Thursday; August 5

The other night, Jeane and I decided that we wanted to watch something different than our typical diet of cop shows and comedies, so we picked out a movie that had a cute storyline and some well-known actors. We lasted about fifteen minutes. In that time, we were overwhelmed by the social stereotypes, sexual innuendo, foul language and racial slurs. I don’t know if I even liked the story – I couldn’t get passed all the other stuff. Folks, I don’t consider us to be prudes, but we just couldn’t take it! Now, the reason I share this with you is not to condemn a particular movie, but to comment about something I felt as I reflected on the experience. Over the last few years, Hollywood has been vocal about the evils of the American society. They have condemned our forefathers and current morays – then they produce something that puts many of the same failings on display. The next time I hear someone from the entertainment industry ridicule my beliefs, I will probably reflect on what I heard in those fifteen minutes and will dismiss it as lip service.

While I would like to attribute all hypocrisy to those in Tinseltown, it is an easy trap for us all – especially Christians. We need to be vocal about the ills in our world, but if we want to be heard by the world, they need to see our purity. If we are going to condemn sin, we had better not be living in it. Jesus is quoted as using the word “hypocrite” over a dozen times in the Gospels – most often as it applies to those who professed religion. As Jesus addressed the problem in His day He demanded, “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5). We can’t stop hypocrisy in modern media, but we need to make sure we avoid it in our lives.

Think About It!

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