Social media has been in a frenzy this week over Miley Cyrus’ live show on Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards. Her performance was outlandish, embarrassing, and contained undertones of pedophilia. Cyrus, 20, wore a leotard with a teddy bear design while her dancers were in teddy bear costumes. This presented us with a very silly, childlike theme consistent with the song’s music video. Robin Thicke, 36, enters the stage wearing a black and white striped suit, reminiscent of a prison uniform. Cyrus then proceeds to perform sexual gestures toward him. Though Cyrus is “legal,” the visual was one of a young girl simulating sexual acts with an adult criminal.
Now, we shouldn’t be shocked by this behavior. MTV has been known to push the envelope many times before. Nevertheless, the desperation and immaturity that Cyrus displayed was so extreme that it sent pop-culture into mourning. Bloggers and journalists – particularly Christian conservative ones – have rightly called Cyrus out for her antics. For whatever reason, however, the critics haven’t been as tough on Thicke.
Yet, the Miley Cyrus performance was only half of the problem. There were other displays of inappropriate behavior, including Lady Gaga showing off her bare backside. But I’m mostly surprised that Christian bloggers haven’t said anything about the overtly pro-gay evangelism of rapper Macklemore. His song, “Same Love” won the award for Best Video with a Social Message. His acceptance speech included:
“To watch this song in the last year spread across the world is a testament to what is happening right now in America on the forefront of equality. Gay rights are human rights, there is no separation.”
Jason Collins, the NBA player who came out of the closet earlier this year, introduced Macklemore’s live performance of “Same Love” by stating:
“…hating someone for their sexual orientation is the same thing as hating them for the color of their skin.”
The lyrics to “Same Love” contain numerous digs at the Christian community as well as misconceptions of biblical theology and human nature:
“The right wing conservatives think it’s a decision
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
Man-made rewiring of a predisposition
Playing God, aw nah here we go
America the brave still fears what we don’t know
And God loves all his children, is somehow forgotten
But we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years agoWhen I was at church they taught me something else
If you preach hate at the service those words aren’t anointed
That holy water that you soak in has been poisoned
When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless
Rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolenAnd I can’t change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted toLove is patient
Love is kind
I’m not crying on Sundays”
Here’s what we learned from the VMAs: if you are morally opposed to the actions of a person, you hate them. If God loves his children, he loves everything they do. Christians paraphrase the Bible when preaching against homosexual acts, but Macklemore isn’t paraphrasing when he sums everything up with “love.” Since sexual desire is foundational to your being, you have the right to be sexual with whomever you prefer. And whatever your sexual preference, it cannot be changed no matter what you do or how hard you try.
The logical fallacies and inconsistencies of such argumentation are obvious and easily refuted. Macklemore’s success is based on judging and stereotyping Christians for being judgmental and stereotypical. Where is the outrage? Why haven’t any Christian blogsites gone viral over this? Why do we show disgust over Miley Cyrus’ performance while remaining silent on the philosophy that justifies such performances? When we condemn the fruit without looking at the root we do so to the detriment of ourselves and the culture around us.
Poor Miley and Robin. They were just doing what their sexual desires lead them to do. According to pop-culture, they can’t change. If that’s true, why are we asking them to?<>
equality, gay rights, homosexuality, human rights, jason collins, lady gaga, macklemore, miley cyrus, pro-gay, vmas
Let it go. Life is life they didnt kill anybody and you could have easily pushed the up or down button. Macklemore was right in his song god loves all his children red yellow black or white i believe is what was taught in sunday school. I also believe there is a certain scripture about judging and only one man should do that. Leave the comments for the one who really cares and means what he says.
Jacob, macklemore was right?? We love people of every race because they are people. We cannot accept sinful lifestyles. We have a duty to inform the world what the Bible has to say about sexual orientation. The Bible acknowledges homosexuality exists. Not only that, it speaks against it. You either believe the entire Bible or none of it. Especially when it clearly states that homosexuality (the act of two people of same sex having sex) is a sin. A
Jacob, Christians aren’t disputing that God loves his creation, but that doesn’t mean that he loves anything they could ever do. There are people in your life that you love, but sometimes they do things that you hate. You love them anyway, but you wish to see them change. Likewise, God loves homosexuals but he hates their homosexuality. He wants them to repent so they can be restored to an abundant life in him.
Also, judgments are either good or bad. You judge that it is good for people to practice homosexuality, or you judge that it is bad. Either way, you cannot escape making judgments. You judge that murder is wrong (i.e. “they didn’t kill anybody”). But if only God can judge, then who are you to judge the murderer? Hopefully you see that we can judge actions as right or wrong, and we must. When Jesus said not to judge he was talking about hypocritical judging. If I were a gay rights activist or if I were a provocative pop star, then you would be correct that I have no business criticizing the VMAs.
Well said, Adam! This is so true.
B Dubbs but it is forgivable im sure everybody knows according to Christianity that its a sin. But as i said who are we to judge just live life love on
So your saying god hates and that im not suppose to judge although in my mind im born to???? How do you know its hypocritical judging……… Do you say that to make yourself feel better? Show me the verse that says “hypocritical judgial is what i mean” and ill believe but from what i know the bible is pretty blunt and straight foward.
Jacob, Matthew 7:1-5: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
It is clearly in the context of hypocritical judging. If not, then we could never say lying, cheating, stealing, and killing are wrong. But as you know that is an absurd notion.
Isn’t it also true that a better translation would be “condemn not, that you be not condemned.” If you read it that way suddenly you realize Jesus was saying it is not our place to say who is going to Hell and who isn’t. Also Jacob if you believe in the Bible at all then you have to understand when we say Homosexuality is wrong it is not a personal opinion of ours it is God’s decree. You as a human being have the choice to do what you want. He as God has the choice to decide what is wrong and what is right and none can gainsay Him. We have Free will but it is a limited free will. It is a free will with consequences.
So you never lied cheated or stole in your life im sure every one has even miley. So in theory Matthew 7:1-5: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” means dont judge another person if you have ever done the same as them no matter the situation which means a liar cant judge a liar even if the situation is different
David nobodys sexual orientation matters to anybody but god and that person. We as children of god should love one another like he loves us.
thats if you read the bible like you said david
Oh yeah one more thing Luke 6:37…….. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: