At Least There’s Still the Cross

Depending on who you are, yesterday could have been like Christmas for the Internet. I mean, if you’re an attorney, or someone who loves loves loves seeing the downfall of humanity, I imagine yesterday was a dream come true.

For the rest of us…well, for me anyway, the intersection point between another planned parenthood video and the release of all the names and information of everybody availing themselves of the services of Ashley Madison was super depressing. The anti Christmas of the Internet.

I should say that another way. It’s not that the site was hacked that utterly depresses me, it’s that it exists at all. I mean, as I said to Matt, waving my arms in horror, I don’t think of myself as that naive, but I guess I am. Really? People pay money, lots and lots of money, to something online, and think it will never be discovered? And they deliberately go out and pay the money and sign up, rather than depending on the old way of just falling into an affair, you know, in the office? I mean, I don’t know, obviously, but I’ve read about it.

But really, what’s depressing is that the first name published, and I don’t feel like linking it, it’s easily found if you really want to know, was a quoth prominent Christian, a participant in reality television. Is it possible that those two can go together? Prominent Christian/Reality Television Star? I have no idea. If they can it must only be through a terrible lack of discernment.

Disclaimer, it was in watching the Duggars, long ago, when I was drowning in babies and chaos, that I discovered their clever system of keeping everybody’s clothes in the laundry room. Without pausing for breath, I switched off the television (it was back in the bad old days when we watched old fashioned programs with comercials and everything) and promptly shoved all my own dressers into the basement and have never allowed clothes to be kept in any bedroom since, because it is so sensible. That’s the thing, they exuded an air of sensible, no fuss, coping with an insane number of children. It was soothing to watch Michelle Duggar smile at the camera as packs of boys swung from the rafters and girls in long dresses assembled tater tot casserole. I didn’t really want to live that way, but it was so mesmerizing to watch.

Unlike the planned parenthood videos. These I cannot click on and can only read very small portions of the transcripts, because of needing to sleep at night. Can there be any connecting point between the adultery of Josh Duggar and the slaughter unfolding at planned parenthood? Not directly, of course, the Duggars make a big deal about keeping all their babies. Married sex leads to babies, they insist, which should be true, however much the culture hates to see it. So he had to go elsewhere, away from his wife, to just have sex.

Anyway, I’m sure the planned parenthood videos must somehow signal the end of all things. Maybe not today, maybe not even tomorrow, but when the earth is going up in God’s wrathful ball of fire, and everyone is crying for the mountains to fall on them and cover them, the substance of these videos will be part of the agony. I mean, well, it’s remarkable that we’re all still here, breathing and typing and reading. God is so patient. I hope we have time to say we’re really sorry before it’s too late.

But when the mountains have fallen, and the single glorious light of the Son coming to judge has appeared, and we’re all standing around looking out over the dust and rubble and wreckage of humanity, one of the truths we’re probably going to discover is that unbridled, uncontrolled, “free”, no strings attached sex, wonderful as it seems, powerful as it is, isn’t worth it. That little live baby being cut open and it’s brain removed, that sex with someone who isn’t your good buttoned up faithful Christian wife, that app that lets you hook up without even speaking, none of that is worth it. Death, betrayal, deceit–the momentary thrill isn’t worth it. It’s so tragic that this generation doesn’t know, doesn’t want to know, how not worth it is. It’s tragic that people who profess a love for God are falling to this great lie.

But I can’t end there. The great counterbalancing fact remains that God is neither surprised nor changed by either of these appalling revelations. He knew they were both going on before the Internet discovered them. He hasn’t ceased to have a plan of judgement and restoration. He isn’t going to suddenly withdraw the cross, it’s suffering and grace and mercy, just because humanity is unspeakably evil. That’s what the cross is for, that’s why it stands there, in the center of time, for even this ugliness. Today I’m gathering up my grief and imploring God to turn the eyes of this generation to look at, to call out to the Son. It may be that he will have mercy before the mountains fall.