Are we Loving Gays as Jesus would?

Arizona's Legislature passed a bill that would allow business owners to assert their religious beliefs in denying service to gay and lesbian customers. The Center for Arizona Policy, a conservative Christian group supported the law. Just last night, AZ Governor Jan Brewer vetoed the bill. Meanwhile, in Uganda, President Museveni signed an anti-homosexuality bill that will demand life sentences for certain homosexual acts. Behind Uganda's anti-gay movement is an implied influence of Christian missionaries.

Whether or not Christians influenced these laws is almost irrelevant since the idea is already firmly planted in the minds of non-believers. Where did the church go wrong that we, purveyors of God's love to the world, are characterized as vendors of hate? Let's face it. Gay rights are here to stay. Gay marriage will be the law of the land in short time. Thus, the church's challenge is to acknowledge the cultural change without endorsing it. And to love gays without surrendering moral values.

2014 Grammys Reflect a Not-So-Subtle Cultural Shift

Beyoncé's Erotic
Performance

Only if you never watch TV or read newspapers would you not know that the cultural highlight of the Grammys two weeks ago was a mass marriage ceremony (conducted by Queen Latifah) that included 33 straight and gay and transgendered couples. During the ceremony, the song “Same Love,” aka, the gay marriage anthem, was sung by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. This Grammy moment was a not-so-subtle reminder of the cultural shift that has taken place in the last decade. 

Most Americans opposed gay marriage just ten years ago (both Presidents Clinton and Obama did), but now it is not only acceptable; it is celebratable. And, anyone who espouses, pun intended, a conservative biblical standard of marriage is said to be (phrases from the song “Same Love”) “playing God,” and “paraphrasing a book written thirty-five hundred years ago.”
                               
Yet, the Grammys didn’t just reflect a shift in views about marriage. The level of sensuality throughout the evening seemed to reach a new high—or should I say ‘low.’ Do the Grammys reflect the values of mainstream America? Probably not. But they do impact them. One wonders what cultural shifts lie ahead in 2014.

Obama-Care Promotes "Hooking Up"

Back in the 1960s (when I was a teen), the “Hippie Movement” and its consequent “sexual revolution,” along with forces like Hugh Heffner, began to change the way the Western world viewed sex.  In hindsight, we can see it was the seed of a moral decline that has come to full bloom in today’s “hookup culture.” 

It seems we must have reached the zenith of this cultural phenomenon when even the U.S. government promotes casual sex, aka, “hooking up,” as a norm. Last week this advertisement appeared on various social media venues.

Since it's difficult to read the small pint, I will tell you what it says. An excited young woman appears next to a picture board of Ryan Gosling who says, Got Insurance? Hey girl, you're excited about easy access to birth control, and I'm excited about getting to know you. She [the girl in the picture] got insurance. Now you can too. Thanks Obama-Care. 

Has the Church been Halloweened?

It’s that time again: Halloween. One church announcement reads: “Mountains of candy. Crazy decorated trunks. Fire eaters, break dancers, jugglers. Come to Trunk-or-Treat this Thursday. Doors open at 5:30 pm.” And what else are we opening our doors to?

I know there are a ton of conservatives who will be throwing eggs at Christian halloweenies, convinced it is wrong to participate in a day whose origins are as pagan as witches, vampires, ghosts, and devils. Others will innocently claim we have moved far away from Halloween’s beginnings—just as we have from those of Christmas.

So let's put the question to the “redeeming values” test. Does Halloween have any redeeming value, that is, good qualities about something outweighing the bad things? Certainly Christmas has been redeemed from its pagan beginnings. But can the same be said for Hallows Eve, the night before “All Saints Day,” as it is called. Is this an unholy trick? Have we been halloweened!

Angela Jolie probably doesn’t watch Duck Dynasty

In the front section of USA Today on Friday was a feature article, “Letting teenagers have their romantic sleepovers,” the point being it is better for parent/child relationships to let kids ‘do it’ at home. Angela Jolie is cited as one whose mother allowed her to have her boyfriend sleep over when she was only 14—and who plans to be just as liberal with her children (more fodder for TV programs like “Modern American Family”).

This is why I rejoiced to see the Robertson family making the rounds on TV last week, promoting their show "Duck Dynasty" (averaged 8.4 million viewers), along with their Christian values.  In an interview, one of the Robertson brothers, Jase, and his wife Missy, said their faith and family values were  the reason they chose to remain abstinent until marriage, and now see the same commitment in their children.

I can’t guarantee that you will like watching “Duck Dynasty” but we can all thank God that in a time when shows about selfish housewives are peaking, American viewers have fallen in love with a godly family who closes every episode at the dinner table giving thanks and honor to Jesus Christ. Angela Jolie and her children probably won't be watching.

Where's the "Sparkle"?

T.D. Jakes, popular author/pastor has produced a new movie "Sparkle," rife with sexual promiscuity, nudity, domestic abuse, and drugs.  How does Jakes justify such sensuality as entertainment? His feeble attempt to emphasize love, faith and perseverance is over-shadowed by the film's underlying values: deceit, jealousy, strife, greed.

