Home
I got an e-mail this week from a podcast listener that I think is a great conversation starter. I'm going to share some of my thoughts on the podcast, but I'll also put the e-mail and my response here to allow for others to give their thoughts as well:
Paeter,
Sorry this letter is so late, but I'm replying about your response to the news that Green Lantern is gay.
Honestly I was slightly disappointed with your statement. I think there is important issues that you did not bring up. For example, most people don't realize this but this is a war for the minds and hearts of this and future generations. With this character being gay (and the way they are presenting it), they are saying that being homosexual is not only ok and natural, but also a physical trait some people have and some don't. If someone thinks they might be gay and is reading comics (and books and movies and so on) like this then they are being assured that that is just fine and even natural. I'm not saying they will read an issue of GL and base their life off of it, but media has a extremely powerful influence on our lives, and oftentimes is very subtle in it's influence. And I don't believe we should support something that is fighting to promote evil.
I'm not trying to diss what you said, and I respect it; I just thought there was more to say.
Thanks for being willing to bring up and discuss hard topics on the Podcast and the forums.
David A.
Thanks for the e-mail, David. I think there are several really discussion-worthy things you bring up. I would agree that we are in a "war for the minds and hearts of this and future generations". I would qualify that by saying that the war, as Ephesians 6:12 says, is not against other people. It's against spiritual beings doing damage to the hearts and minds of people. And that's a conflict we should be engaging in every day. The question is, what does that conflict look like? And the follow up question I'd ask is, what does it mean to "support" something and when is something "fighting to support evil"?
I'm not sure what you in particular have in mind with those phrases, but for now I'll respond based on what I think some others may have in mind when using similar words.
First, a look at the issue.
Homosexuality is one concept promoted through entertainment media, but what about the many other harmful ideas promoted there? These days easily half of the superheroes in comics are going from relationship to relationship and bed to bed. Commercials on TV, billboards, magazines and online are telling us that we "deserve" to treat ourselves to their product, subtly encouraging an attitude of moral entitlement. The slogan "follow your heart" is repackaged in numerous ways, encouraging a view of reality that removes truth from the equation altogether. And the list goes on and on. So now we have a lot more than just homosexuality to respond to, unless we elevate homosexuality as some kind of "super-sin", which I don't see support for in the Bible.
So should we withdraw support from artistic endeavors that are "fighting to support evil"? Well, I think that question is a bit loaded when applied, by implication, to the Earth-2 comic featuring the gay Green Lantern.
First, what do we mean by "support"? Buying the comic? Reading the comic? Buying or reading ANY DC comic? Does not supporting mean boycotting?
And what qualifies something as "fighting to support evil"? Do the creators have to knowingly have an agenda, or are they fighting to support evil even when they support a harmful worldview that they do not believe is wrong? What about corporate executives or movie stars who give some of their money to causes that support worldviews counter to biblical teaching? Should we find out who these people are and stop buying their products and watching their movies?
I'm not at all confident that boycotts are an effective means of countering the spread of harmful ideas. In fact I think they probably do more harm than good. I think conversation is where we can be used to make a difference in people's hearts and minds.
I don't think the Apostle Paul believed in boycotting, either. He read and even quoted poetry from non-Christian sources in his teaching. (Acts 17:28)
So in summary, I agree that there is harm being done, and I agree we should respond to it. But I feel that way about a lot of pop-culture. And my response is to engage in conversation about it whenever the opportunity comes up. I'd also add that the conversation looks very different when I'm talking to a believer, who believes what the Bible teaches is true, than it does when I'm talking to someone who does not believe the Bible is true.
There's a lot more I could say on this, but not all of my thoughts are fully formed yet and I also think this would be a good one to throw out to the community.
I'd like to challenge us as a community to recognize that homosexuality can be a bit of a heated issue, and encourage us all to type slowly and think carefully before we hit enter. But it's also a good topic to interact about, so don't be shy, either.
Any thoughts out there?
Paeter,
Sorry this letter is so late, but I'm replying about your response to the news that Green Lantern is gay.
Honestly I was slightly disappointed with your statement. I think there is important issues that you did not bring up. For example, most people don't realize this but this is a war for the minds and hearts of this and future generations. With this character being gay (and the way they are presenting it), they are saying that being homosexual is not only ok and natural, but also a physical trait some people have and some don't. If someone thinks they might be gay and is reading comics (and books and movies and so on) like this then they are being assured that that is just fine and even natural. I'm not saying they will read an issue of GL and base their life off of it, but media has a extremely powerful influence on our lives, and oftentimes is very subtle in it's influence. And I don't believe we should support something that is fighting to promote evil.
I'm not trying to diss what you said, and I respect it; I just thought there was more to say.
Thanks for being willing to bring up and discuss hard topics on the Podcast and the forums.
David A.
Thanks for the e-mail, David. I think there are several really discussion-worthy things you bring up. I would agree that we are in a "war for the minds and hearts of this and future generations". I would qualify that by saying that the war, as Ephesians 6:12 says, is not against other people. It's against spiritual beings doing damage to the hearts and minds of people. And that's a conflict we should be engaging in every day. The question is, what does that conflict look like? And the follow up question I'd ask is, what does it mean to "support" something and when is something "fighting to support evil"?
I'm not sure what you in particular have in mind with those phrases, but for now I'll respond based on what I think some others may have in mind when using similar words.
First, a look at the issue.
Homosexuality is one concept promoted through entertainment media, but what about the many other harmful ideas promoted there? These days easily half of the superheroes in comics are going from relationship to relationship and bed to bed. Commercials on TV, billboards, magazines and online are telling us that we "deserve" to treat ourselves to their product, subtly encouraging an attitude of moral entitlement. The slogan "follow your heart" is repackaged in numerous ways, encouraging a view of reality that removes truth from the equation altogether. And the list goes on and on. So now we have a lot more than just homosexuality to respond to, unless we elevate homosexuality as some kind of "super-sin", which I don't see support for in the Bible.
So should we withdraw support from artistic endeavors that are "fighting to support evil"? Well, I think that question is a bit loaded when applied, by implication, to the Earth-2 comic featuring the gay Green Lantern.
First, what do we mean by "support"? Buying the comic? Reading the comic? Buying or reading ANY DC comic? Does not supporting mean boycotting?
And what qualifies something as "fighting to support evil"? Do the creators have to knowingly have an agenda, or are they fighting to support evil even when they support a harmful worldview that they do not believe is wrong? What about corporate executives or movie stars who give some of their money to causes that support worldviews counter to biblical teaching? Should we find out who these people are and stop buying their products and watching their movies?
I'm not at all confident that boycotts are an effective means of countering the spread of harmful ideas. In fact I think they probably do more harm than good. I think conversation is where we can be used to make a difference in people's hearts and minds.
I don't think the Apostle Paul believed in boycotting, either. He read and even quoted poetry from non-Christian sources in his teaching. (Acts 17:28)
So in summary, I agree that there is harm being done, and I agree we should respond to it. But I feel that way about a lot of pop-culture. And my response is to engage in conversation about it whenever the opportunity comes up. I'd also add that the conversation looks very different when I'm talking to a believer, who believes what the Bible teaches is true, than it does when I'm talking to someone who does not believe the Bible is true.
There's a lot more I could say on this, but not all of my thoughts are fully formed yet and I also think this would be a good one to throw out to the community.
I'd like to challenge us as a community to recognize that homosexuality can be a bit of a heated issue, and encourage us all to type slowly and think carefully before we hit enter. But it's also a good topic to interact about, so don't be shy, either.
Any thoughts out there?
