Carl G. Hecker
A look at pitfalls common to us all:
1. Modesty. This character trait expresses a respect for all mankind. It indicates deep esteem of oneself and those with which he may have contact. Clothing is a mark of civilization. Clothing and how it is worn reflects the degree of modesty or lack of it in the individual. The first step away from modesty is the attitude that clothing does not matter. The Holy Spirit commands the child of God to be modest, godly, wearing his clothing with shamefacedness and sobriety. Women have great influence over men for either good or bad. The way they dress, walk, talk, and conduct themselves is covered by the word, modesty. That is one reason many men lack proper respect for women. Worldly women show no self-respect. Thus they do not receive any from others.
Mothers teach their sons early in life. When mothers fail in great numbers, murders, rapes, abuse of all kinds are common in the world. None of us dare have an attitude of indifference. Fathers and mothers must instill in their children respect for others whether the others are worthy or not. It is what we are, not what they deserve!
2. Television and entertainment in general. Though not popular to say so, much (most) (almost all) of the entertainment today is filled with immodesty, unbecoming of the godliness required of the Christian character. Good people know this but if they tolerate it for a spell, it becomes less and less offensive.
Most of our readers will not remember this. When the classic, Gone With the Wind, was filmed by Hollywood in the late thirties, Clarke Gable was allowed to say with emphasis what today is considered a very mild curse word “damn”! What a roar of protest went up. Preachers condemned the producers for corrupting our whole society. Compare that standard with the public language of today’s programming. We all warned that Hollywood would corrupt our Christian nation. We were right!
(Unwed mothers, unwed couples living together, divorced parents, homosexual relationship, situation comedies, guests on family talk shows, all unabashedly present such as acceptable, even desirable.)
How long since you looked up the meaning of adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like? Well, that is too long! The so-called performing arts are at the very core of the problem. Face it, my dear Christian friend, our public schools, our institutions of higher learning, including those founded by godly men of three or four generations ago are now saturated with low, very low, standards of moral conduct. They want it so!
We are in a spiritual war on moral terrorism! If you do not think so, then you are already lost to the enemy. The Christian should not despair! The Roman society was evil, the Jewish nation was corrupt. The apostle Paul presented the way of the Lord as a spiritual, never-ending battle. It is personal, an individual struggle with very much at stake. Not only our soul, but the souls of those whom we dearly love are in great jeopardy. Take heart! The battle can be won!