“It has been asked whether certain kinds of entertainment are appropriate for Christians. When entertainment is crude or off-color, the answer seems too obvious. When actions we would never allow in our daily life are part of entertainment, something is wrong. Much of the content of popular entertainment contains elements the Bible expressly forbids. Somehow, when it comes in the form of entertainment, we find it less offensive. In reality it is all the more dangerous. We often let our guard down when engaging in entertainment. I fear we have ben conditioned to accept such things in much the same way that a frog learns to accept ever-warming water, until eventually it is boiled to death. Such is the influence of the entertainment industry in our time.”

The above quote is an excerpt from “Real Christianity” written by William Wilberforce in 1797.  I am sure he never imagined anything like what we call entertainment today!

Occupy Wall Street, Main Street, or Your Street

Having been a college student in the 60’s, I am no stranger to protest movements! The current Occupy Wall Street movement reflects our nation’s anger and frustration. In my opinion, it shares commonalities with its cousin, the Tea Party movement, each one wanting to fix what is wrong with our country. Unlike the Tea Party movement, however, Occupy Wall Street is still amorphous, yet to be defined by a specific set of demands. Both are united by shared values; both are occupied with the idea that something is wrong.

It think it is significant they are using the word “occupy.” Like all earthlings, they are occupied with the things on earth. But you and I know that the wrongs of this world’s systems (financial, governmental, and judicial) will never be righted. That is why we are admonished not to become occupied with them.

“Occupy” means to be busy, engaged, or hard at work. When Jesus used this word—“occupy until I come” (Luke 19:13)—was He not only telling His followers to be fully engaged and hard at work taking care of His business (the kingdom of God), but was He also implying we ought not to let the things of this world occupy too much of our attention? It seems to me that during these troubling times, it will be very easy to pay more attention to the things in the world than to what God is doing. Beware of getting too occupied with Wall Street, or for that matter, even your own street.

What has happened to TV families over the past 60 years?

Tom Bosley, the gentle father of Richie Cunningham on the '70s sitcom Happy Days, died yesterday, right on the heels of another loss, that of iconic TV parent, Barbara Billingsley, of Leave It to Beaver. Their deaths cause me to reflect on the changes in TV families in my lifetime.

I remember the day my dad brought our first television home. It was very small: a 12-inch round screen. My first recollections are of "Howdy Doody," "Lone Ranger," "Mickey Mouse Club," and family sitcoms: "Leave it to Beaver," "Father Knows Best," “My Three Sons,” “The Donna Reed Show,” and "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriett." These families were loving, close-knit, with children who were well-behaved and respectful. Fathers were always available and mothers were nurturing. They were safe. But in the 80’s, all that began to change. TV fathers were either absent (“One Day at a Time”) or foolish (“Married with Children”), with sassy smart-alecky children. The days of the classic family sitcom with wholesome advertisements have been replaced with reality television and noxious commercials.

As I look at the evolution of TV it amazes me at just how far this technology has come in 60 years. From very tiny, snowy, hard to see, black and white tubes to 60+ inch plasma, flat screen, high definition and digital via satellite! But tantamount to the technical incline is the moral decline. The real shame is not that the good old days of television are gone. The tragedy is how TV has become a vehicle for influencing moral corruption: surely what Paul meant when he said "For it is a shame even to speak of those things... because the days are evil." (Eph. 5:12,16).

Apathy is Not On The Menu

I grew up watching some pretty tame family sitcoms (by today’s standards), like “Father Knows Best,” “Leave it to Beaver,” “Ozzie and Harriet!” So it was with special interest I noted USA Today's announcement of 2 new family friendly shows on ABC this Fall: “Cougar Town” and “Modern Family.”

Since “cougar” is vernacular for an older woman who “hunts” younger men, you can guess what that “family” show is about. Then there’s “Modern Family.” Think of all the hot-button ‘family-values’ issues of our day, and you will have a good idea what constitutes ABC’s version of a modern family.

I am convinced the decline of Judeo-Christian values over the last 50 years can be gauged by the moral content of TV programming. Biblically-defined family values have been turned upside-down. In 2 Peter we read that Lott, who lived in Sodom and Gomorrah, was oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men... his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds (2:7-8). I am afraid instead of feeling tormented, the majority of today's evangelical Christians are just feeling indifferent. But apathy is not a choice on the menu for those called to be salt and light to the world, as reflected in Paul's exhortations: Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them...When the light shines on them, it becomes clear how evil these things are. And where your light shines, it will expose their evil deeds. (Eph. 5:11-13, abbreviated, NLT)

What are we to do (besides turning off the TV and going to bed)? As I see it, there are two extremes to avoid: becoming sensualized by the evil or becoming desensitized to it. It's the latter the Bible especially warns of as we approach the end times. The writer of Hebrews says we ought to stimulate and encourage one another all the more as we see the day drawing near, (Heb. 10:24-25, paraphrased) not unlike Paul's warning: Let us not sleep [be indifferent] as others do, but let us watch and be sober (1 Thess. 5:6).