Okay by now either you saw it yourself or you’ve heard about it. It may go down in pop-culture history as The Kiss. I’m speaking of the open-mouthed smooches shared by Madonna, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera during the 20th MTV Video Music Awards. I’ll go on record as saying it’s the kiss that added an extra 25 MPH to the snowball from Sodom and Gomorrah that’s been rolling downhill into mainstream America for sometime now. What’s sad is that the person at MTV who came up with the idea probably got a bonus, and accolades that can be summarized as “mission accomplished.”

Now regardless of what’s acceptable in the world of television programming, cable included, ratings, etcetera, that was gay, truly! The Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper printed an apology for printing a picture of “the kiss” after being deluged with calls from offended readers. The USA Today, which also ran the photo made no such apology.

All this notwithstanding, have you noticed how everyone is describing things as gay these days? “That’s gay” is being heard from youth, teens and young adults alike. As a youth worker, I must admit my concern. It’s been maybe 8 months or so now since I’ve been hearing the term consistently by youth. It’s not being used to describe gayness as in homosexual behavior or tendencies but rather to indicate that something is wack or wrong.

For example, a student gets wrongfully sent to the principal’s office because the teacher thought it was he who threw the book out the window. His boy responds by saying,

“Man, that was gay how the teacher played you, you didn’t even do nuthin.”

After a busy summer of programming that included a six-week abstinence program (Back 2 BASICS) and a full week of camp with elementary through middle school youth, I am compelled to share my thoughts and concerns about this verbal trend.

The middle and high school students I encounter joke constantly, calling this or that “gay” in the way described above. This may seem like harmless banter to some people, and, many of the youth may just be responding to the trend, but we are warned scripturally not to be ignorant of Satan’s tactics.

This trend could be a small factor in a more strategic attack to desensitize our youth to what is normal and acceptable behavior. This rings true when I reflect on hearing about a story involving some 6-8 year old boys who were caught simulating sexual movements, on each other! If not corrected and as they hear and use this word, I shudder to think what could it lead to years down the line?

This “trend” combined with the an increase in bisexuality and lesbianism among teenage girls, our young boys and men continuing to fill juvenile homes and prisons where they are very likely to have a perverted sexual encounter prompts me to ask this question, Where is the church in this chaos, in this flurry of immorality? Still afraid to engage the taboo subject of sex and sexuality? Hoping that parents will deal with this touchy issue? In a “hands off” posture lest anyone think we’re “judging” (disregarding I Corinthian 11:31)? Or are we dealing with this head on, developing progressive ministries and programs to help our youth make sense of popular culture in America, a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah?

Last spring I had the pleasure of addressing the graduates of a purity class at an eastside Detroit church. At the culmination of the six weeks, the enrollment had dwindled to half the initial size. The challenge of abstinence until marriage was presumably too great for many of the teens (as it is for many Christian adults) despite having had sessions on self-esteem, adolescent development and having seen vivid images of sexually transmitted diseases and what they can do to one’s body, not to mention their dreams, goals, reputation, and relationships with parents. This program was an example of what churches need to do more of. Tell the young people about their bodies, Nelly and Missy will. Explain to them how hormones work and how to have healthy non-sexual relationships with the opposite sex and what gayness really is.

We have to respond with urgency because “the kiss” is but one example of how Satan’s desensitization plan is playing out in America. Here are some examples of programs that in the last few years have facilitated the erosion of sexual boundaries in prime time television (now don’t get it twisted, I’m not saying this a NEW thing because shows like Soap, and Three’s Company were laden with homosexual innuendo and overtones a couple decades ago).

Ellen (remember her?), Will and Grace, Six Feet Under, Queer As Folk, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Boy Meets Boy, MTV’s The Real World and Road Rules, VHI’s Totally Gay, WWE’s (World Wrestling Entertainment) HLA (hot lesbian action) or Bra and Panties matches, and BET’s Uncut to name a few. The majority of these are cable shows but network television is not far behind, they’re just as eager to “push the envelope” and “entertain” the masses all the way to hell.

Reality is just as scary once the TV is off. What about news stories such as The Episcopal Church ordaining its first gay bishop, the continual fallout from the Catholic priest scandals, high visibility cases with the Supreme Court involving sodomy, companies increasing same sex benefits, and “more inclusive” terms such as “marriage partner” instead of husband or wife entering our English jargon? All this adds up to an increasingly permissive climate for unnatural behavior and adds to the confusion for observant, even if attention starved teens. Teens who are already dealing with hormones, possibly sexual abuse, and are incessantly bombarded by highly sexual music and video images.

Meanwhile, most Christians are still just going to a building for two hours on Sunday. But that wouldn’t be you right?

The Bible talks about such sexually immoral behavior and what it ultimately culminates in (Romans 1:26-28, I Corinthians 6:9) but it also commands us to redeem the times and put feet to the gospel we say we have (Ephesians 5:16, Romans 10:15). There are youth longing for Christian mentors and schools are overwhelmed with underachieving students in need of tutoring. Sounds like an opportunity for discipleship to me.

We need to be aware of the language our kids our using and take advantage of “teachable moments” to help them understand the seriousness of the deeper issues they joke about, knowingly or unknowingly. Ignorance is not bliss. The church’s silence amidst this onslaught is compliance and the days when gay meant happy are long gone. How will you, we respond?

-vessel