Ben Higgins is the most famous software salesman in America. The
six-foot-five graduate of Indiana University loves children and the
Chicago Cubs. He also stars on this season's The Bachelor. And he is a strong evangelical Christian.
You wouldn't know the last fact from watching the show, however.
According to Slate's Ruth Graham,
Higgins makes his faith clear—he blogs about Jesus, quotes Christians
on his Instagram, and wears a tattoo of Proverbs 16:3. But the show's
producers blur or minimize his commitment to Christ, so viewers get only
a glimpse of generic religion as they follow his story. And they don't
know that Ben plans to abstain from sex until he is married.
Why is his faith so secret on the show? I could not find any
information about the personal faith of Mike Fleiss, the show's
producer. But his goal for The Bachelor is clear: to attract as many viewers as possible. Fleiss says the average Bachelor sleeps with three women each season. This is clearly part of the show's allure.
Unfortunately, biblical morality doesn't draw an audience.
It makes sense that genuine faith wouldn't sell in today's culture.
Deadpool, an R-rated superhero action movie, leads the box office. Game of Thrones,
known for its violence and nudity, is the most popular television show.
People characterized by "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22–23)
don't generate much controversy.
As a result, the larger culture seldom sees true Christianity.
Ministers make headlines when they fail; denominations make the news
when they split. And people who don't go to church don't know what
happens to those who do.
What do we do? What faithful Christians in faithless cultures have always done.
I recently read The Insanity of God
by Nik Ripken, an expert on the persecuted church. He interviewed more
than 700 persecuted believers in seventy-two countries. Of all the
incredible stories he shares, this statement from an Eastern European
pastor who was jailed for his faith especially struck me: "Don't ever
give up in freedom what we would never have given up in persecution!"
If you pay a price to take Christ to your culture today, you will not
know on earth the significance of your sacrifice in heaven. But mark
this: The more courageous your faith, the more powerful its impact—now
and forever.
For more from the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, please visit www.denisonforum.org.
Do you want to live a life in whole-hearted pursuit of loving God and others?
Read today's First15 at www.first15.org.
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