Every week there seems to be a new occurrence of a celebrity, politician, or public figure being accused of some kind of sexual misconduct. Any form of unwanted sexual communication or contact is wrong; whether it’s sexting, sexual innuendo, sexual harassment, or rape. Some of these actions are criminal and all are sinful. There is no defense for those who do such things, or for those who manipulate others to do things they would not do of their own choosing. That being said, I would like to share my thoughts on this flurry of constant accusations.
We live in a culture of hyper-hypocrisy. The vast majority of people believe they behave better than they actually do. In some cases, they are arrogant enough to think they can succeed in containing what others were too weak to control. Proverbs 6:27 asks, “Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned?” Verses 32-33 of the same chapter go on to say, “The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; he who would destroy himself does it. Wounds and disgrace he will find, and his reproach will not be blotted out.” Our nation is a sexual inferno, full of men and women who don’t see the danger and destruction of their actions. We have the carnage of wounds and disgrace from the Holy Land to Hollywood and from preachers to presidents, yet it appears there’s more effort in developing fire resistant clothing, if you will, than in not playing with fire.
Because of the current cultural and political climate in America, the one who accuses is more likely to claim the believability advantage over the one being accused. It seems that our society no longer regards people as guilty or innocent but as either accused or not accused. An individual’s political or religious affiliation appears to play a factor in the timing of some accusations, as does the celebrity status or affluence of the accused. Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not saying that all accusations are false but that any credible accusation should have at least one poignant fact to go along with the pointed finger. The facts in each incident cannot be changed, but they often get buried in the process because facts are easily manipulated by media outlets according to their individual perception and perspective.
One of Satan’s names is “accuser”. He doesn’t need evidence to make an accusation stick, just an environment where emotions rule. Accusations also thrive in spiritual apathy. I don’t think apathy is so much about not caring at all; it’s simply not caring about what Jesus cares about. This kind of apathy occurs when a culture no longer values truth, righteousness, and holiness. Jesus usually concluded His remarks about the last days with a clear challenge to pay attention to what He had just said; to be alert and on guard. Unfortunately, many church folks in America these days are more likely to relate a demonic attack to the poor performance of their favorite sports team than to believe in an enemy who can affect minds to believe in salvation without transformation and faith without fruit. After all, Satan just needs the Church to remain apathetic, never examining the evidence for authentic faith.
So how do we deal with such a diabolical enemy? How do we live the Christian life in an accusation culture? Stay tuned for next week’s blog. I want to encourage and equip you to have bold and authentic faith in the day in which we live.