Last week I shared about the church’s opportunity to fully integrate faith with media, social media, and technology. The post was intended as a discourse on the “good” uses of media. The flip side of that argument is that there remain negative, even evil, uses of technology.
Last Wednesday, seven teenagers were arrested after their YouTube video went viral. And, by viral, I don’t mean the kind of viral you and I aspire to, like Rebecca Black’s “Friday”. {I know you sing that song into your hairbrush every Friday morning!}
The three minute video depicts the attackers yelling at the visibly terrified victim, punching and kicking him in the face with apparent glee as he curled up on the snow-covered ground. After robbing the victim, the teens {one of whom is the son of a sheriff’s deputy} posted it on YouTube. Shortly thereafter, their names and identities were provided in the comments of the video, which aided in their arrest.
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons
Call me cynical, jaded, or heartless, but this article didn’t cause my eyes to widen. I didn’t scratch my head in bewilderment. It didn’t strike me as anything I hadn’t heard before.
As the author of Ecclesiates {1:9} reveals:
9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
According to some experts, this disturbing trend is a modern twist on the age-old human penchant for boasting about one’s exploits to impress the community at large and to warn perceived rivals that their group is more powerful than others.
Pam Rutledge, head psychologist at the Media Psychology Research Center reminds us that the trend is similar to Medieval warriors putting the heads of their enemies on sticks, scalping and even school yard brawls in the ‘50s — they’re all ways of displaying that dominance in public. These new tools — the Internet, YouTube — just let you spread the word much farther.
::
Perhaps you’re reading this with disgust, asking yourself, “What kind of person does that sort of thing? How could anyone be so cruel?”
The Bible reveals that you and I are no different than these teenagers. Mankind is not good.
In doctrinal and theological terms, this is known as depravity.
All are capable of doing wrong.
All are capable of evil.
Very early in the history of man, God determined that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. {Genesis 6:5}
Wondering how He figured that out?
I don’t have to look any farther than my own offspring to know it’s true. My boys are naturally inclined to selfishness, lying, and hurting one another. I didn’t have to teach them any of that. They hide toys from eachother. They push one another off of chairs. They scream at one another over a single Matchbox car, even though there are 10 others within a one foot radius.
They don’t naturally understand how to be kind, sharing, gentle, and loving. They are like all of mankind.
Every part of every person is corrupted by the state of depravity.
Perhaps this comes across as fire and brimstone. It didn’t make my list of My 1o Favorite Things I Learned from Oprah. Our culture has deceived us into thinking that people are mostly good, and there are few people capable of evil.
If you’ve never heard of depravity, the term may come across as condemning, harsh, and pessimistic. But, it is a plain and basic truth of Christianity.
The Good News?
Our depravity reveals our need for God.
God’s sacrifice of His Son, rescues me and you from this depraved state.
He desires to restore us to His original purpose and design.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. {Ephesians 2:10}
He created us for good, not evil.
::
Have you ever been surprised by your own depravity?
.jpg)
To answer your question Keri – I have been and I still am at times.
Excellent thoughts.
Thanks a lot, Jim. I appreciate your kind words.
My surprise at my own depravity usually comes way after the fact, and that’s usually in areas of habitual sin where I have silenced the voice of the Holy Spirit in that area of my life. I want to grow in my faith to the point where my sin, my depravity, bothers me as it bothers Him. As the song says, “Break my heart for what breaks yours.”
“As the song says, “Break my heart for what breaks yours.””
This is a key prayer for me – I think it helps keep the voice of the spirit clear.
What surprises me is my lack of shock at acts of depravity. When I hear about things like this story I don’t feel the things I wish I felt: grief, shock and disgust. I am upset by the story when I really focus on it, but usually I just allow these things to roll off me. I think it’s a defense mechanism, because there’s so many of these types of stories each day. Thanks for highlighting this one, Keri, and reminding me that God calls us and guides us to more than what we naturally are.
Melissa, there was a big part of me that didn’t even want to write this post. I don’t like to focus on these kinds of stories either. I don’t like to look at the glaring evils and imperfections in the world. It’s my own way of convincing myself that mankind really isn’t so bad. But, isn’t it interesting how that kind of thinking directly correlates to the thinking that we don’t need God or we don’t need repentance and confession?
I. Love. This.!
This was a great example of our depravity!
And i’m with you…i believe it’s a complete depravity. Not parshal. we have NO good in us…apart from Christ…
those people my look good on the outside…but we can’t see their inside…
if us being made into a new creation and born again with the holy spirit now in us…and we struggle with sin…
how much more them that are not of christ!
and my kids are the same…Emily is 6 and she is barley starting to get… the golden rule…
Great article, Keri.
The depravity doesn’t shock me as much as the stupidity of posting it on the internet. Do they think they won’t get caught?
What does surprise me is the lack of severe consequences and accountability. The victimization of the bully is ridiculous. We are not responsible for the injustices we suffer but that does not absolve us of responsibility for our own actions.
I don’t care if your childhood was traumatic if you perpetuate the evils you endured.
