Category Archives: Essays

Both Sides of the Coin

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Everything’s boring, utterly boring – no one can find any meaning in it. Boring to the eye, boring to the ear. What was will be again, what happened will happen again. There’s nothing new on this earth. King Solomon, Ecclesiastes 1:8 & 9, The Message version

The Bible records homosexual acts almost from the beginning of time. In Genesis 19 angels arrive in the ancient city of Sodom to warn Lot of the city’s impending demise. Knowing the atmosphere of his hometown, Lot hurriedly ushers the messengers into his home. However, he is too late as men, young and old, surround his home calling out to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.” As King Solomon so eloquently states in Ecclesiastes, “there is nothing new on this earth,” and today, over 2000 years later, the debate on homosexuality continues.

According to Pastor David Brown, Ph.D. of Logos Communication Consortium, Oak Creek, Wisconsin, the homosexual movement launched to the American forefront during a riot in June 1969, at Stonewall Bar in Greenwich Village, New York. What began as a routine police raid turned into a three day confrontation when homosexuals began throwing bricks at police officers. This event is now celebrated annually as “Gay Pride Week.” In his epistle, “An Open Letter to My Christian Friends,” Ed Madden would like us to believe that homosexuality is a “preconscious condition” forced upon select human beings by God himself; though his essay paints a heart wrenching portrait of the plight of homosexuals, it makes a hasty generalization about the entire Christian community, raises questions about the accuracy of his indictment against the church and lacks data, scientific or otherwise, to support his claims.

Though gaining mainstream acceptance, homosexuality remains one of the today’s most controversial issues, especially in the church, where Biblical theologies teach that homosexuality is a sin. Madden takes us inside the four walls of the church and offers multiple examples of the blatant mistreatment of homosexuals. For instance, the parting words of a Southern Baptist minister to his gay brother, “I hope you get AIDS and die like all the other faggots.” Or a father saying to his son, “Tell me if you’re ever coming home, so that I can leave town.” Such malicious words, spoken by a family member, would cause even the strongest of souls to recoil. This venomous language is inexcusable. When asked in Mark 12:28 what the most important commandment was Jesus responded with, “Love the Lord your God with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Madden would have us believe that no one in the church practices this edict when it comes to homosexuals. That is simply not the case. Numerous Christian organizations such as Stephen Bennett Ministries’ The Parents Group, Parents and Friends of Ex-gays & Gays, Exodus International and Mastering Life Ministries exist for the purpose of teaching Christians how to respond compassionately to homosexuals. The people involved in these ministries preach a gospel of love to all individuals, regardless their sexual orientation.

When Madden writes of the homosexual “condition” his verbiage is a denigration of his own argument. According to the Encarta Dictionary, a condition is defined as a physical disorder, a disturbance to the usual functioning of the mind or body. A condition may be altered, and according to a report released in 2003, by Dr. Robert Spitzer of the American Psychiatric Association, homosexuals can change their sexual orientation. Dr. Spitzer, responsible for having homosexuality removed from the psychiatric list of medical disorders, is a prominent psychiatrist who is viewed as a champion of gay activism. In his studies, 200 + homosexual volunteers were placed in reparative therapy. At the end of 16 months, the majority of participants reported a predominately heterosexual orientation, lasting 5 years or more. If someone has the capability to change then could it not be argued that their circumstances were chosen rather than hardwired into their existence? Madden also claims that he did not choose to be gay but that his orientation is a preconscious condition. Such terminology has Freudian connotations written all over it. Freud, however, did not believe that humans are born homosexual but rather bisexual and that sexuality is determined by experiences with parents and others. Freud also believed that humans are born polymorphous perverse, that any number of objects could bring pleasure. If sexual orientation, as Madden maintains, is a preconscious condition, rather than a choice, what criteria would prevent incest and bestiality from being categorized in the same manner?

By accusing Christian families of promoting hate towards homosexuals Madden uses the same type of gross generalization that he feels homosexuals are victim to. In an attempt to pronounce a guilty verdict on all church going people, he points to the hateful behavior of a select group of adolescent boys. One representation does not provide sufficient evidence to bring an indictment on an entire culture. Madden’s early church experiences were with the Church of Christ. That denomination’s doctrine includes a section devoted specifically to honesty that reads, “honesty is the divinely appointed standard for men.” Madden claims that homosexual Christians learn, in the church world, to be dishonest. By blaming the church Madden is shifting responsibility off of his own shoulders. Dishonesty is a choice, not a mandate.

Madden is correct in stating that certain individuals, within the church, do not behave towards one another in a Christ-like manner. However, rejection, self loathing, suicidal thoughts, and feeling invisible are not conditions reserved for homosexuals alone. The church should not be divided into “us” and “them.” Instead, all Christians should come together, broach this division from a Biblical perspective, and allow God to bring healing.

WARNING: Listener Discretion Advised – Sex on the Airwaves

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I Wanna Love You

I see you winding and grindin’ up on that pole

I know you see me lookin’ at you and you already know

I wanna love you you already know

I wanna love you you already know, girl . . .

