It’s a bit disturbing to me that NBC’s solution to Heroes’ rapidly falling ratings was to introduce a lesbian love story. Why?

First off, it’s an indicator that we’ve reached such a level of political correctness that “tolerance” has become one of our society’s greatest virtue. By this I do not mean that tolerance (in itself) is a bad thing, but I do mean that what we now term tolerance goes far beyond that. Tolerance means “I will not prohibit you from doing something,” and typically understands the action/belief in question to be one that contradicts what the tolerating person believes. Tolerance does not equate to agreement or support, nor does it entail unilateral pluralistic license.

I will tolerate it if the neighbors’ music is a little too loud up until a certain time of night. If asked, I would prefer that they keep the noise to a reasonable level, and I will even state that it is disrespectful, selfish, and unkind for them to violate my need for restful sleep. Nevertheless, I might tolerate it up to certain levels in order to maintain a more amicable relationship with my neighbors. However, there is a point at which tolerance is no longer a virtue: if I cannot sleep at 3AM because of the noise next door, or have chronic headaches from their chronic partying, I will demand that they stop and involve the police if necessary. You wouldn’t call me intolerant for that, you’d say I was standing up for my rights, my beliefs that I need sleep to function properly at school, work, etc.

So, I will tolerate homosexual couples and beliefs to a certain degree. Homosexual activity (as opposed to temptation) is a sin per God’s judgement as revealed in Scripture, but I also recognize that humans have free will and there is only one Lawgiver and Judge, and that said Lawgiver is not me. However, when Heroes (or anyone else, for that matter) attempts to equate homosexual relationships with heterosexual ones, they are preaching a morality against Scripture that unfortunately has deceived many. Wrapping it in the attractive context of trust and love makes the moral precepts being pitched that much more dangerous. Satan masquerades as an angel of light. For the sake of current and future believers, I must resist this wholeheartedly.

Lest you miss it, I am also highly disgusted by how Hollywood does this with heterosexual relationships as well: takes extramarital sexual relationships, couches them in “devoted love,” and portrays them as a good, desirable thing. This too is opposed to Scripture and deserves our censure. Why the “double standard?” It’s partially due to the compounding nature of homosexual activity (not only is it illicit in it’s nature, but it is also further sinful in its typical extra-marital context), and partially due to the fact that the extramarital relationships battle has been largely lost in our culture and avoiding all references to such activity would likely shut us out from the media entirely. The homosexual topic still has enough of a taboo and minority status attached to it that prevention of its popularization may still be feasible.

So, here we are. Heroes was starting to be lame, but I was still hooked. I just won’t support a homosexual agenda in my viewing habits.

…don’t hurt me, no more.

Today I met with Seth, (an old friend and associate) and I asked about the idea of “screwing things up.”

You see, I’m far from perfect (well, actually, not even in the same universe as perfect), and I often find myself wondering about how my body of flesh—my physical self with all its bad habits and selfishness—so often does the very things I hate myself for. (See Romans chapter 7) How can something I despise so much in my self and others be so oddly tempting at times that it overcomes my resolve? The crux of the matter is that I often wonder what my flesh is capable of.

You see, I’m in seminary, training to hopefully become a pastor some day. It scares me that in some weak moment I might fall into some sin that totally destroys all I’ve dedicated my life to teaching and living out. How can I be assured that the strength of my flesh won’t overcome the redeemed and renewed will of my spirit?

I guess it then boils down to the question: What is love? Or, more specifically, what is God’s love for me? He cared enough for humanity to send Christ to die for our sins even while we were still horribly rotten sinners. (Romans 5:8) This, while hew knew that many would purposely reject him, and all the rest would deny him (eg. Peter) or continue to sin against him (eg. Me). Can I even grasp that kind of love?

I guess my point is this: when Christ carried out the ultimate expression of love on the Cross, dying as payment for sin, no one had done anything to deserve that. God knew what was in all of us, from pastors to addicts to super-apostles like Paul (Saul “I do what I hate” of Tarsus), and He still laid down his only Son to restore us to Him. Rather than fleeing/hiding my face over my sin, then, my proper response ought to be to run back to God, and thank Him all the more for redemption.

I guess I still don’t understand the magnitude of his love or forgiveness, because every time I sin, I fear that I’ve let him down and somehow pushed myself farther out of his supreme “circle of trust.”