I think we all know that we live in an upside-down world. Every now and then, though, newsworthy events prove just how blind the mainstream media can be to what is truly evil.Two recent news stories are good examples.
A couple of weeks ago, we learned that a dentist from Minnesota went big game hunting in Africa and killed a 13-year-old lion that someone had nicknamed “Cecil”. He had purchased a legal license to hunt a lion and had relied on his expert guide to show him where to hunt. He says he had no idea that the lion he killed was named Cecil.
The worldwide reaction to Cecil’s killing has been extraordinary. It has been labeled a “slaughter,” and the dentist has even received numerous death threats. As a result, he has closed his dental practice and gone into hiding.
A group of Democratic senators have reacted by introducing legislation to curb trophy hunting, and the Department of Justice has announced that it will begin an investigation. The dentist could even be extradited to Zimbabwe. The UN General Assembly has called for the countries of the world to oppose the trade in animal parts, primarily when it comes to threatened African wildlife. Harold Braun, Germany’s ambassador to the UN, has called this an urgent global issue.
Let me draw your attention to another story that has also been in the news lately. A group called the Center for Medical Progress has released a series of undercover videos showing Planned Parenthood officials talking about selling body parts from aborted babies. In one video they are seen handling dismembered parts of aborted babies in order to see what could be sold.
These videos have also sparked political action. Pro-life politicians unsuccessfully pushed to stop taxpayer support for Planned Parenthood. Pro-abortion politicians are calling for a federal investigation, not of Planned Parenthood, but of the organization that made the videos–to see if they did anything illegal.
Let’s compare these two stories. The killing of a lion, a dangerous flesh-eating animal, has ignited a media frenzy. On the other hand, the dismembering and selling of pre-born babies has received only scant media attention. According to the Media Research Center of Newsbusters, as of July 31st, the killing of Cecil the lion consumed a total of 30 minutes and one second of combined news time on ABC, NBC, and CBS. The reporting on the undercover Planned Parenthood videos by the same three networks amounted to a total of only 11 minutes and 13 seconds. Does that make sense to you?
Our world is upside-down, and the Bible warned us that it would be this way. When a culture chooses to withhold thanks and praise to the One who made them, it results in foolish thinking. “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:21–22).
Turning away from God leads to foolishness. “… Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the That is why Paul boldly declared he was “not ashamed of the gospel, [the good news that Jesus paid for our sins and rose from the dead] for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith’” (Romans 1:16–17). I know that it is not “politically correct” to put your trust in what God says, but it is the safest and best thing we can do. It leads us to value human life in all its stages. It teaches us to care for our children, both before and after they are born. Most of all, trusting Christ helps us understand what is truly permanent and lasting. A hundred years from now the only thing that will matter to you is whether or not you have put your trust in Jesus Christ.
Leave A Comment