The Agenda Behind Brokeback Mountain
Ah - the good old days. You remember, right? The time when the term “forbidden love” applied primarily to romance across class lines, economic lines, and racial lines. But none of that is controversial any more folks, so in the 21st century we decided to cross a new line- one that runs roughly through the state of Wyoming.
Brokeback Mountain hit the theaters with the bang of a six-shooter, and looks to lasso awards like they’re going out of style. It’s been critically acclaimed as “one of the year’s best movies” and described as “deeply moving”. It’s also been banned, parodied, and ubiquitously summed up as “the gay cowboy movie”.
It would be nice if this whole thing would just go away, but I’m pretty sure the chances of that happening are about as likely as Bill Gates going belly up financially. Could it happen? Perhaps. Is it going to happen? I highly doubt it. There’s an agenda being promoted and advanced faster than a viral pandemic- and it should make us a whole lot sicker.
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You thought I was talking about a liberal or homosexual agenda didn’t you? Well, no doubt there’s good evidence that they exist, just like the other agendas of every other group out there. But the agenda I’m talking about is more powerful, more sinister, and more hell bent on the destruction of America than the most complex conspiracy you can think of. It’s been around for more than 6000 years (take that Illuminate!) – and it’s described this way:
Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
The agenda Paul is talking about here is one that has eternal consequences. It is the plan of Satan to make sure people don’t understand the Good News of the gospel. Why? Because when they do, they understand that the God who created them loves them, died for them, and wants to have a relationship with them. Satan hates God’s creation, so he hates the fact that we have a chance at ultimate fulfillment and joy.
So how does his agenda work? Put simply, he throws big, loud, and powerful lies our way to make us think we don’t need God. He blinds people with the half-truths and untruths that the meaning of life is found in possessions and/or pleasure.
Or to put it another way, Satan’s agenda is to convince people that God’s love is a forbidden love.
In my opinion, the popularity and positive reviews of Brokeback Mountain speak to the deep need in people to find a love that is truly authentic and permanent. The problem is that no love like that can be found in an earthly relationship.
So how should we respond to this agenda? Fight it tooth and nail with the ying and yang calling of Christians to be salt and light! Hating sin and loving the sinner is not just a church catch phrase, it is an essential part of being a faithful believer … and it’s also exactly what Jesus did. He hung out with the “sinners” of his culture and he caught manure over it! Uptight religious leaders were constantly criticizing Jesus for being found around despised prostitutes, greedy tax collectors and crude transgressors. How did He respond to the criticism? Head on with this statement:
“It’s not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick!”
It is no accident that Jesus pairs the dual commands of being salt and light together in this passage. Salt preserves. Light shines. In the 1 st Century salt was more than just a seasoning. It was actually a preservative. It kept meat from rotting. Christians, in the same way, are to keep the culture they are in from rotting by living and proclaiming the truth. And, at the same time, they are to be shining lights of the good news of the gospel to those around them.
So as we see more and more offensive and compromising trends surfacing in the already eroding moral landscape of America, remember the words of Dallas Seminary President Charles Swindoll:
“Shake the salt and shine the light!”
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Lane Palmer is the Youth Ministries Specialist for Dare 2 Share Ministries in Arvada, Colo., where he works with youth leaders and students, equipping them to be effective in sharing the gospel. For more information on Dare 2 Share Ministries, please visit www.dare2share.org. Find out how Dare 2 Share Ministries and Focus on the Family® are working together to capture the hearts of this generation of teenagers, visit www.capturetheirhearts.com Send feedback to lane@dare2share.org.
