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| Michael S. Williamson—The Washington Post/Getty Images http://time.com/3938935/white-house-rainbow-gay-marriage-decision/ |
Our LGBT friends need to remember that now beloved Liberal politicians, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barrick Obama, once campaigned in favor of traditional marriage. The night before his election victory in 2008, then candidate Obama said, "Marriage is between and a woman." I do not support same sex same weddings though I do oppose California Proposition 8. Much has changed in seven short years.
If I were to summarize the LGBT strategy I would use five simple words: Desensitize, Normalize, Demonize, Legalize, Idolize, (and for some, Victimize)!
Hollywood is not alone in pushing the LGBT agenda. I have also noticed that ESPN and other major sports outlets have made an aggressive push to promote the Gay Rights movement.
Here are a small sample list of illustrations: Jason Collins Sport’s Illustrated cover- The Gay Athlete (April 2013)
ESPN’s nonstop coverage of Michael Sam 2014 draft (Sam was picked in the last round and cut by the Rams shortly after. The Michael Sam sports stories were mostly about his sexual preferences and his courage not so much about his football skills).
After Friday’s Supreme Court Decision ESPN put together a list of “sports stars” who spoke positively of the gay marriage victory. Here are a few ESPN/Twitter examples: NBA player Kennth Faried said, “Love conquers all! #samesexmarriage finally legal in all 50 states. I’m so happy for the LGBT community. Thank you SCOTUS! #loveisintheair."
USA women’s soccer star Alex Morgan wrote- Finally, a big step in the right direction for our country!
NFL player Scott Fujita- Resist the urge to engage in debate with those in opposition to equality. There is NO MORE debate. Just rejoice and celebrate this moment.
During Friday's "star of the night" segment on ESPN Sportscenter one of the hosts awarded his prize to the Supreme Court for their SCOTUS decision in promoting liberty and justice for all. This has become par for the course with ESPN and SI. How is any of this sports related you might ask? It's not, that's the point. (How Did We Get Here? Desensitize, Normalize, Demonize, Legalize, Victimize)!
If time allowed I could cite plenty of examples from professional singers/bands (#lovewins was the hash tag celebrities used to celebrate the SCOTUS ruling). From Sam Smith to Willie Nelson to Josh Groban to Madonna to Lady Gaga; In other words, many of your children and grandchildren's role models used their celebrity platform to celebrate this landmark LGBT victory.
I also do not have time to share quotes and statistic about how the homosexual Agenda is being promoted in many public schools but most school distracts are teaching your children that gay is the new black. In the mind of many educators today, if you oppose the SCOTUS ruling you must be a bigot, a hate monger, and/or an ignorant, narrow-minded fool. Kim Davis (a county clerk), Ms. Stutzman (a florist), and the state of North Carolina (failure to comply with transgender bathroom movement) have all been sued and/or thrown in jail because of their biblical religious convictions. In Canada (and in other nations) preaching the clear testimony of Scripture concerning gender, marriage, and human sexuality is now considered "Hate Speech."
Now before you dismiss this article outright as coming from one of those "angry Baptist preachers" I would encourage you to at least consider the real life examples that are listed below. The goal of this post is not to call on Christians everywhere to boycott Hollywood. Every Spirit-filled believer has to make their own Biblically informed decisions as to what they are going to watch, listen to, and read. Unlike some pastors, I do not believe that Christian liberty should not be taken away from believers just because it is regularly abused (for more on what the Bible teaches concerning grey area decisions consider this, this, and this).
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| Photo credit: Annie Leibovitz: Vanity Fair |
Contrary to popular opinion, TV shows and movies are almost never "agenda-less" entertainment. People write books and movie scripts with a certain worldview and with specific goals in mind. My blog is no different. I have a Christian worldview and I believe that the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. I try and convince my "audience" to follow the clear teachings of Scripture as an expression of love for Christ (John 14:15); but now I digress. Back to the widespread influence of Hollywood. Neal Postman observed correctly long ago that many Americans are simply “amusing themselves to death.” This means that most church kids know far more about the entertainment world then the world of the Bible. They know far more secular songs than sacred songs. They spend more time watching TV/movies then just about anything else. In view of this, as my Greek professor often said, "We need to be aware so we can beware."
Suffice it to say, the amount of shows on TV today that promote the LGBT agenda are too numerous to count. Here is a VERY small sampling:
Disney Channel- Many parents assume that everything on Disney is kid friendly. Then along came Good Luck Charlie- “Taylor has two moms.”
Disney Children's Movie(s)- The most iconic Disney princess story of all time included the first "elusively gay moment" in the 2017 release of Beauty and the Beast. Many in the LGBT community however felt like the pro-gay message in this children's movie was not "gay enough." If these Huffington post authors lives long enough I am certain they will not be so disappointed in future kids movies.
Disney Children's Movie(s)- The most iconic Disney princess story of all time included the first "elusively gay moment" in the 2017 release of Beauty and the Beast. Many in the LGBT community however felt like the pro-gay message in this children's movie was not "gay enough." If these Huffington post authors lives long enough I am certain they will not be so disappointed in future kids movies.
ABC Family- Has many popular programs for tweens and teens. Series like Pretty Little Liars, the Fosters, and Ryan Seacreast’s new reality series, Becoming Us. Becoming us is "a reality show about a boy who learns not only are his parents getting a divorce but also his father is becoming a “woman.”
TV Shows for 'grown-ups' (past and present): Programs like Roseanne; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; Once Upon a Time; Bones; Glee; How I met your Mother all have/had GLBT characters on it and the list goes on and on.
