia. She earned her PhD in Science Education from the University of Georgia, where her dissertation centered on ocean literacy. She is the author of Keep It Good: Understanding Creation Care through Parables. You can contact Lindsay at [email protected].