What’s Bothering You? (Part 5)

This post is a continuation of a discussion on an informal survey that was taken by a Christian magazine.

9. Obsession with Sex

The ninth and last area of concern for Christians is, and I quote: “Obsession with sex.” This one is obvious, because we see it every day in advertising, TV, movies, and just about everywhere you can think of. We see it even during the so-called family hour on TV (which has come to be a fiction).

My wife and I will see a new sitcom advertised and think it could be pretty good, so we’ll watch the first episode to check it out. Sure enough, it’s saturated with carnality (like that word?), and not the least bit entertaining. We’ll turn it off about halfway through.

This obsession affects our children, and gives them the wrong impression about what is right and what shouldn’t be done. To show how this is affecting our kids, now teenagers are sexting – sending lewd pictures of themselves via mobile devices, and thinking that is OK! In the movies and on TV, it’s often physical gratification with no love or commitment, and usually without consequences.

What can we do about this obsession? First of all, we should try to shield our children from the worst of it, realizing that we can’t completely protect them. We should monitor what they watch on TV, where they go on the Internet, and which movies they attend. When something inappropriate is depicted on a TV program, we might use it as a teaching moment:
-That’s not what a good boy or girl does.
-You aren’t supposed to do that until after you are married.
-That’s totally unrealistic – real life isn’t like that.
-That’s showing a lack of respect for the other person.

Besides educating and protecting our children, we also need to protect ourselves, and not allow us to be influenced when we see such stuff. As much as possible we should avoid watching TV shows and movies with such themes. Even as adults, we have to keep reminding ourselves that what we see in the media is not real world, isn’t moral or healthy, and there are usually consequences to our actions.

IV. Conclusion

While this discussion centered on concerns by Christians, many other people are equally bothered by what’s happening in the culture. We are seeing the results of this culture shift in the behavior of some people:
-Mass murders, such as at the movie theater in Aurora, Illinois.
-Escapism by drug and alcohol abuse.
-Cheating on exams and other forms of dishonesty.
-Crime, violence, and other forms of anti-social behavior.
-Not wanting to help the less-fortunate.
-Taking the attitude that “it’s all about me.”

All of these have been around since Adam and Eve, but they are probably more prevalent today – how many mass murders were there in the 1950s? I believe the best defense against a culture that is getting more and more decadent is education and vigilance.

There are some good things in the culture, such as art, music, and the like, and some philosophies have some aspects consistent with the Bible. However, since we as people of faith believe the Bible contains God’s truth and is our blueprint for living, that’s what we should focus on. Ignorance of the Bible or mixing biblical and non-biblical worldviews can result in us not living the kind of life God wants us to live. So let’s learn the Bible so we can separate the wheat from the chaff, and also so we can help our children and grandchildren to do the same. Let’s not conform to the world but be truly transformed by the power of God working in us.

Note: Survey is from World Magazine, “What Ails Us” by Joel Belz, (July 28, 2012, Vol 27, No 15, page 3)