A NEWd Morality

Everyday, it seems our culture attempts to bombard us and our children with images that are meant to arouse us sexually. Images on television and in the movies push the limits and boundaries of what is proper and inappropriate merely by virtue of their constant use. TV shows catered toward teenagers frequently promote premarital sex as long as the two individuals "know in their heart it is time." Children's cartoons are increasingly alluding to issues of sex. The common Christian response has been one of expurgation and attempting to redeem the valuable morals and lessons recognized within its culture, media, and literature.

Wikipedia defines expurgation as: "a form of censorship by way of purging anything noxious, offensive, or erroneous, usually from an artistic work. It has also been called bowdlerization, after Thomas Bowdler, who in 1818 published an expurgated edition of William Shakespeare's work that he considered to be more appropriate for women and children. He similarly edited Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire."

"Clear Play" technology lets you watch regular DVD's and SKIP the VIOLENCE, NUDITY, and PROFANITY (so) you and your family can safely watch current films is an example of expurgation. The fact is that those outside of the Christian faith or without any religious scruples sees expurgation as censorship. They see freedom as the release from any boundaries and do not see freedom as the release from those things that can bind you. In reality there is no freedom apart from law (parameters that guide our behavior).

Recently we were in the home of a younger couple that we just met. While in their home, my wife noticed in the magazine rack some Playboy magazines. When we discussed this later, we realized that within our culture there is a real change in attitude about morality. That this young man would openly display a magazine that reduces the value of a woman to a mere image to provoke sexual desire surprised me. That his wife would allow such an open display would seem to imply that she has resigned her struggle for sole devotion from her husband, not realizing that he has reduced her value to that of her physical beauty. Neither is love. Love is not selfish; it is not lust (1Cor. 13:5).

Eroticism is certainly a motivational force in this world, but this twist on love based upon physical beauty is not a method of truly building each other up. It debases people, it changes the focus of desire to one's self and away from the other, and it devalues a person by allowing for competing images of desire (whether printed or in the flesh). The paradigm shift in our culture in regard to provocative images should not merely be dismissed as wrong without explaining the real reason for why this behavior is destructive. Yet, the desire for sex is so strong within mankind that Christians also must understand why it is so critical to not only expurgate them from the things we see and allow to influence us and our families (because they can truly tempt us to do things that would harm us and others), but also to explain why it is so harmful to our relationships and our understanding of the value of an individual.

By merely judging by the appearance, we will misjudge the value of people and their gifts. An example of this was seen on Britain's Got Talent. Watch this link: www.metacafe.com/watch/2696263/susan_boyle_singer_britains_got_talent_2009 /

I would like each of us to truly pray how we can really convince people who see the sexual drive in mankind as an opportunity to make money at the expense of people and their relationships that this is really wrong and harmful. Let us agree together in prayer for those who use social networks like "twitter" and "MySpace," etc. inappropriately to find the true unselfish love of Jesus Christ who paid the penalty for their sin.