Are We Boiling Yet?

I had the privilege of joining my daughter’s Bible study group last Friday. We had a great discussion about Christianity in our culture. One of the girls asked me what I thought of some currently acceptable forms of entertainment and leisure activities that many Christians participate in. I told her the story of the frog.

I’ve heard, although I’ve never tried this myself, that if you try to throw a frog into a pot of boiling water, he will immediately hop right back out. Smart froggie, that one. However, if you toss a frog into a pot of cool water and slowly turn up the heat, he will contentedly swim about until he boils to death. Apparently, he can’t decipher the nuances of change in the temperature until it’s too late.

This is the same tactic the enemy of God uses on us. He knows if he suddenly introduced pornography, violence, immorality, cruelty etc. into our culture Christians would have fiercely opposed them. But by introducing these things slowly, turning up the heat just an increment at a time, we don’t see anything drastic enough to be alarmed about.

Take television shows for instance. Years ago there was Casper the Friendly Ghost – a chubby little guy who does good deeds to help others. There was also Bewitched – a sweet housewife who just wants to live a normal mortal life. And I Dream of Jeannie – a voluptuous harem girl; hundreds of years old, yet innocent and naïve, living with a single man (but she sleeps in her bottle of course).

Today, television is rife with witchcraft, werewolves, sorcerers, ghosts, and demonic activity. They’re not only accepted in our culture, but popular children’s fare and the latest sex symbols for wide-eyed American girls. I can’t even begin to address the constant use of lewd conversation, illicit sex, violence, and profanity of God’s name.

In our schools, they told us we needed a “separation between church and state” so they removed the Ten Commandments and Prayer. Now lesbian and homosexual couples are allowed to grope each other in the hallways, yet a Christian student is expelled for praying over his lunch. Is the water getting a bit too warm for your taste?

One writer asked: What if you set a warm pan of brownies on the table for your family, but just as they leaned in to devour their favorite treat, you announced that a little poop got in the batter when you were making them. “It shouldn’t be a problem though,” you say. “You’ll hardly notice it at all.” Do you think they would still dig in?   

The thought of it turns my stomach, and yet I find myself guilty. Someone asks what I think of a particular show and I say, “It’s really good; it only had a little language/innuendo/violence.” The same goes for comedy acts, plays, concerts, books. It seems like everywhere you turn, there’s poop in our brownies!

If we’re not careful about what we consume, pretty soon we’re not only going to put up with it as a necessary evil, but develop a taste for poop, asking for another helping on the side. And if we don’t test the temperature of the water from time to time and run from evil, we will end up like that poor frog – lulled to death by the slowly changing culture around us.

Here’s a few challenging phrases from Ephesians 5:6-17, New Living:

·         Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins

·         Don’t participate in the things these people do

·         Live as people of light!

·         Carefully determine what pleases the Lord

·         Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them

·         Be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise

·         Make the most of every opportunity  

·         Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do