CURRENTLY IN TELEVISION

Acceptable Sin?
JOHN FEAKES

Leviticus 18:22 refers to homosexuality as an "abomination". No matter how successful the gay rights movement may be at convincing the public that homosexuality is perfectly natural, God's law does not change.

Less than 20 years ago, gay characters appeared on television sitcoms very rarely. They were almost always portrayed as comedic oddities, and were used primarily to get cheap laughs.

Today, gay characters appear on sitcoms quite regularly. They are no longer portrayed as strange, immoral or funny. Instead, they are seen as normal, productive members of society. Laughter erupts from the studio audience, not in response to the portrayal of homosexuals, but rather in response to those who oppose them; their opponents are regarded as "old-fashioned" and hopelessly narrow-minded.

Some of the most successful sitcoms today--including Ellen, Spin City and Friends--feature homosexual characters as part of the regular cast. Ellen Degeneres received an Emmy award for her performance in an episode in which her character publicly announced that she was a lesbian.

The Bible warns Christians not to be deceived: Satan's attack is subtle, but very powerful. One of his tactics is to bombard people with the same lie until it is accepted as truth. The theory of evolution, which is now widely accepted as fact, is a powerful reminder of just how effective this tactic can be. As followers of Christ, we need to remember that sin is sin, and we must not be pushed into tolerating it.