Tuesday, September 8, 2015

8/31/15

AshleyMadison.com launched a web site in 2001 as a place for people, in ostensibly committed relationships, to go if they wanted to cheat on their spouse or significant other.  Their marketing slogan… “Life is short.  Have an affair.” The additional allure was the promise of anonymity/secrecy.  But alas, once again the things done in secret have been shouted from the housetops.  The Ashley Madison database was hacked.  Their records have been distributed in the public domain.  But this time the national expose of secret sins has not resulted in the shaming of anyone who is particularly well known. [I think Josh Duggar is the only person ‘outted’ of whom I had heard.  And I would not have known his name except for his public confession, a few weeks earlier, to the molestation of his little sisters during his teen years.]  Rather, this time the dark shroud of immorality has been stripped away exposing the sad lies and secret lives of a staggering 30,000,000 individuals… mostly regular folks.  The population of the United States is only 310,000,000!  This means one in ten people in our country have been implicated in this scandal. It means that no matter who you are, you probably know someone who has pursued this course to marital or relational unfaithfulness.  For some it is but a fantasy you say?  They would never act on their fantasy you say?  Listen… if you shop, there is no guarantee you won’t buy.  If you flirt, there is no guarantee you won’t be seduced.  If you chase a fantasy, you will likely capture it… whether sooner or later.  And for many today, their secret life of shame is now common knowledge. 

During the same week as the Ashley Madison hack, an Old Dominion University fraternity made the news by welcoming new female students and their fathers to the campus with garish black letters scrawled on white sheets hanging from balconies… “Freshman daughter drop off” and “Drop off mom too”… An ominous harbinger of the very real danger faced by college girls, 25% of whom, according to a survey of graduating seniors girls done by the University of Iowa, were subjected to sexual molestation, sexual abuse or date rape during their four years of college.  So, dads… entrusted with the protection of and provision for your daughters… what do you think of these odds?

I remember the late 60’s and the ‘free love’ movement in the culture.  It was dubbed the ‘sexual revolution.’  And Ed Stetzer is right… “A revolution means that a war is being fought. In revolutions, bombs are dropped, attacks are launched and there are thousands of casualties. Sadly, today the war is being waged against the way of Jesus… that marriage is between a man and a woman, becoming one flesh, in one marriage, in one sexual relationship, for one lifetime.”  And for those who have failed to follow His way… the cross of Christ stands as a reminder that a way has still been made.

So, if you are on the list, or know someone who is… four words in order: brokenness andforgiveness and righteousness and wholeness.  And here is an infinitely better slogan than Ashley Madison’s: “Teach us how short our life is, so that we may become wise.” Psalm 90:12 

Pray with me… Lord, we are ashamed of and sorry for our culture.  But we rejoice in the fact that Jesus is full of both grace and truth.  In our better moments we know His way is the supreme way.  Help us to live with the end, our end, in mind.  Life is short.  Help us to become wiser with every passing day.  In the name of Jesus, amen.

Blessings,
Pastor Ken

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