Did you see the MTV music awards? Well, I am NOT in the habit of watching anything on MTV, but flipping between FOX and CNN Sunday night, I stopped when I saw this loud man.
Here are a just a few of the despicable things he said:
“People of America, please elect Barack Obama. Some people say America is not ready for a black president, but I know America to be forward-thinking, because otherwise you wouldn’t have let that retarded cowboy fella be president for eight years. In England, George Bush wouldn’t be trusted with a pair of scissors.”
He then turned his attention to Sarah Palin, calling her a “VILF” - explaining the term stood for Vice President I’d like to fondle. And on her pregnant daughter Bristol, he said: “You feel most sorry for the teenage father. One minute he’s having joyful, unprotected sex, the next minute he has to go to the Republican convention. Best safe-sex message of all time. Use a condom, or become a Republican. That boy is never going to have sex again.”
If you would like to read more about this and watch the actual video clip, click here.
One of the worst things he said though, was about the Jonas brothers, making fun of their promise rings- a commitment to wait until marriage before having sex. He mocked them, again reinforcing that today's culture, especially young adults (MTV is geared to the 12-24 year old age group) are being encouraged to have premarital sex and ridiculed for a decision not to.
I am hosting Monday's AT THE WELL. I would love for you to join us to chat about what we can do to teach purity to the next generation. I pose these questions:
Titus 2 calls us "to be self-controlled and pure.....so that no one will malign the word of God."
How do we teach the next generation (both our daughters and other young Christian women) how to live a life of purity WITHOUT falling into legalistic rules, or on the other hand, to slip into a worldly mindset, teetering on impurity? How do we live, as Jesus said, "in the world" without being "of the world?"
How is the word of God maligned when we aren't living in purity?
To get you thinking, here is something I wrote a few years ago on the topic.
Passion and Purity
I believe God has a call on this generation, women today, to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to change this generation and to teach the next generation. God is raising up women who have hearts desiring change. We have been a generation belonging to this world. We have been distracted, deceived, and led astray by our longings for the worldly. But, that time is over!
In this generation, we have been so entangled with worldly pursuits. We have been obsessed with our physical beauty, trying to have a perfect body, younger looking skin, and a beautiful wardrobe. Our generation has been on a pursuit of perfection- perfect bodies, perfect husbands, perfect children, the perfect career or volunteer career, and the perfect model home. In the process, we have traded in what is “perfect” for God’s best in our lives. We have missed out and gotten “sucked in.” But that time is over!
Many of my friends are just now coming to a relationship with the Lord later in life. As Christians, we feel a sense of relief for finally knowing the Truth, but a sense of loss for our wasted time and the many mistakes we’ve made. This generation needs to EMPOWER the next generation- our daughters and our young women in the church, to be mighty women of God!
2Timothy 1:7 says, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or fawning fear, but a spirit of power, love, sound mind, and self-discipline.” We need to be awesome Christian examples! The world’s view of the Christian woman can best be illustrated by Saturday Night Live’s “Church Lady”- paranoid, hypocritical, and unattractive. That is not how I want to be seen, and it is not how I want my daughters to be seen. This is not what a woman of God looks like.
But, Christian women MUST look different than the rest of the world. Peter tells us to live as “aliens and strangers in this world.” And then says in 1Peter 2:12, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.” I want the light of Jesus shining so brightly in me that everyone around stops and says, “I want what SHE has!” I want to “spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.” (2Corin. 2:14) I want my life to point the next generation to the Lord!
First, we should hunger for a wild, crazy love for Jesus! We need to be completely abandoned to Him. We need to “love the Lord with all of our hearts, minds, souls, and strength!”
The other passion God has placed in my heart is living a life of purity. I believe God is bringing the Church back to this ideal. For so long we have shied away from the idea of “purity.” We never wanted to be “stuffy,” and now we want to be “politically correct.” As a generation, we ran from the image of “Puritans” and today we embrace our “tolerant” views. We don’t want to be seen as “holier than thou,” and we think anyone who strives toward this ideal of holiness is being hypocritical.
But, God is calling us to a different standard. He is calling His Church back to purity and godly living. He is calling us to be sanctified- set apart in Him and for Him! Again, we need to live differently than the “world.” We need to have the aroma of Christ. “He has anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” We are His dearly loved children and His bride. We need to take that position, and take confidence in it! We need to “clothe ourselves” with the Lord Jesus Christ! We need to put on the robes of His righteousness and “live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way.” (Colossians 1:10)
God is raising up a new generation- a generation of godly woman who are totally and completely in love with the Lord! He is empowering Christian women to lead the next generation to a life full of godly passion and purity.
4 thoughts shared....:
Ooh. That makes me feel sick.
I love your topic for Monday's "At the Well", and I look forward to joining you there.
Weekend blessings!
Didn't see the awards - we had MTV blocked when Kristyn was growing up and just never unblocked it, but I can imagine how it stung to hear those remarks! Yes, we are called to live a life of purity and your instructions and insight are such an encouragement to me, Tracy.
The thought that comments like that are not only allowed but are encouraged just makes my blood boil. While I was out researching Sarah Palin, I ran across the VPILF numerous times but the F was defined differently. So in the midst of severly ridiculing someone, it is considered more than acceptable to want to have sex with her. What message does this send to our girls? Grrr, blood is getting hot so I better quit. Thanks Tracy.
I am so grieved as I regularly christian women watching trashy shows and listening to trashy lyrics in thier music...purity begins in the mind!!
I am often struck by how much more we could be for Christ if we could understand this...and how much more He would be glorified if we could live pure lives...mind and body...and what incredible testimonies we would be...
I do believe that the church is "missing the boat" as it justifies so much of this...
I am, at present, on the road with my daughter's volleyball team, and have spent many hours in the gym of a Christian University. As I have observed and listened, I am grieved. Ther is very little evidence of Christ.
Yep...we are missing the boat!!
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