Effects of the Media: Part 4 -- The Great Escape

After witnessing so much evil promoted via the media, I have to wonder why it is so alluring to people. Why do people abandon the path of the Lord and willingly follow a cheap imitation of life? I believe most of it has to do with wanting to escape the pressures of life itself, especially a life of righteousness. Since the rise of the hand-held media, humans have been escaping the need to self-reflect and sit quietly for a while. I rarely witness a person sitting quietly without earplugs or an iPod or a video game. The thought of sitting still and not doing anything but thinking or praying is terrifying to a great number of people. Why is this? Well, why should they when they can be amused and avoiding the nagging suspicion that something is missing in their life? They can attempt the fill the gaping hole in their heart with what the media claims will "complete" them, like sex or materialism.

These are the results of a culture saturated by godless media, who eagerly promote sin and a "freeing" escape from righteousness:

• Instead of focusing on God, people focus on how to get away with breaking rules.

• Instead of focusing on what makes a Godly relationship, people focus on how to improve the pleasure for self.

• Instead of self-reflecting, people distract themselves with media and consumerism.

• Instead of living life, people live it vicariously through a godless character.

Where does it lead these people? To a life of bondage, sin, and oppression and eventually -- Hell, the final and ultimate separation from God. This seems really dramatic, but it is the sad truth of our culture. We must be passionate about setting people free just as Jesus was.

Luke 4:17-21 "And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,
¹⁸"THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,
BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.
HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,
AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,
TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,
¹⁹TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD."
²⁰And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. ²¹And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Discussing the effects of the media has been a horrifying and eye-opening experience. Not wanting to sound redundant, I will shy away from replacing "Lust" with every other sin the media shamelessly promotes and leave you with the gist of my findings: Proverbs 5:1-9 (imagine the 'adulteress' as the media -- who abandon the ideals of God and all the good they could do and leap willingly into bed with Satan)

^"1My son, give attention to my wisdom,
Incline your ear to my understanding;
²That you may observe discretion
And your lips may reserve knowledge.
³For the lips of an adulteress drip honey
And smoother than oil is her speech;
⁴But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
⁵Her feet go down to death,
Her steps take hold of Sheol.
⁶She does not ponder the path of life;
Her ways are unstable, she does not know it.
⁷Now then, my sons, listen to me
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.
⁸Keep your way far from her
And do not go near the door of her house,
⁹Or you will give your vigor to others
And your years to the cruel one;"

Hopefully if you've read my previous blogs on the Effects of the Media you will see how the media twists the Truth to ensnare souls. I do not suggest that as Christians, we should permanently avoid the media; however, take great discretion and care when allowing doses of potential poison to enter your mind. The eye does not readily forget what it has seen and the lasting impressions of an alluring sinful life may tempt a soul to the point of sin.

May it never be! May we never encourage this evil to continue.

If you currently find yourself ensnared by the media -- whether with an un-Biblical mindset, relationship, or means of entertainment -- and want to escape it, there is a way out. While the media offers a cheap imitation of life as an escape, Jesus Christ is the Great Escape from all evil and unrighteousness. Call upon Him in all humility and grace to rid your life of sin. There is no sin too big to be forgiven, and there is no sin too great to escape immediately. Even if you have been addicted to porn for years, you can be set free by committing your whole heart and mind to the path of the Lord. Take heart in knowing that "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13 Confess your sin to God and tell of your struggles to a trusted Christian. You are never alone; Jesus was given to set us free. John 8:36: "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed."

Amen.

Effects of the Media: Part 3 -- "Femininity" and (de)Masculinity

Similar to the topic of love, the roles of men and women in today's society is worthy of a string of blogs. I will concentrate on the direct effect of the media on the portrayal of roles and shy away from the controversial topics of equality and leadership. I think we will all agree that America changed its views on the roles of men and women in society quite often in the past century. While some changes brought liberation to the enslaved, more recent and disturbing changes are bringing the "land of the free" into a lifestyle of sin and extreme unhappiness.

Media portrayal as it relates to intimate relationships

Women are only considered mature when they are sexual objects, to be conquered and appraised. Women should appreciate the attention, as it gives them a better selection of mates. Do you ever notice that female child stars will not be given older roles in movies unless they "put out" first? Female singers dress like strippers and the ultimate beauty contest has women walking around in bikinis onstage. The mark of a woman's worth is her transparent sexuality.

Young men are typically portrayed as glamorous womanizers, marking their masculinity by "conquering" the most females. Middle-aged men are shown as disgruntled and sexually dissatisfied husbands who seek elsewhere to fulfill their needs; the majority of movies and TV shows I have seen portray this in a negative light, but this behavior has become more socially acceptable in recent years on TV and real life.

