- The very target audience whose actions and choices are being questioned. These folks usually call themselves out, revealing by their indignation that they have been stung by the shame generated by holding their sins up against the light of the Truth, and
- Those who are so invested in being liked by everyone that they'll sacrifice the Truth. These folks often say "our job is to love people into the Kingdom rather than speak boldly of unpleasant things like sin and sacrifice." These people are the worst kinds of cowards. They would literally sacrifice the souls of their friends and family members rather than face the inevitable conflict that arises when sin is exposed to Truth. They couch their criticisms in the terminology of "love." However, if someone they "loved" was paddling a canoe toward a 100-foot waterfall, I strongly suspect these cowards would smile and wave and shout "Hey, you really are a strong and powerful paddler" rather than, "Hey! Change direction or you're going to die!"
Truth doesn't take a backseat to love. The Bible says we are to "speak the Truth in Love." Three quick points here: First love surrounds it all. It's all in love. Love is more concerned with the well-being of another than with ourselves. Love sacrifices self for another. Second, Truth must be the message. Truth does not apologize for being true. Truth isn't timid about its truthfulness. Truth simply is. It is neither positive nor negative. It is simply Truth. Finally, because of Love, the Truth must be spoken. Many people mistakenly criticize (sometimes quite hatefully) the efforts of someone who bluntly speaks the Truth by saying "but you're supposed to speak the truth in love." Their version of this command almost always avoids the truth or the speaking. So, to those who would throw this verse in my face as a response to, or avoidance of, the message of this post, I say this: Because of the Love I have for my readers, I am bluntly speaking Truth to them. I will not hide behind the cowardice of comfort and acceptance to shirk the responsibility God has given me to speak the Truth.
Now, on to the subject at hand:
This weekend, a movie called "Fifty Shades Darker" will be playing in theaters. Today I shared a post by Matt Walsh on my Facebook page on this subject. I mentioned that I agree with the post but hesitated to say anything because people call me judgmental or controversial. Upon reflection, I honestly don't care what they say. As long as they get the message, my job is done. The rest is in God's hands.
I have not read the series of books by E.L. James. Nor did I watch the first movie based on the series. The massive uproar over the books and the first movie caused me to pay attention to the reviews of movie and book critics. I've read excerpts, as much as I could stomach, and am roughly aware of the content, lack of writing talent, and overall gist of the books. I have been seeing friends and relatives virtually squeal with glee in their anticipation at the release of the second film, Fifty Shades Darker. This deeply saddens me, as it speaks so loudly about the character and hearts of those who partake.
For ages, women have seemingly held the moral high ground as they excoriated men who attended strip clubs, read magazines for the purpose of seeing nude women, and watched movies created to arouse them sexually. To this day, viewing pornography is considered by many to be a marriage-ending act of adultery. However, many of those selfsame women will now hungrily consume novels about illicit sex, sexual abuse of minors, explicit sexual deviancy, emotional manipulation through power and sex, and rape and call it "literature." These women, in their voyeuristic feeding frenzies will giddily post on social media their intent to see this or that movie, their absolute love (?) for the books, how "hot" they consider an actor, and worse. These women openly talk about how aroused they are by these vulgar books and films.
A few years ago, there was a series of teen vampire books that were made into movies. Middle-aged moms would take their daughters to these films, screaming and fawning while standing in line to enter, talking about how sexy the teenaged actors were. It was a remarkable display of the perversity of the hearts of these women and the double standard employed by them. Had forty-year-old men been gleefully extolling the sexual attractiveness of teenaged girls, these same women would have called them creepy child molesters.
Then came books and movies like Magic Mike, Fifty Shades of Grey and others. These books took the age-old Harlequin romance bodice ripper genre to its perverted extreme. "Christian" women blushed and sweated as they coyly admitted attending the films about male strippers and about the sexual manipulation and exploitation of a minor.
Let me just say something blunt. If you're still with me, you either agree with me or you're already seething with anger. When Jesus said that "if you look on a woman with lust in your heart, you have already committed adultery with her," He was not only referring to men. He was pointing out a principle on holiness and sin that applies to both genders. Ladies, if you are getting your entertainment reading or watching movies about sex, you are committing adultery. You are in sin. There is no grey area here.
"Oh, it's really a love story." Stop it! Stop trying to justify your sin! Stop trying to see how close to the line you can come without crossing it. Do as Jesus asks us to do: stay as far from the line of sin as you can in order to please God and to remain holy in His eyes! Shun the very appearance of evil! Run from it!
Like moths drawn to a flame, these women hover closer and closer to the destructive substance of these works of "literature." It is a sinful, voyeuristic, fleshly urge they are feeding.
These same women wonder why they find themselves in unfulfilling, unsatisfying relationships, why their marriages are struggling, why there seems to be no mutual respect between them and their husbands. Almost universally, as is the tendency of all human beings, they place the blame on their partners.
I could go on and on, though I believe I've adequately made my point. However, I'll end with a few quick references:
- Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22
- I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. Psalm 101:3
- For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. 1 John 2:16
- But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. James 1:14-15
- Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
