WICKEDNESS
Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is
true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever
is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."
Proverbs 7:6 ff "At the window of my house I
looked out through the lattice. I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a
youth who lacked judgment. He was going down the street near her corner, walking along in
the direction of her house at twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set
in. Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
(She is loud and defiant, her feet never stay at home; now in the street, now in the
squares, at every corner she lurks.) She took hold of him, and kissed him and with a
brazen face she said: 'I have fellowship offerings at home; today I fulfilled my vows. So
I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you! I have covered my bed with
colored linens from Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Come,
let's drink deep of love till morning; let's enjoy ourselves with love! My husband is not
at home; he has gone on a long journey. He took his purse filled with money and will not
be home till full moon.' With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with
her smooth talk. All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a
deer stepping into a noose till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a
snare, little knowing it will cost him his life."
On occasion, students worry about reading works of
literature that depict sinful activity. Some try to avoid works with any hint of
corruption, violence, sex, or the supernatural. Of course, if this practice were taken to
its extreme, the Bible itself would fail to meet this criteria -- from Lot's incest with
his daughters, to Tamar's rape by her half-brother, to scenes of dismemberment in the Book
of Judges, to the rather forceful imagery of the prophet Ezekiel (23:11-27) or the
Psalmist (Ps 137)--the Bible doesn't shirk from openly discussing and displaying sin, but
neither does it condone such actions. Indeed, scripture talks about these things in order
to reinforce our understanding of their consequences. So do less inspired texts. Susan
Gallagher has wise council at this point:
[T]he fact that a work of literature shows us
something sinful does not automatically mean that we should condemn it as obscene. Wise
Christian readers need to consider the texts' purpose and point-of-view in
their evaluation. In other words, we must decide what kind of action the text is
encouraging us to take. . . . Rather than simply ask if a work depicts sin, we should
determine its point of view on that sin. Does it offer and encourage the exploitation of
the poor, or is it showing such exploitation to point to the moral failure of companies
that fail to treat their Third World workers justly? Does it include obscene and profane
language gratuitously (without purpose) or does that language function to reveal something
about the characters or setting? (Literature Through the Eyes of Faith 139)
What Gallagher suggests is that to discuss sin even
in an imaginative form does not imply that one will be tempted to emulate it; rather, it
may reinforce one's hatred of sin. Rather than making us comfortable with
wrongdoing, a text can teach us the dangers of such actions and increase our desire to be
free of their destructiveness in our own lives.
* * * * *
Central Insight: The protrayal of sin
in literature does not necessarily condone it, nor does the reading of it necessarily lead
to temptation towards it.
Suggestions for Application: Pick out
specific examples of sin in the text. Use these to show why the author does not
condone such behavior, why such a portrayal does not tempt one to sin, and/or why such a
portrayal reenforces one's hatred of sin. |