Probably by now everyone is tired of hearing about the homosexual media event of the season, otherwise known as Ellen’s “Coming Out,” which occurred about one-and-one-half weeks ago. Some, of course, yawned and wondered why anyone would care, but the answer became clear Wednesday evening as the media hyped the event and homosexuals threw parties.
Public reaction seems favorable. Comments have included: “That’s the funniest Ellen I’ve ever seen”; “Why would anyone object to it; it was so tastefully done”; and “These people just want to be themselves; they’re not harming anyone.”
The “tastefully done” gambit appears to be in an infinite loop. “Well, yes, this movie does glorify two gangsters, but it is so tastefully done.” “Sure, this movie has some nudity and sex in it, but it is so tastefully done.” “All right, so Jesus is blasphemed and made to contradict His own teachings in this movie, even to the point of immorality, but Scorcese made it, and it is tastefully done.” Hasn’t this phrase outlived its usefulness?
A movie or television program can be as immoral, offensive, and anti-Biblical as it wants to be, and someone will come along to defend and praise it with such epithets as: “Oh, it has a few shortcomings, but the music is fantastic, the cinematography is gorgeous, the script is hilarious, and it was so tastefully done.” It’s the same attitude that Professor Henry Higgins expressed in My Fair Lady about the morals of a neighboring country: “The French don’t care what they do actually so long as they pronounce it properly.”
One wonders if God has categories: ugly sin, regular sin, tastefully done sin. All efforts to mask and disguise sin are simply part of Satan’s deception to get people to accept it. Sadly, it seems to be working on many. Although the influence of the entertainment and news media (according to statistics) appears to be waning, they still have enough power to convince the weak-minded to elect to office a morally bankrupt candidate or win public approval for one of the most despicable sins that ever occurred to womankind.
The Problem
First of all, the media’s continual bombardment over the last five years in favor of homosexuality has changed the attitudes of many people. It is almost as though someone threw a switch and most of the newspapers, magazines, and television executives all said, “Let’s get homosexuality accepted.” Those who contradict this “politically correct” view are maligned as homophobes and bigots. Many sheep-like Americans have concluded, “Duh, yeah, it’s just an alternate lifestyle. It’s too bad all those prejudiced people exist out there.”
Acceptance of this sin is so widespread that it begins with the seediest back alley in town and ends with endorsements from the White House. [Come to think of it, in Washington, D.C., the two may not be all that far removed.] The following account came across the Internet a few days ago; it appeared in The London Times and has also been cited by other news sources. Unfortunately, it reflects the view of our national leadership and a growing segment of society.
In what is fast becoming “lesbian week” in America, Ellen DeGeneres, the television star, and her newly-declared girlfriend embraced and stood with their arms around each other when they were presented to President Clinton.
Mr. Clinton, who is, if anything, a president for all minorities, smiled broadly and did everything he could to encourage Ms. DeGeneres and her lover, Anne Heche. The couple met the President at a Washington dinner at which, arguably, they and Mr. Clinton vied for top billing.
In the past, to meet the President was to stand to attention, straighten one’s collar and remind oneself to call the fellow “sir.” Ms. DeGeneres and her girlfriend showed that this has been replaced by a new protocol. With her right hand, the television star gave a passionate squeeze to the waist of Ms. Heche who, with her left hand, gave her lover’s shoulder a sisterly stroke. Mr. Clinton’s reaction was to laugh and smile.
Yes, it is disillusioning–not to mention obvious–that such a public display is nothing less than an “in-your-face” demand to accept the perversion of homosexuality. The television show has “created extraordinary excitement in gay circles.” Hundreds of “Come Out With Ellen” parties occurred in the United states “and in countries as far flung as Finland and Japan.” A group calling itself the Human Rights Campaign sent out “2,600 party kits to applicants.” They included “gay rights trivia questions, a promotional video, and exhortations from 20 prominent lesbians.”
The Real Problem
These events would not occur in a nation that feared God and respected His word. Christians must face the fact that this country’s citizens no longer know nor care what the Bible teaches. Such are the fruits of the theological position “doctrine doesn’t matter,” which many adopted years ago. It should be no surprise that now the philosophy has become “morality doesn’t matter.” If TRUTH does not matter in one area, it does not matter in any area. So just as we have been asked to fellowship every false doctrine, we are now being asked to fellowship every immorality.
The Bible clearly teaches that homosexuality is wrong. In fact, hardly anything could be clearer. As if Genesis 19:4-5 were not enough (and this should be read by all the naive live-and-let-live Americans), the Law of Moses required the death penalty for homosexuals (Lev. 20:13). And in case anyone wonders if God changed his opinion of the sin, Paul calls it a vile passion, against nature, and an evidence that God has given up on such a people (Rom. 1:24-28). And if that is not enough, Jude, the brother of the Lord, wrote that the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, for their going after strange flesh, “are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” (Jude 7).
However, one cannot expect that people who are ignorant of the Word of God will stand up for what it teaches. The battle for America’s soul has been lost. From a once lofty height, we have slithered down the pathway to DeGeneresy. Thirty-five million abortions attest to the fact that we have far surpassed any pagan nation that offered up their children to idols. We have little respect for human life, and we cannot blush at perversion.
Most Americans think that if we have a strong economy, God approves of us. So did Israel. Amos declared: “Woe to you who are at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1). Yes, as long as they could stretch out on their couches (even though they didn’t have a remote to channel surf with), eat sumptuously, and lose themselves in entertainment (Amos 6:4-6), they could put immoralities and injustices aside. “Yes, as long as I am comfortable, God is in his heaven, and all’s fairly right with the world,” we fool ourselves into thinking.
Solutions
At this point options are few. The first thing to do is to make sure that we know the Bible ourselves. The second thing is to cut ourselves off from all corrupt influences that we have control over. The third thing is to speak out against immoralities publicly, as we have opportunity. Fourth, pray for God’s patience to be extended for a while longer.
Fifth, we need to get back to our work of evangelism. It is incredible how sidetracked we in the Lord’s church have become. Have we not quenched the evangelistic spirit we once had? How many people are being converted to Jesus every year? Cults are growing; other world religions are growing. Satanism is growing! And we sit around arguing about how the Holy Spirit dwells in the Christian when both sides agree that He does. Others have elevated the use of “women translators” to one of pre-eminence, dwarfing practically all else. Maybe next we could tackle the medieval question of how many angels can fit on the head of a pin.
What a luxury it is not to have anything important to do so that we can devote all of our attention to these major issues. Meanwhile, this nation stands on the brink of the abyss, and our fervency for preaching the gospel of Christ has cooled. [Note well: these observations are not offered to denigrate or minimize doctrine, which is previously stated in this article as crucial; the purpose is to question our priorities (Matt. 23:23).]
The only hope America has is US. Preaching the gospel carries with it a double benefit–it saves people’s souls and causes them to adhere to Biblical morality. Who knows how much longer we have to reach people before those freedoms are taken away or severely hindered? Let’s conduct ourselves as if we had important goals to reach and time were running out!