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Man’s fallen nature has an endless appetite for promiscuity. The first four characteristics of “the flesh” are “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness” (Ga. 5:19), all of which have to do with illicit sexuality. For the fallen nature, “stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant” (Pr. 9:17). The sinful appetites cannot be filled. “Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied” (Pr. 27:20). This is why depravity increases as the flesh is fed. It explains bisexuality, homosexuality, sadomasochism, pedophilia, and bestiality. It is why the legalization of prostitution is a bad idea. The Bible says the “whore ... increaseth the transgressors among men” (Pr. 23:27-28).
Proverbs describes the immoral (strange) woman in the 11th century BC. She is wearing the attire of a harlot and has flattering lips (Pr. 7:10-21). Her eyes are painted (Pr. 6:25). She is out “in the evening, in the black and dark night,” finds a young man and says, “Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves” (Pr. 7:18).
In Solomon’s day, the strange woman had to lurk in the darkness and find a man, and a man had to find her.
Today, the “strange woman” appears in billions of photographs, movies, YouTube videos, and anyone can communicate with her at the click of a mouse or the touch of a screen. The goddess is omnipresent; the strange woman is everywhere!
The music industry is sexualized. “... that is what rock is all about--sex with a 100-megaton bomb, the beat” (Gene Simmons of KISS, Entertainment Tonight, ABC, Dec. 10, 1987).
The fashion industry is sexualized.
The advertising industry is sexualized.
The movie industry is sexualized.
Social media is sexualized.
The news media is sexualized. It is filled with “soft porn” that seems mild by today’s standards but is adulterous by God’s standards “that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) warns, “The pornification of culture (i.e. softcore, hypersexualized imagery) is widespread and evident everywhere, from the grocery store checkout lane to advertising, popular entertainment, unsolicited email, and beyond. ... [P]ornography constitutes a public health crisis.”
The sexualization targets an ever-younger age group. In the 1990s, it was younger teens. “Seventeen Magazine is a great example of normalizing hyper-sexualization. If you take a look at their media kit you will find that they ‘sell’ their advertisers access to the teen market beginning at age 12. ... Much of the content focuses around topics like: how to flirt the right way, how to become a greater kisser, and knowing when you’re ready to have sex” (Weinberger, The Boogeyman Exists).
Smart phones and social media are lowering the age of sexualization even more. A study by the parenting app Jiminy published in December 2019 found that 15% of 8-year-old girls with smartphones are exposed to sexting, 24% by age 10, 37% by age 13, and 44% by age 16. Nearly 25% of 13-year-old children were asked to send nude photos of themselves (blog.jiminy.me). The report warned, “Sexting is quickly becoming a normative form of sexual exploration among preteens and teens. As such, parents should expect the real possibility that their children may be approached by others, known or unknown, or approach others in a sexually explicit manner.”
A 2016 study found that among college males, 49% first encountered pornography before age 13 (“Pornography and Public Health,” National Center on Sexual Exploitation).
A 2020 study by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) found that “viewing pornography has been normalised among children from their mid-teens onwards, with more encountering it on networks such as Snapchat and WhatsApp than on dedicated pornography sites” (“Porn survey reveals extent of UK teenagers’ viewing habits,” The Guardian, Jan. 31, 2020).
The sexualized age has produced unisex and the LGBT movement, which is all about the liberty to do whatever I please with whomever I please whenever I please.
It is obviously a time to be hyper-alert to moral danger, more than at any time in history, both for individuals and for church leaders and for parents.
This report is excerpted from Spiritual Safety in the Facebook Age.
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