The Psychology of the POMO Sexual Revolution

As I mentioned in a previous post, the speed and aggression in which our culture is changing its sexual "mores," is simply a sign that our culture is under the wrath of God, and that we are witnessing Romans 1 before our very eyes. Yet I recognize that it would be very easy to read that statement and simply see it as an over-generalization at best, or as self-righteous pessimism at worst. Now of course, God's Word is to be trusted, and Romans 1 certainly applies to where we are at; but is there more going on in our cultural situation than the suppression of truth and the curse of God? Well yes, and no. If we look at the big picture, it certainly does not go beyond those twin realities. However, if we look closer at how our culture arrived at its position, and then compare that to what other Scriptures have to say about this subject, it is quite eye opening. In fact, not only will we find a sweeping condemnation of our culture's most cherished values, but we will also find that most American Christians stand under that same umbrella of values as well. So what am I referring to?

Well, recently I have been rereading Rosaria Butterfield's Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, with my wife. For those of you who don't know, Mrs. Butterfield is a former tenured English professor from Syracuse University, as well as a former lesbian activist. The book is subtitled, "An English Professor's Journey into the Christian Faith." She now is the wife of an RPCNA pastor and a homeschooling mother. I highly recommend her book, as obviously she has an insight or two into what is behind our modern sexual attitudes. In chapter two, she recounts the details of her conversion and presents a very insightful commentary on Ezekiel 16:48-50. In fact, Ezekiel 16 is often used by homosexual activists to argue that the sin of Sodom was not homosexuality, but a lack of hospitality and piety. The text says:

“As I live,” says the Lord God, “neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done. Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit. (Ezekiel 16:48-50 NKJV)

However, Mrs. Butterfield demonstrates that the message of this text is not mutually exclusive to the sin of Sodom being homosexuality. In fact, it actually fleshes out the mechanics of what Romans 1 is talking about. She writes:

"[...] We read here that the root of homosexuality is also the root of a myriad of other sins. First, we find pride ("[Sodom] and her daughters had pride"). Why pride? Pride is the root of all sin. Pride puffs one up with a false sense of independence. Proud people always feel that they can live independently from God and from other people. Proud people feel entitled to do what they want when they want to [...] Second, we find wealth ("fullness of food") and an entertainment-driven worldview ("abundance of idleness") [...] Third, we find lack of mercy (neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy") [...] Fourth, we find lack of discretion and modesty ("they were haughty and committed abominations before Me"). Pride combined with wealth leads to idleness because you falsely feel that God just wants you to have fun; if unchecked this sin will grow into entertainment-driven lust; if unchecked, this sin will grow into hardness of heart that declares other people's problems no responsibility or care of your own; if unchecked, we become bold in our sin and feel entitled to live selfish lives fueled by the twin values of our culture: acquiring and achieving [...] You might notice that there is nothing inherently sexual about any of these sins: pride, wealth, entertainment-driven focus, lack of mercy, lack of modesty." (Butterfield, Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, Pgs. 657-658 (Kindle Ed.))

Indeed there is nothing sexual about these sins. But they are exactly what lies at the root of POMO sexuality. I found her comments on being "entertainment-driven" to be the most insightful, as many have argued that Television and digital media are the driving force behind Postmodernism. In fact, it is that cultural channel of communication (TV), which has been the most effective in promoting POMO sexuality. Many conservative social commentators have pointed to the fact that almost every Television show and movie now includes a likable gay character or an "equal rights" sympathetic theme. In a culture of ease and entertainment, it is easy to convince people to accept a behavior if you consistently represent it in a positive light, through their favorite means of amusement. After all, if life is all about having fun and enjoying oneself "in a positive way," than what could possibly be wrong with a behavior that is consistently portrayed in such a manner. Indeed, the interweaving of these POMO cultural values, with POMO sexuality, is practically indistinguishable. Butterfield goes on to conclude:

"Sexuality isn't about what we do in bed. Sexuality encompasses a whole range of needs, demands, and desires. Sexuality is more a symptom of our life's condition than a cause, more a consequence than an origin." (Ibid., Pg 658 (Kindle))

Rejection of God's authority, and pride, go hand in hand. Out of that disposition men seek refuge and relief in the creation, and worship it above God. They then are driven to extremes to find the satisfaction in the world, which only God can give. Ezekiel 16 and Romans 1 are two sides of the same coin. But it is not just pagans who live this way. Christians are certainly not off the hook here. If we are honest with ourselves, these same underlying values motivate us as well. They just don't manifest themselves (yet) in the acceptance of POMO sexuality. (The shifting attitudes of evangelical college students, as documented here could be a hint of what is to come). For example, these same cultural values, which we often have conformed to, have lead us to fundamentally change our worship in ways that our forefathers would find abominable. DG Hart does an excellent job of comparing the motivations behind POMO sexuality to the motivations behind POMO worship, here. The cultural values that Butterfield exposes, are the exact same values that have warped our understanding of the first table of the law, just as much as it has warped the surrounding culture's understanding of the second table of the law.

We are inescapably a part of the surrounding culture, and if we aren't thoughtful about how we interact with it, we may find ourselves enveloped with it, and mirroring it. Sure, maybe in a slightly different manner, but the substance is the same. So as our culture continues to go the route that it is, we must not be content with simply resisting external manifestations of idolatrous cultural behavior. No, we must get under the surface and really understand what is making the culture tick, not only so that we can resist it in the world and in ourselves, but also so that we can better understand our neighbors and more effectively communicate the Gospel to them. As butterfield says "sexuality encompasses a whole range of needs, demands, and desires." Those are what need to be addressed, and we must do so convincingly and compassionately.