I was reading an article recently called The Christian Porn Star.
I know what you’re thinking. Actually, I don’t know what you’re thinking and that’s probably a good thing. The article spoke of a certain lady who worked as an actress in pornographic films. Nothing earth shattering about that. But what I find somewhat shattering to the earth is that the lady calls herself an “Evangelical Christian.” She even attends church occasionally and carries her bible under her arm like any good evangelical Christian would do.

Right off the bat two questions spring to mind. 1. Does she actually read the bible she carries? 2. Does the church she attends actually preach the bible she carries? Or do they preach something else? Feel good messages would be my best guess. A dose of self-help perhaps, sprinkled with some prosperity mumbo jumbo. I would consider myself an utter failure as a preacher if somebody heard me speak week in and week out and still felt it was okay to fornicate on TV. Or even to fornicate off camera. To be fair, I rarely talk specifically about sexual immorality in church. When the average age of your congregation hovers around the 70 mark you tend to assume it’s not much of a problem.

The word fornicate in the bible actually comes from the Greek word “porneo” which sounds awfully familiar doesn’t it? If you live in Los Angeles, California you should be familiar with the word, given that over 90 per cent of all pornographic movies produced in the world come from that city. No wonder they call it the porn capital of the world. Is that something to be proud of? Or is it something to be ashamed of? I’d cast my lot with the latter.

Of course, that’s easy for me to say because I hail from a little rock in the Atlantic Ocean known as Newfoundland, Canada. As far as I know there isn’t much porn produced here. Most of the fornicating in this neck of the woods happens off camera. But it still happens. Perhaps just as much or more than anywhere else. A week or two ago, according to local news reports, officials at Memorial University of Newfoundland sent out a memo to students that basically said: “Please stop having sex in the business school.” The students were taking care of business alright. Mostly frisky business. Apparently the study rooms were being used for extracurricular activities. Suffice it to say, we’re probably no better than our neighbours to the south, even those from the legendary city of lost angels. We just don’t film our sin as much. I don’t know if that makes us smarter or dumber. It depends who you ask.

From a biblical perspective sin is never smart. Sin is always dumb, no matter how you slice it. Making money from it doesn’t justify it or remove the dumbness from it. The aforementioned celebrity is seeking to fund her college education. A noble end to be sure. But the means to the end? Far from noble if you asked me. There are plenty of legitimate ways to make money in this world. There’s no excuse for anybody to turn to quick fixes or shaddy ventures.

Perhaps there’s an element of laziness in the whole thing. Why else would a young “Christian” girl in college start engaging in sex for pay? Let’s break it down. She needs money and lots of it. By some estimates the average cost of attending college full-time in the US is around $25,000 per year. One would have to flip quite a few burgers at a fast food joint to come up with that kind of cash. She needs quick money too. Who doesn’t? Legitimate jobs often require hard work. So why not take the easy way out? Why not get paid to do something which other girls on campus are doing for free?

In the final analysis isn’t sin really just about taking the easy way out? Isn’t it easier to stroll down the broad path of pleasure and self-seeking then it is to walk the narrow road of commitment and fidelity? The problem with sin is that it’s often packaged so attractively. It promises freedom but ultimately delivers pain and regret. Sin pays. That much is true. But it’s wages are not what they initially appear to be. Romans 6:23 contains both a warning and a promise: “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The choice before all of us is between life or death. Sin produces death. Jesus gives life. We can’t have both. It’s one or the other. I hate to end on what may be construed as a condemning note but I feel compelled to allow Hebrews 13:4 to have the last say on this one: “Marriage is honourable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”

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