It was pretty stupid. The full article does talk about the lack of awareness in today’s generation for conequences with regard to things posted online. There must be some kind of disconnect with the parents/elders and the teens in teaching not only morals, ethics, and proper treatment of fellow man, but also proper use of technology. This is one reason I don’t think parents can or should check out on technology. Kids are using it, kids are smarter than they are about using it. Get a clue, folks!
Absolutely. And I get more shocked the more God works on me about it.
What frustrates me is the lack of concern about depravity in the church today.
Jason, you are so right on about the lack of concern in our churches today. Do you think this is an influence of the culture or what’s your view on why that is?
My Pastor actually preaches often on depravity as it relates to the difficulty of the war between the flesh and the spirit. Honestly, it was one of the reasons I was drawn to our church because I don’t understand how you can exercise your faith without this part of life emphasized. And, it’s certainly not in a pessimistic look how terrible you are kind of way. But, in an honest and realistic view of where the challenges lie.
Agree. With all of this. We can’t be surprised at ourselves or anyone else when we are aware of depravity. And, it’s what’s makes God’s overwhelming grace so amazing is realizing how jacked up I am! Grateful Christ stands in my defense.
I find that sometimes my own pride gets in the way of this realization. I want to tell myself, “You’re a good person.” It’s actually something I really pride in myself, for others to see me as good, kind, and loving. But, at the root of it is complete selfishness. I don’t want them to think I’m good because of Christ or the enduring work of the Cross. I want them to give me merit of my own doing. And, therein lies my obvious need for Him to save me from myself.
As often as I try to “do” good, there are moments when something “clicks” and turns on the “Rage or Moe” (said in a deep, loud voice). It’s sort of like the Hulk. We can be kind, respectful, and good (yikes) when we get something out of it. But let us be found on the losing stick of anything and “Hulk Smash!!!!” I’m ripping right out of my own clothes of “holiness”.
Thankfully, God knows us and is working through us. We have an unlimited closet full of “righteousness” in HIM.
Great post Keri.
Oh, Moe, I too am quick to get into Hulk mode.
{Wait, is there a girl version of The Hulk!?}
I’m finding that those moments are so multifaceted, and He’s peeling back the layers to remind me what needs to change and be molded in His likeness. I tend to want to just “breathe” it away, count to 10, and calm down, but that’s just sweeping it under the rug. He’s interested in a complete overhaul, a true makeover, not just a facelift.
Yes. Many times. Reminds me of what my own mother said one time, “children are born sinful and are like wild animals that need taming” and it’s so true. I saw it with my own children. Left to their own inclinations, kids are wicked and sinful – not good and honest like some would have us think. The heart is so dark and sinful left on it’s own. I know this from personal experiences and my own selfish willful choices that could have had a very different outcome 3 years ago – if I had not been set to right. Sin and bad choices are in our nature and have to be renounced daily.
Cindy, sounds like you had a face to face encounter with your own depravity! WOW! Isn’t it amazing to look back on those times and see the hand of God at work? How He spares us from ourselves? There are certainly those moments when He allows us to sink to the point where we fully recognize our need for Him. But, in my own life, I see that His faithfulness so often smashes my depravity to bits. He pursues my heart, through friends, my fellow believers, His Word. He is constantly reminding me of His eternal plan for my life, which is full redemption.
I’m so glad that He came to your rescue, my friend.
I totally hear what you mean about our children showing us depravity. There are isolated pockets of benevolence, but they’re pretty selfish overall.
I love your conclusion. It’s easy to get disheartened by depravity, but we’re never told to throw up our hands. It reveals to us our need for a Savior – and how we need to preach that Savior to others.
We are told that His banishing Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden was actually His hand of mercy. By allowing us to see the depths of our own depravity, we conversely saw our desperate need for His Redemption. He’s so much smarter than me!
Thanks for reading, Loren.
Great article. I guess in essence we are all one bad decision away from turning our lives in a completely wrong direction. So do the best you can to make the right choices.
Welcome to Pop Parables.
Certainly bad choices can lead us down a terrible road, but my experience has been that He will do all that He can to prevent me from making those choices. He has given me the Holy Spirit to guide me in the way of the good choices and avoid the bad. He has surrounded me with other believers who love me enough to point out the “bad choices” and show me a more excellent way, or at least join me in the pursuit of seeking the more excellent way.
And, when I have made bad choices, He actually makes something good out of them. We know that He turns ashes into beauty. What I have made a mess of, He can make beautiful. He can restore my brokeness, for His glory. When I am going through a difficult time or feel that I have royally screwed up my life, this always brings me back:
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. {Romans 8:28}
When I look back on my life, I see how He has redirected me after a bad decision. He is constantly setting my feet on the right path.
I wish I could say that I have a similar story. My life has been nothing but a swirling abyss of confusion, decadence, and lack of purpose. I seem to have developed a true talent for bad decision-making, which has lead me down a road non-stop emptiness and despair. Now, I’m on a continuous effort to fill the gaping whole in my soul with some of sort of revelation that will for once in my life point me in the right direction. Perhaps, the answers I seek will lie in this “Holy Bible” of yours. I guess only time will tell.
Yes… and I’ll leave it at that.