I heard a story recently on the network news that was distressing, yet not surprising for where our culture resides these days.Evidently there was an offer made by a website (which I won't name; not wanting to grant them any publicity) of $1,000,000. (yep, that's million) to anyone that could, as they put it, "bed" Tim Tebow, the recent trade to the New York Jets from the Denver Broncos. In other words (as if I have to get more graphic!) one million dollars awaits the individual who can successfully cause Mr. Tebow to violate his stand of faith regarding his virginity. That's how low we've sunk for entertainment.
There is an obvious problem with a society, or at least a portion of it, that takes joy in, and even rewards success in causing someone to fail morally. Unfortunately the real problem stems from those that cannot stomach the fact that Mr. Tebow actually is not afraid to admit publicly, as he has, that he is following the God-ordered design for intimacy. His seeking to live faithful to the God he worships and is not shy about following is anathema to the world view of some. He is living out the biblical injunction to "...let the marriage bed be undefiled..." (Hebrews 13:4, ESV) and his conviction is mocked. I guess we shouldn't be surprised that living out a biblical ethic is no longer in vogue.I'm distressed, but not surprised.
However, if that's what it means to be "with it" in society; to intentionally take pride in another individual's compromise, I'm happy to be a misfit. After all, Jesus told us to expect it. He said, in John 15:19 "If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." I guess that's part of what it meant when Jesus told his disciples to be sure to count the cost. The days of open faith in the marketplace are long gone. Believers are not only despised by some, but are objects of conspiracy and sources of payouts if they can be dragged down. Perhaps then one's guilt is mitigated by the falling of another. So sad to see.
