Should Mickey Mouse be in your house? Disney and the danger of compromise
Genesis 19 is one of the most shocking chapters of the Bible. I remember the first time I read it I thought, it’s hard to fathom a society that is so wicked and depraved that this scenario could even take place.
But let me tell you, as the days and years have passed since that time, it’s no longer as difficult to imagine as it once was.
I’m talking about the account of a man named Lot in the city of Sodom. Let me summarize for you what happens in Genesis 19.
God makes it known to his servant Abraham that he plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, twin cities of sin and perversion. The wickedness is so widespread that God promised Abraham he would spare Sodom and Gomorrah if, even among the thousands of inhabitants, just ten righteous people could be found within the borders of these cities.
Even that number couldn’t be found.
But God, in His mercy, sends two angels on an extraction mission to rescue Lot (Abraham’s nephew) and his family from Sodom before annihilation descends upon it in the form of fire and brimstone. These angels, appearing as men, are seen entering Lot’s house by the men of Sodom, whose sinful perversion is so extreme that they pound on Lot’s door and openly demand that he hand the men (who are actually angels) over to them so that they could sodomize them.
These weren’t just a few odd perverts. The Bible says that the crowd of demanding men was from every quarter of the city, and consisted of both young and old — that’s how pervasive the sin was. What was Lot’s response to their demands?
“Please, my brothers, don’t do such a wicked thing.” So far, so good. If only he had ended his answer there. But then Lot tried to appease these wicked men with a terrible compromise: “Look, I have two virgin daughters. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do with them as you wish.”
Lot had been living in a culture of immorality and perversion for so long that he was willing to offer his daughters to a sex-thirsty mob that was lusting to homosexually rape two complete strangers. What kind of a father does that?
Imagine for a moment if Lot had shown some backbone. What if his answer had been, “No. Never. I am the protector of this household and all who enter this home. Take your perversion and get out of here!”
Think of the messed-up lessons that Lot’s daughters were learning from him about their own value, the sanctity of sex, and the premium that culture places on instant gratification. We see the consequences of those lessons later when Lot’s daughters get him so drunk that he doesn’t even realize they have incestual sex with him in order to get pregnant. It's all just so messed up, isn’t it?
And it all comes down to compromise.
As a follower of the Lord, Lot should’ve been far removed from the cesspool of sin in Sodom and Gomorrah — if not in physical proximity, at least in spiritual proximity. Lot should have been a shining light of righteousness in a dark place. But Lot compromised a little here and a little there, wanting to be liked by his neighbors and turning a blind eye to the wickedness that assailed him daily.
Compromise is a slippery slope, and it doesn’t take long to slide backward into moral apathy.
I’m here to tell you, my friend, that you and I are like Lot in today’s culture. We stand at the threshold of our homes as society pounds on our door with demands to give into immorality. We have the choice to make a stand or to compromise…often at the expense and to the detriment of our children.
Look no further than Florida for proof. Disney, which was once a champion of families, has descended to the point where it stands in opposition to a common-sense law that protects kindergarteners through third-graders from sexual indoctrination (whether gay or straight) in schools. The company executives are actively and aggressively looking for ways to “add queerness” wherever possible to children’s programming, thanks to a “not-at-all-secret gay agenda.” They are removing the terms “ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls” from their theme parks to encourage the notion of gender fluidity.
In short, they are knocking on the door of your household with the intention of sexualizing your children and violating their innocence.
You have a choice to make a stand or give in to compromise. Imagine if we all had the backbone to say what Lot didn’t: “No. Never. I am the protector of this household and all who enter this home. Take your perversion and get out of here!”
But here’s the allure to compromise for most of us: Disney produces really entertaining, high-quality, emotionally captivating, visually stunning, ear-catching, nostalgic products. It’s really hard to say no.
And it’s not just Disney who is knocking. The list of knockers grows with each passing day. What it takes is a conscious decision and a firm stance to guard your threshold.
Compromise is at your door and the next generation is at stake. What are you going to do about it?
Jack Hibbs is the founder and senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Southern California and the voice of the Real Life television and radio broadcasts. Dedicated to proclaiming truth and standing boldly in opposition to false doctrines that distort the Word of God and the character of Christ, Jack’s voice challenges today’s generation to both understand and practice an authentic Christian worldview. Get more content at JackHibbs.com.