Consequences: I already discussed some consequences of a sex-drenched media in my earlier blog, "Effects of the Media: Part 2 -- Warped Love and Sexuality". Among the divorce rates and rampant rise in sexually transmitted diseases, there is an insatiable thirst for sex. Sex was never meant to be the thing to base a relationship on or to find fulfillment in; however, our society has made everything sexual in a vain attempt to find lasting satisfaction. Sex is glamorized in the media and gives people a false sense of its true purpose and function, ultimately disappointing the millions who believed it to be a necessary and lasting proponent of a relationship. ^"15To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. ¹⁶They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed." Titus 1:15-16

Media portrayal as it relates to work and the home

Women must react against the chauvinist pigs and propel their worthiness by refusing to be "just a mother". Women must hold down a demanding job while nearly single-handedly rearing their children into responsible adults. They typically feel resentment toward their husband, who is either too focused on his career or not enough. This leaves the wives feeling unappreciated and overwhelmed with juggling duties. The wife finds solace in asserting her intelligence; after all, what are husbands good for if she does it all?

Men are inept at raising children and allow the children to do precisely what the mother said not to do, as long as they keep it a secret. The men feel trapped in a career they no longer love and must remain in it to support the growing family and the demands of a materialistic life; conversely, they love their career too much and neglect their family emotionally while providing for them physically. Most of the time the men feel like they deserve something for their sacrifices. When the wife does not provide this "something", whether it be sex or respect, they seek elsewhere to find it.

Consequences: Marriages are more of a business transaction than a relationship. The husband and wife resent each other and feel trapped in a loveless, draining marriage based entirely on rearing children. There is no unity among husband and wife, no lasting affection, and no respect. ²²"Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. ²³For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity." Acts 8:22-23

The new "norm" of society due to the media portrayals: Do it all, be it all

Men are expected to sow their wild oats, lead a monogamous life, and inevitably stray. They are expected to be dangerous, exciting, able to make decisions but defer to the woman (lest they be called a chauvinist). The men must also tap into their feminine side by improving their communication skills; however, if they do this they must be gay. Men must be perfect gentlemen and open doors for women, but if they do they must believe women are weaker!

Women are expected to be as sexually appealing as they can be to attract the straying men, ensnare them with their womanly wiles, have children to trap the men into a monogamous lifestyle, raise successful children while holding down a demanding career.

The men in our world are being thrown contradicting half-lies. They are always receiving criticism and never respect or encouragement. Instead of being encouraged to lead, they must be submissive so that the equality of their relationship with their wife is never questioned by outsiders. But if they don't make decisions they are considered weak. The men cannot win! Why should they even bother trying? The women in our world have always suffered from low self-esteem and crippling doubt. The one thing women have that men do not is their alluring sexuality. Women know they can typically succeed in manipulating men with their sexual advances. "And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her." Ecclesiastes 7:26 While they have been treated unfairly in the past, women now equate anything that men typically do that women are not encouraged to do with inequality and chauvinism. This can range from legitimate concerns about prejudice in the workforce to paranoid complaints about men automatically paying for dinner. In their search for equality and freedom, women found slavery to the belief that they can be just like men -- only better.

"It is a naive sort of feminism that insists that women prove their ability to do all the things that men do. This is a distortion and a travesty. Men have never sought to prove that they can do all the things women do. Why subject women to purely masculine criteria? Woman can and ought to be judged by the criteria of femininity, for it is in their femininity that they participate in the human race. And femininity has its limitations. So has masculinity." Elisabeth Elliot, Let me be a Woman

What if?

But what if the majority of America did not look like this? What if Christians took a noble stand and defied the media and public expectations? It would look a lot like this:

^"2Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. ³Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, ⁴so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, ⁵to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. ⁶Likewise urge the young men to be sensible;⁷in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, ⁸sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us." Titus 2: 2-8

^"The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will." 2 Timothy 2: 24-26

"⁹How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word." Psalm 119:9

Why is this not so easy?

Honestly, it IS that easy. Follow Jesus' example, rejoice in the will of the Father, and He will faithfully teach you His commandments. God would not give you a commandment if it were impossible to follow. Most of the time, people are enslaved by fear. They fear that the world will hate them if they follow Jesus' teachings. They fear losing their worldly respect and endangering their promotion. Is this a good enough reason to defy the living God? NO. This is absolutely hypocritical behavior! Of course we will be persecuted for standing up against evil and leading a life of Absolute Truth.

⁸"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. ¹⁰Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:8-12

^"18For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, ¹⁹promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. ²⁰For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. ²¹For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them." 2 Peter 2:18-21 (bold mine)

" ⁹But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?" Galatians 4:9

We must speak out against the media when it spouts lies. If a TV show says that women are entitled to view men as sexual objects because men do it to women, I encourage you to speak out against it at the appropriate time. Even just a "well that's horrible" will stick in a person's mind and make them wonder why you disliked that statement. They might think you take things too seriously or they might get into a conversation because of it. More than just speaking out against it, we must model the Biblical approach to our relationships, work and home lives. We cannot defeat evil by encouraging evil; we must fight it with Truth.

May God grant you the strength you need to appropriately fight media's lies.