How To Stand Firm In An Overly Sexualized Culture

Recently, I was asked what changes I have observed over my five decades of ministry. At the top of the list was the impact, scope, and effects of the sexual revolution. Another change I mentioned was the explosion of technology, which has fueled the sexual revolution. We all know the internet is filled with destructive websites promoting an entire range of sexual immorality and LGBTQ+ lifestyles. We no longer have to go looking for pornography—it comes looking for us.

Sexual immorality, of course, was one of the after-effects of Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God, which resulted in their banishment from Eden. Centuries later, Canaanites had sunk to the deepest levels of perversion and cruelty. They sank to the depths without communications technologies; their activities were limited to individual speech and actions. Grotesque sexual images have been found in carvings on cave walls, but today, such perversions can be seen in video form. Sexual messages can be sent around the world in a nanosecond, making them accessible to hundreds of millions of people via computers or smart devices.

Years ago, I met a man who had spent time in prison for possessing child pornography. In a single sentence, he told me what I wish could be written on the hearts and minds of every child, teenager, and adult in this country. He said, “Once you go down certain paths, you will end up in places you thought you’d never go.” Powerful.

My book Living With Your Passions was written with the deep conviction that the greatest temptation we will face in this life will involve some aspect of sexuality. The old restraints many of us grew up with have been torn down and replaced with an atmosphere of liberation, which has made temptations more powerful with more opportunities to be led into the deepest levels of sexual sin.

There is no simple, quick, and surefire way to insulate ourselves from sexual sin. Just witness prominent pastors who have had secret sin that was made public―destroying their testimonies and ministries. We are often surprised and confounded by those whose lives seemed outwardly upright and moral, yet later, we discover they had tolerated an immoral lifestyle. Such were called and gifted to do ministry, but they did not have the character to support that calling. The blotches on the body of Christ are obvious for all to see.

Our hearts are capable of indescribable deception. I could tell many stories of those who have promoted sexual purity while privately tolerating sexual sin in their own lives. But I do not need to tell those stories, because I’m sure you also have similar stories of your own. And if we look deeply into our own hearts, we will admit that we are all capable of such duplicity.

That’s why we at Moody Church Media are making the book Living With Your Passions available to you and others who need its message. This book not only warns about the high cost of sexual sin, but also provides strategies to stand against our most persistent temptations. It’s a message of hope and direction urgently needed in our sexually driven culture.

Our Sexuality Is God-Given―and Undeniable. So How Should We Live in a Perverse Culture?

There are so many sexual temptations readily available to people today that it seems they are inescapable. The answer is to look to Christ and to fortify ourselves with the truth of God’s Word so we can live holy lives and provide answers to the hard questions about His design for our lives that all of us, young and old, are facing today.

Q: You often speak about the great harm technology has done by promoting destructive messages and movies. But isn’t there also a positive aspect? Thanks to technology, the Gospel is going more quickly around the world.

A: Yes, of course we are grateful we can use technology positively. Our own ministry, Moody Church Media, is just one of many Gospel-preaching ministries spreading around the world. We use blogs and podcasts to minister to millions. And I, for one, can hardly imagine what life would be like without a cell phone, though, of course, I managed without one for many years!

That being said, technology is instantly addictive and has become a distraction for so many. It has platformed terrorists, propaganda, and other human evils. I didn’t think I’d ever say this, but on balance, I question whether the good it offers has outweighed the evils it has fostered throughout the world.

Q: What about teenagers? How should parents protect them from harmful internet content?

A: I do not have a “one cure fits all” answer to your excellent question. I personally think children should not be given smartphones until they are much older. But there are ways to block certain kinds of content. Parents should be able to screen the websites their children surf on the internet. I think we cannot completely avoid the harm technology has on the young, but we can lessen its impact. Most importantly, we should train our children to steward technology wisely.

Q: In the article, you mentioned that many high-profile Christian leaders have had to resign because of immorality. Do you think this is happening more these days than in the past?

A: I have no way of knowing for sure, but I have no doubt that the availability and acceptance of sexual permissiveness in our culture has contributed to and fueled the numbers of people engaging in premarital sex, pornography, and the like. Many who become church leaders cannot break away from the influence of their past experiences and addictions.

Q: So what can we do?

First, a warning: Our past faithfulness is not a guarantee of future faithfulness. Paul put it clearly, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12.). Indeed, Paul thought he could fail, “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27).

Second, moving forward, we must remember that the world is our enemy. We think we can give the world a foothold in our lives and control the consequences. Let me quote John Piper, who emphasized that many Christians have forgotten that we are in a war. Read carefully: “Until you believe that life is war—that the stakes are your soul—you will probably just play at Christianity with no blood-earnestness and no vigilance and no passion and no wartime mindset.”

Agreed. We are in a war with life and death in the balance. The stakes are high.