Getting Over The O.R.

Neal Pollard

Several years ago, actor Fisher Stevens produced the movie thriller Awake about a young man who needs a heart transplant amidst all kinds of mayhem.  Stevens was interviewed about how he prepared for his role as a doctor in the motion picture.  He spoke of going into the operating theatre of a certain hospital to watch surgeons do their work.  At first, he said he closed his eyes and felt faint when trying to watch.  Yet, as he made himself watch the inevitable gore and details of these surgeries, he said he got to the point where he could not stop watching.

Whatever embellishment Stevens was doing, he pinpoints normal human nature.  A person, through curiosity, repeated exposure, and familiarity, can come to embrace and long for what once repelled and repulsed him.  A person who has watched television twenty, thirty, or more years may be watching today what would have so completely revolted him in those long ago years.  Those who expose themselves to pornography can find the same net effect in his or her heart, desiring what at one point would have disgusted them.  Even living in a society whose views have moved steadily away from God's will can find themselves, philosophically and spiritually, embracing what once would have repulsed them. Whenever we allow ourselves to continue to see, hear, or think of things that might at first spiritually offend or outrage us, we will likely grow to the point that we embrace it.

Let us keep our hearts and consciences sharp, pure, and clean.  May we see sin for what it is and stay uncomfortable and bothered by it.  Otherwise, we will eventually come to love what God hates. 

NBC’s "The New Normal"

 

If you have watched TV on NBC lately, then you have seen previews for their newest comedy called The New Normal.  This show debuted earlier this week and 7 million households tuned-in.  Take a look at the plot of this show:

“In NBC's comedy The New Normal, Bryan and David are a loving and committed gay couple with successful careers, a gorgeous house, and everything else a person could want, except one thing: a child.  But with plenty of money, the lack of an in-home womb is no problem, and Bryan and David soon rent the services of Goldie, a Midwestern mama who's just left her cheating husband and wants David and Bryan's cash to attend law school and make a better life for her precocious young daughter.  Crashing the party is Jane, Goldie's concerned grandma, who doesn't like the idea of her granddaughter serving as a surrogate for anyone, much less a gay couple, since she's a loud-mouthed and unabashed bigot.  But when sperm meets egg and a baby happens, all of these motley characters are stitched together into one big mostly happy decidedly non-traditional family” (Common Sense Media).

Judging from the title, it is pretty obvious that the goal of this show is to redefine what is “normal.”  One might think homosexuality is abnormal, but this show’s goal is to show it as an ordinary part of life.  It also seems worth noting that the creator of this show, Ryan Murphy, is openly gay.  Clearly there are some agendas he is trying to push through this show.  Murphy is also the creator of other questionable shows such as Glee, Nip/Tuck, and Popular.  Actor Justin Bartha, who plays the role of one of the gay men, said this about the show, “I actually do hope people are offended by it.  I think hopefully it will get conversations started in family homes and that families who love it will love it for what it is, a compassionate and loving family with many positive aspects.  And the ones who are offended by it or find that it strikes them as offensive, hopefully they will maybe realize that they’re bigots and they’re ignorant and possibly our show can usher in a little more acceptance” (WashingtonBlade.com).

Taking all of this into consideration, here is my take on this show.  It seems increasingly clear that NBC, Ryan Murphy, and other media avenues are pushing for widespread acceptance of homosexuality.  They also purposely put in a hardnosed and rude character, one that most people would naturally dislike, to represent those who do not accept homosexuality (aka Christians).  They are displaying the homosexual characters as nice, successful, likeable, and normal people.  All of this is included so that more people will accept the gay lifestyle as “the new normal.”

My take aside, and most importantly, what is God’s take on this show?  First, homosexuality is called unnatural (Romans 1:26-27).  This makes homosexuality anything but normal.  After all, it is impossible for two people of the same gender to produce a baby.  Their bodies are simply not compatible with each other.  Second, God only approves of the relationship between a man and a woman (Genesis 1-2; 2:18f; 2:24; Matthew 19:1f; 1 Corinthians 3:18f; etc).  This was the model He started life with and has commanded throughout Scripture.   Third, God clearly condemns homosexuality in Scripture (Genesis 19; Leviticus 18:22, 29; 20:13; Romans 1:26-28; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 1:9-10; 2 Peter 2:6-8; Jude 5-7; etc).

So, does God approve of the TV show The New Normal?  If we are honest with the Scriptures, we have to answer “No.”  Therefore, I hope and pray that we will stand with God and chose not to watch or support NBC’s The New Normal.

Inviting A Stranger Into The House

Several years ago the parents of a particular family were introduced to a stranger.  He seemed like a decent guy, so they invited him into their house.  To their surprise, this stranger was an incredible storyteller and very personable (even if he was an incessant talker).  The kids especially loved him.  He would walk everyone’s imaginations through adventures and mysteries.  He would tell jokes until their stomachs hurt from laughing.  He even had unparalleled knowledge of animals and other facts about life. 

It didn’t take long for this stranger to become quite popular with the family.  You might even say that he became a family friend.  This stranger connected so well with the family that they decided to let him stick around for a while.  Almost every day he would captivate the family for hours with his incredible tales.

Even though this family was an upright and faithful Christian family, the stranger didn’t seem to want to abide by their rules.  He would use bad language that made the parents shift uncomfortably, but they never said anything to him about it.  He drank often and encouraged them to do the same.  Sometimes he would light up a cigarette or cigar right in front of them.  He really made it look cool and popular  There were even a few times when he brought drugs.  Beyond all of this, he talked openly about sex.  He would use suggestive, blatant, and descriptive terms.  He told the family it was okay to have sex before marriage and that homosexual relationships were no big deal.  Still though, the parents felt uncomfortable and didn’t want to interrupt him since he had become such a loved part of the family.  Day after day this stranger was bringing these things into the house, but was never rebuked or corrected for his bad influence.

What was this stranger’s name?  This family simply called him…TV.

Nearly every household in America loves this stranger.  99% of all American households have a TV in the home.  “According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year).  In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube” (csun.edu).

We would NEVER allow an actual person to come into our homes speaking and acting in such ways.  So why do we allow it to happen through the TV?

Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

This applies to every part of our life.  Does our TV watching fit within these guidelines?