Even classic television programs like PBS Masterpiece include homosexual characters and more subtle pro-gay stories. Take for example Downtown Abbey, Call the Midwife, and Sherlock.
There are obvious LGBT movies like Brokeback Mountain and more covert pro-gay movies like Imitation Games. As many of you know, the sheer quantity of Hollywood movies with LGBT characters increases each month.
There are obvious LGBT movies like Brokeback Mountain and more covert pro-gay movies like Imitation Games. As many of you know, the sheer quantity of Hollywood movies with LGBT characters increases each month.
Of course if you subscribe to any premium channels like Starz, HBO, Showtime (which I do not recommend) you know that most of the popular series on these channels contains large quantities of nudity, sex scenes, and LGBT characters.
If you're looking for a good resource to help inform your entertainment choices check out http://www.pluggedinonline.com/.
Hollywood is not alone in pushing the LGBT agenda. I have also noticed that ESPN and other major sports outlets have made an aggressive push to promote the Gay Rights movement.
Here are a small sample list of illustrations: Jason Collins Sport’s Illustrated cover- The Gay Athlete (April 2013)
ESPN’s nonstop coverage of Michael Sam 2014 draft (Sam was picked in the last round and cut by the Rams shortly after. The Michael Sam sports stories were mostly about his sexual preferences and his courage not so much about his football skills).
After Friday’s Supreme Court Decision ESPN put together a list of “sports stars” who spoke positively of the gay marriage victory. Here are a few ESPN/Twitter examples: NBA player Kennth Faried said, “Love conquers all! #samesexmarriage finally legal in all 50 states. I’m so happy for the LGBT community. Thank you SCOTUS! #loveisintheair."
USA women’s soccer star Alex Morgan wrote- Finally, a big step in the right direction for our country!
NFL player Scott Fujita- Resist the urge to engage in debate with those in opposition to equality. There is NO MORE debate. Just rejoice and celebrate this moment.
During Friday's "star of the night" segment on ESPN Sportscenter one of the hosts awarded his prize to the Supreme Court for their SCOTUS decision in promoting liberty and justice for all. This has become par for the course with ESPN and SI. How is any of this sports related you might ask? It's not, that's the point. (How Did We Get Here? Desensitize, Normalize, Demonize, Legalize, Victimize)!
If time allowed I could cite plenty of examples from professional singers/bands (#lovewins was the hash tag celebrities used to celebrate the SCOTUS ruling). From Sam Smith to Willie Nelson to Josh Groban to Madonna to Lady Gaga; In other words, many of your children and grandchildren's role models used their celebrity platform to celebrate this landmark LGBT victory.
"As early as 1989 homosexual activists came up with a basic 6-point agenda:
1. Talk about gays and gayness as loudly and as often as possible(...)
2. Portray gays as victims, not as aggressive challengers(...)
3. Give homosexual protectors a just cause(...)
4. Make gays look good(...)
5. Make the victimizers look bad(...)
6. Get funds from corporate America"
1. Talk about gays and gayness as loudly and as often as possible(...)
2. Portray gays as victims, not as aggressive challengers(...)
3. Give homosexual protectors a just cause(...)
4. Make gays look good(...)
5. Make the victimizers look bad(...)
6. Get funds from corporate America"
Long ago James Dobson described the homosexual agenda as follows: Their goals include universal acceptance of the gay lifestyle, discrediting of scriptures that condemn homosexuality, muzzling of the clergy and Christian media, granting of special privileges and rights in the law, overturning laws prohibiting pedophilia, indoctrinating children and future generations through public education, and securing all the legal benefits of marriage for any two or more people who claim to have homosexual tendencies.
How should we respond? For now I direct you to some of the most biblical, articulate, educated, and helpful articles. Dr. Al Mohler's article here, Dr. Voddie Baucham's article here, & Dr. John Piper's article here.
Dr. Mohler concluded his fine article with this timely word of encouragement. "We cannot be silent, and we cannot join the moral revolution that stands in direct opposition to what we believe the Creator has designed, given, and intended for us. We cannot be silent, and we cannot fail to contend for marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
In one sense, everything has changed. And yet, nothing has changed. The cultural and legal landscape has changed, as we believe this will lead to very real harms to our neighbors. But our Christian responsibility has not changed. We are charged to uphold marriage as the union of a man and a woman and to speak the truth in love. We are also commanded to uphold the truth about marriage in our own lives, in our own marriages, in our own families, and in our own churches.
We are called to be the people of the truth, even when the truth is not popular and even when the truth is denied by the culture around us. Christians have found themselves in this position before, and we will again. God’s truth has not changed. The Holy Scriptures have not changed. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has not changed. The church’s mission has not changed. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever."
-------A shorter version of this same article can be found here. This article was first published on 6/27/15.
In one sense, everything has changed. And yet, nothing has changed. The cultural and legal landscape has changed, as we believe this will lead to very real harms to our neighbors. But our Christian responsibility has not changed. We are charged to uphold marriage as the union of a man and a woman and to speak the truth in love. We are also commanded to uphold the truth about marriage in our own lives, in our own marriages, in our own families, and in our own churches.
We are called to be the people of the truth, even when the truth is not popular and even when the truth is denied by the culture around us. Christians have found themselves in this position before, and we will again. God’s truth has not changed. The Holy Scriptures have not changed. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has not changed. The church’s mission has not changed. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever."
-------A shorter version of this same article can be found here. This article was first published on 6/27/15.
