Of Pageants, Purity, and Moral Incongruities

By now most of us know of the firestorm generated by the Miss USA contestant's "stand" against gay marriage. As I reflect on the fall-out from her apparently faith-based comments daring to say that she was not in favor of gay marriage I'm struck by the moral incongruities and hypocrisies of folks on both sides of this moral debate.

Of course those of us who side with this young woman on the gay marriage issue are quick to notice the hypocrisy of the left as we once again witness the glaring intolerance of those who proclaim tolerance so vociferously. Once again we are confronted with brazen inconsistency among those who want to be accepted by all, but who are willing to accept none who are different from them. The left-leaning voices of our society (at least the ones among them who make the most noise) are--in my judgment--so transparently inconsistent and dishonest at this point, that it is hard to credit them with any integrity or take them at all seriously in these moral discussions. But let's face it: that's old news.

But what I think those of us on this side of this particular debate need to be more aware of is the moral hypocrisy and incongruities of all those who are praising this woman's moral courage, and are tempted to place her on a pedestal of virtue. Something is very wrong here.

I do not know this young lady, nor do I know anything of the validity of her faith claims, nor do I hold myself up as a model of virtue. I am very much aware of my own weaknesses and temptations and sins. But has anyone noticed what is wrong with the picture of recent days? Think back to the news reports you've seen. As the voices have discussed the whole episode what video have we seen in full view of millions? It's been a video of this woman parading her body, with almost nothing on, for countless eyes to see.

For the sake of a prize and fame she has essentially prostituted her body (for any time one uses her/his body in any kind of sexually active or provocative way for personal gain, a form of prostitution has occurred). Millions have seen her body in such a way that only a husband should see. The most charitable judgment we can make about this is that this young woman is astonishingly naive about what she has been a part of. More realistically she is one more example of a cultural set if sins that has permeated the church: lust, unblushing immodesty, mental and physical adultery, pervasive immorality.

Folks, when we can feel moral indignation over one sexual sin while looking at video clips leading us into a different sexual sin, and not even think about the moral incongruities, it's not a good sign. When a young woman in the name of faith can say that something is morally wrong while at the very same time she is doing something which--unless she's utterly naive--she knows is going to cause many who watch to at least be tempted to sexual sin, is almost shockingly hypocritical.

Something's very much amiss friends. We strain at gnats and swallow camels. We attempt to take out specks from others' eyes while planks protrude from ours. This kind of hypocritical moral outrage is just the kind of phoniness that Jesus decries in Matthew 7:1-5 and is also just the kind of "witness" that makes the world crazy with justifiable outrage against us.

Folks: homosexuality is sin. But so is physical and mental adultery; so is pornography; so is immodesty, so is showing parts of the body for others to see, that should only be seen and enjoyed by one's spouse; so is the obscenity of pageants and programs that are little more than peep shows.

The way of purity in Christ charts a different course than all this. What is most troubling to me is the sense that many who profess Christ are not morally aware enough either to know they are walking a far different path, or to care if they do know. God have mercy.