1. Thank you for this article, it does need to be said. So, say on! *thumbs up*

  2. A.M.Pine says:

    Thank you for talking about this topic. I’m very concerned about how desensitized we are all becoming to so much.

    • Cap Stewart says:

      “Desensitized” is a good word. That’s why I’m thankful for the wisdom of others (both within and without our modern culture) who are helping me check the accuracy and reliability of my own senses (which I will talk about more in the second installment of this series).

  3. Such good points! I HATE the use of “porn” in hashtags etc too, as if it’s an innocent little word we can attach to whatever we’re obsessed about.

    I’ve never watched GOT (having heard about its explicitness being worse than the books) but I’ve listened to most of the audiobooks. I noticed a serious shift in Martin’s use of sexual innuendo (as in shifting from innuendo to TMI) as well as using offensive language to convey character’s attitudes towards it. His first couple of books alluded to something with a sentence or two–but was over with before I could tap the fast forward button.
    As the stories went on, I made use of the FF quite regularly, disappointed that he found it necessary to delve into things in such a way.

    What an excellent and true quote from Richard Brody! And what does it say about Christian complacency? I think it is the frog in the boiling water scenario…I know I’m guilty about not noticing that the water is getting warmer in other ways.

    Thanks for the thought-provoking article!

    • Cap Stewart says:

      Yes, the normalization of porn is a public health crisis. We are indeed like the proverbial frog in the water. Thanks for your thoughts and encouragement!

  4. Well said. I know that I try avoid movies and shows with content. Unfortunately, that means I can’t watch a lot of what friends, including Christian friends, are watching and I often feel left out of a discussion. But this content shouldn’t be any sort of real entertainment, so I’ll support creators who don’t shoehorn it in.

    • Cap Stewart says:

      Thank you, Rebekah! Yeah, it sometimes feels a little lonely when we have to miss out on something that everyone seems to be enjoying, but the end result–a purer conscience, and a greater love for the actors whose privacy, dignity, and sexuality were violated–is well worth it.

  5. Tim Brown says:

    Excellent beginning! I’ve been struck by the tendency (which I myself fall into) to simply blink at the bedroom (or wherever) scenes in shows I enjoy (never been tempted by GoT since I couldn’t stand the book, but some other shows have my eye). There’s an immediate jump past lip-service objections to praise and (self-)justification “But it’s good storytelling!” or “The characters are so compelling!” or “They raise such important issues!” – which might be reasonable arguments for watching, but it’s too easy to hide behind the excuses. It’s kind of falling into the same category as the old crack, “I only read Playboy for the articles” – it might actually be true, but everyone knows it’s probably not. Looking forward to the followup article(s).

  6. notleia says:

    I’d like to posit that nudity is different than sexual content. Related, but there are contexts that make nudity not really that sexual.

    Also, at what point does nudity become “graphic nudity”? Shirtless guys are relatively “normal” in our culture, and ladies can often get away with sports bra-type tops for contexts like exercise and swimwear.

    • Cap Stewart says:

      Yeah, the whole “sexual nudity vs. non-sexual nudity” can be a lengthy discussion all on its own. I agree that there can indeed be a difference between the two. (One is more likely to be titillating than the other, for example.) But then one could ask, “Is public nudity only a problem when it has the potential to sexually arouse its audience?” I’ve heard convincing arguments on either side of that debate.

    • Autumn Grayson says:

      One line can be how many ‘details’ are present. Like how in some anime there’s nudity but the ‘details’ are omitted, kind of like a mannequin. Or, even better, the nudity is there but the chars are obscured in shadows or something.

  7. Author Terry Palmer says:

    thanks for these articles. As a writer, I’m questioning my writing and that of other Christian authors with a similar question. What issues are we writing about that stand in the gap for readers to understand true biblical content or expression. With the liberal tendencies of our generations, it’s easy to see the trend. My writing makes a stand for Jesus, for purity before Him. anything at all which is more important than our worship and relationship with Jesus is sin. Of course porn is included here. Most of the third episode of my new series is dedicated to several of my characters involved in porn, then have a ‘Jesus moment’, find their place with Christ, and move on to a life in Christ and as a testimony to others to watch out for the trick of satan…. tough , tough issues.

  8. Autumn Grayson says:

    I have a lot of mixed feelings on this topic, and it’s hard to define an exact line for every scenario when there is so much complexity to this issue. For my own writing, I don’t mind indicating that sex happened, the impact it had in the characters’ lives and, to an extent, having chars mention or hint at the topic. But I have yet to find it necessary to actually go into a full graphic scene.

    To an extent full graphic scenes tend to limit the audience of a story, since not everyone is into that stuff, and a lot of times if there’s a sex scene I actually feel slightly annoyed since in the average movie it kind of subtracts from the story. Like, sheesh, can’t we just get back to the plot?

  9. Sarah Witenhafer says:

    Great points! What I see in regard to social justice and being “culturally relevant” among most Christians is simply standing in the way of God in order to pretend to be God-like.

    Well-meaning Christians often want to send the message to those around them that they’re above the legalism of others. We think we’re not affected because we know the truth. But there’s a reason we’re not sharing the gospel as much. There’s a reason we’re not finding joy in the ordinary. There’s a reason our love for God Himself is waning. We’re infected by what we’re ingesting.

    I plead with Jesus. I’m Peter who’s gone back to fishing, and my only hope is that you will come to my shore and call me back, Lord. God is faithful.

What do you think?