By Akon & Snoop Dog

What do a pole dancer, a patron with a hyperactive libido and love have in common? They are lyrics to a song that have nothing to do with formulating healthy relationships and everything to do with lewd desire. R&B artists Akon and Snoop Dog are part of a music culture that peddles false illusions of women, sex and love. Forget about sexual innuendo, radio broadcasts ought to come with the disclaimer, “listener discretion advised.” Tune in to any R&B or rock station and you are likely to be bombarded with vulgar lyrics too distasteful for print. This style of lyric serves to objectify women, reduces sex to nothing more than an animalistic urge, and has an adverse affect on adolescents who are still developing their sexual identities.

At first listen, many of these songs are appealing. The energetic beat and rhythmic chorus continue in mental auto play long after the song has ended. Naïve listeners may tune in the first time or two without being assaulted by the crass nature of the verses. The discovery phase, however, can be quite shocking. Further investigation into Akon’s song lyrics exposes crude terminology referencing the female anatomy. The song makes no mention of the woman as a whole, just her “humpin’ & jumpin’” body parts. A cursory glance at the song title, “I Wanna Love You”, lures the listener in with the false illusion of an innocuous love song. However, instead of a soothing, melodious ballad the listener suffers shock from sexual inundation. Metrolyrics.com reveals that, rather the using the word, “love”, the unedited version of Akon’s song actually uses X-rated terminology meaning, “to have sexual intercourse.” Use of the word “love” reflects a G-rated, radio-play, stand-in.

Overtly sexual lyrics are not confined to the R&B genre. Rock group Nickelback makes a contribution from the CD, All the Right Reasons. Their song, “Animals” does not refer to lions and tigers and bears, oh my! The “animals” in the song are two adolescents showing no sexual self-restraint. The song opens with a teenage boy out looking for trouble. He finds “trouble” in the form of a girl sneaking out of her house. He tells the girl, “I got the car door opened up so you can jump in on the run; Your mom don’t know that you were missing; She’d be pissed if she could see the parts of you that I’ve been kissing.” The chorus goes on, “Oh, we’re never gonna quit: Ain’t nothing wrong with it; Just acting like we’re animals.” In her article, “The Mating Game,” Jeanna Bryner reports, “When it comes to mating, wild animals make their own rules. From the lionesses of East Africa that mate with many males before ovulating and committing their eggs, to male walruses that joust for several female partners, the animal kingdom is full of swingers.” These types of lyrics cause impressionable teens to formulate the opinion that unrestrained, animal-like, sexual urges are an acceptable societal norm. Acting out these sexual fantasies may lead to promiscuity; sexually transmitted diseases, teenage pregnancy and an inability to function in healthy relationships.

Oddly, this sexual phenomenon is not merely proliferated by men. Stacey Ferguson, A.K.A. Fergie, makes a sexual object of herself in the song, “Fergalicious.” She sings, “Fergalicous definition make them boys go loco; They want my treasure so they get their pleasures from my photo; You can see me, you can’t squeeze me; I ain’t easy, I ain’t sleazy; I got reasons why I tease ‘em; Boys just come and go like seasons. Fergie seems to take pride being an object of men’s sexual desire, a pride that extends beyond simply being attractive. Traditionally, women who are viewed as “being a tease” are not looked upon kindly by the opposite sex. AskMen.com defines a tease as, “a master manipulator, an expert at spotting male vulnerabilities and flaunting her femininity to capture a man’s attention; a tease drops sex-charged hints with no intention of ever sleeping with the object of her teasing.” Fergie uses her music to promote the myth of self empowerment through sexual manipulation.

Does this chronic exposure to sexual lyrics have an adverse effect on the sexual behavior of youth? A 2006 study by the American Academy of Pediatrics reports that music may have an important influence on adolescents’ sexual behavior. According to the study, “music facilitates how adolescents gain information about society, social and gender roles, and expected behavior.” Additionally, “a recent analysis of mass media demonstrated that sexual content is much more prevalent in popular music lyrics than in any other medium. The sexual references in many popular songs may be difficult for youth to ignore, because the language used to describe sex has become increasingly direct.” This study lambastes the theory of music as innocent entertainment and reinforces what educated parents have known all along, sexually explicit lyrics are not falling on deaf ears. Instead teens, whose identities are still in the formulative stages, are highly vulnerable to a false but powerful message about sex.

Fortunately, not all of music industry has succumbed to this disturbing lyric trend. Many songs are provocative and appealing without using sexual bombardment. Examples include Emerson Drive’s, “Moments” the story of a homeless man who saves a suicidal husband from jumping off a bridge; Elliot Yamin’s “Wait for You,” where a heartbroken man tells his woman that he will wait for her the rest of his life; or Timbaland’s “Apologize” a soulful tale of apologies coming too late. Finding such music though, requires navigation through a virtual minefield so listeners are advised to proceed with caution.