(Editor’s note: the following was written by Jay Stevens, gospel preacher and an old friend.)
Los Angeles Times reports:
“Bert and Ernie may be best friends, but that doesn’t mean the “Sesame Street” pals are gay. And whatever the puppets may or may not be, one thing is certain, they won’t be getting married, producers of the long-running kids TV show made clear on Thursday.
The educational workshop behind the 40 year-old TV series dismissed the idea of a made-for-TV, same-sex puppet wedding in response to an online campaign and petition to have the two “Sesame Street” characters get married as a way to beat homophobia and encourage tolerance of gay people.”
Even though show that notes that Bert and Ernie were designed to show that people can become friends despite differences, society demands acceptance of a lifestyle that not everyone agrees with. Funny to note: if you are against this kind of lifestyle, you are labeled along with those who have taken unchristian like attitudes to get their point across.
But this is not to address a typical lifestyle, rather to address how this became National attention. Nine thousand individuals signed a petition! We have seen this kind of influence in order to get Betty White on Saturday Night Live. We notice a form at our gas stations to enforce cheaper gas prices or cigarettes. There are so many avenues today to influence decisions by numbers.
There’s danger in such. What’s right is not always popular and what’s popular is not always right. Consider what some have done for fear of the multitudes:
King Saul lost his throne. 1 Samuel 15 describes where Saul was commanded to utterly destroy the Amakites. Better way to describe: leave nothing behind. As we find Samuel informs Saul that he has disobeyed the commandment of the Lord, we find Saul’s response:” I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.” He may have admitted his mistake, but not without placing blame on the popular crowd. Micheal Vick, a former felon and NFL quarterback, acknowledges how easy it was to get involved in dog-fighting. He said,” My future was promising … at some point, I got sidetracked. I started listening to my friends and doing some things that were not ethical and not right.” From one of the most prominent quarterbacks with an average salary of $11 million went to filing bankruptcy and even still broke despite making $4 million this year. Popularity can make a lasting impact.
Rehoboam lost a kingdom. 2 Kings 12 portrays a man promised a kingdom equal to the Great King David. How does he obtain it? Follow God. The scriptures depicts of how he became fearful in his new kingdom. A fear of losing his popularity, he decides to change all of God’s rules of worship because of inconvenience. Not only does he lose his people, but idolatry that he has started will continue in his descendants (1 Kings 16:33, remember Ahab?).
Jesus was put on a cross. Without Him, we are lost. But, consider what it has taken to crucify Christ. Read the Gospels and count during the final hours of the life of Christ how many times there was a way out. No one wanted to deal with the situation and when Pilate was forced to deal with it, When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. (Matthew 27:24)
A Good Word For The Day 