Fleeing ‘Sodom’ and ‘Gomorrah’

Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

(Genesis 19: 24-26 KJV)

A friend recently wrote on his blog about a lack of discretion and immodesty of some Christian women on Facebook, the “social” networking website. It seems some women were posting the colors of their undergarments on their Facebook status as some sort of way to raise awareness of breast cancer. This friend rightly questioned the judgment of such indiscreet behavior and tried to reason Biblically with the Christian and church-going women involved:

“Yes I am writing a blog entry in regards to women’s undergarments. WHY? You ask… Well yesterday I noticed a lot of the ladies I know posting colors on their facebook status. Apparently this was a stunt organized by a cancer awareness group in regards to Breast Cancer research. Now if you are me the immediate question to ask is: What in the world has someone’s undies got to do with breast cancer research?

“Apparently I was not the only one but one of a few rather that had this same thought. The lack of ladies taking this same thought process is what is astounding to me but what absolutely shocked me was the statements some made. Some preacher’s wives and some otherwise “Godly” women who not only supported this but quite frankly got real angry about those of us calling the practice into question. Several began to wail hysterically about how important cancer research is and etc. Now I have yet to see anyone arguing against cancer research. On the contrary my only point is that is it important enough to prostitute yourself out for it? Because when you willingly share that information in an avenue such as Facebook you are indeed providing men and women with information that you not only do not know you may not even know what they look like or if they are even honest about who they are.” (Excerpted from: Women’s undergarments…, Wanderings.... by James Pressley, http://lawandliberty.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/womens-undergarments/ )

First of all, let me offer my sisters in Christ some advice: please remember you were supposed to leave your rude, crude and indecent behavior behind when you fled the ‘Sodom’ and ‘Gomorrah’ of your previous sin-filled life to find forgiveness and salvation in Jesus Christ. Please don’t cheapen His grace with foolish and wicked behavior. Instead remember that you are a new creation in Christ:

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
(2 Cor. 5:17 KJV)

Secondly, if you are terribly concerned about preventing breast cancer, please raise awareness of its suspected link with abortion (pre-natal child killing):

“There are two ways that abortion raises a woman’s risk for breast cancer. The first way is not debated. It’s called the ‘protective effect of childbearing,’ and scientists have acknowledged this effect for centuries. The second way is debated, and scientists have studied this effect - known as the "independent link" - since 1957. It has to do with this question: Does an abortion leave a woman with more cancer-vulnerable breast tissue than she had before she became pregnant?”
(Excerpted from: The Biological Explanation, Two Ways That Abortion Raises Breast Cancer Risk, The Coalition on Abortion Breast Cancer, http://www.abortionbreastcancer.com/start/

And birth control pills:

“An April 2009 study by Jessica Dolle et al. of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center examining the relationship between oral contraceptives (OCs) and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in women under age 45 contained an admission from U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) researcher Louise Brinton and her colleagues (including Janet Daling) that abortion raises breast cancer risk by 40%. [1] “Additionally, Dolle's team showed that women who start OCs before age 18 multiply their risk of TNBC by 3.7 times and recent users of OCs within the last one to five years multiply their risk by 4.2 times. TNBC is an aggressive form of breast cancer associated with high mortality.”
(Excerpted from: Researcher Finally Admits Abortion Raises Breast Cancer Risk In Study That Fingers Oral Contraceptives As A Probable Cause Of Breast Cancer, Medical News Today, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/175394.php

There is no need for you to behave foolish and indecently when you could easily use intelligence and available information to raise awareness of cancer.

Thirdly, please meditate on this excerpt from John Bunyan’s introduction to “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners” (http://acacia.pair.com/Acacia.John.Bunyan/Sermons.Allegories/Grace.Abounding/Account.Ministry.html ) written in defense of his Christian character which was under attack:

“My foes have missed their mark in this their shooting at me. I am not the man. I wish that they themselves be guiltless. If all the fornicators and adulterers in England were hanged by the neck till they be dead, scaps John Bunyan, the object of their envy, would be still alive and well. I know not whether there be such a thing as a woman breathing under the copes of the whole heaven but by their apparel, their children, or by common fame, except my wife.

“And in this I admire the wisdom of God, that He made me shy of women from my first conversion until now. Those know, and can also bear me witness, with whom I have been most intimately concerned, that it is a rare thing to see me carry it pleasant towards a woman, the common salutation of a woman I abhor, it is odious to me in whosoever I see it. Their company alone, I cannot away with. I seldom so much as touch a woman's hand, for I think these things are not so becoming me. When I have seen good men salute those women that they have visited, or that have visited them, I have at times made my objection against it, and when they have answered, that it was but a piece of civility, I have told them, it is not a comely sight; some indeed have urged the holy kiss but then I have asked why they made baulks, why they did salute the most handsome, and let the ill-favoured go; thus, how laudable soever such things have been in the eyes of others, they have been unseemly in my sight.

“And now for a wind up in this matter, I calling not only men, but angels, to prove me guilty of having carnally to do with any woman save my wife, nor am I afraid to do it a second time, knowing that I cannot offend the Lord in such a case, to call God for a record upon my soul, that in these things I am innocent. Not that I have been thus kept, because of any goodness in me more than any other, but God has been merciful to me, and has kept me; to whom I pray that He will keep me still, not only from this, but from every evil way and work, and preserve me to His heavenly kingdom. Amen.”

Mr. Bunyan has certainly spoken wisdom on the high standard of conduct there should be between Christian men and women. We are not to behave carnally or too familiar with each other. This type of “friendly” behavior among Christian men and women on Facebook prompted me to cancel my account. I did not want to be part of this type of company, especially when I could be spending time with my husband and cultivating a deeper relationship with him.

In conclusion, please think upon this description of godly women found in Scripture:

“Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands...” (1 Peter 3: 1-5, KJV).

May you flee the ‘Sodom’ and ‘Gomorrah’ of your former life, with no looking back and run straight toward the Savior with tears of repentance and a heartfelt prayer for revival. Amen.