Fifty Shades Of Grey

Because the ethical morality in this song provides people momentary pleasure and fleeting happiness, society has adopted the view that the vices presented in the song above are acceptable and should be sought after. Vice has been turned into virtue in our current culture and this song is a prime example of the lifestyle modern society promotes. Likewise, film and literature have followed suit. Fifty Shades of Grey, a 2015 cinema adaption of E.L. James New York Best Seller, focuses on the violent sexual relationship between two individuals. This film, as well as the book before it, glorifies sexual immorality and the introduction of sensual abuse in a non-marital relationship. Both of these popular culture examples tout large followings and
Acedia, Greek meaning “without care”, “is not mere idleness or laziness; it involves a Torpor animi, a dullness of the soul that can stem from restless, distracted activity just as easily as from indolence and apathy” (Reno 3). To define Christian’s slothfulness simply as sluggishness would be an injustice. Members of the Church have not had a lack of interest in the changing tides of societal standards for truth, but have sought comfort and convenience instead of truth and responsibility. Russell Reno, a former professor of theology and ethics, identifies the the cultural ideal of comfort and convenience:
Most of us just want to be left alone so that we can get on with our lives. Most of us want to be safe. We want to find a cocoon, a spiritually, psychologically, economically, and physically gated community in which to live without danger and disturbance. The carefree life, a life a-cedia, is our cultural ideal (Reno
Christians know that absolute truth can only be found in Scripture. So, how can Christians influence culture and enact change toward God’s Law? Christians must replace the vice of acedia with the virtue of zeal. In Dante’s Purgatorio, slothful souls are characterized as “suffering from lento amore, a slow love that cannot motivate and uplift, leaving the soul stagnant, unable to move under the heavy burden of sin” (Reno 3). To remedy their slothfulness, Dante describes them as continuously running around without rest (Dante Canto 18). In the same way, modern Christians must start to busy themselves by spreading truth and fighting to uphold absolute, objective truth, instead of selfishly seeking comfort and convenience. Additionally, Christians must hold each other accountable to God’s Law and not societies warped sense of morality (Matthew 18. 15-20). This is done through cultivating virtue and eviscerating vice. By celebrating virtue and condemning vice, Christians can start to set precedence in their communities and be a light in the darkness around them. When Christians decide to climb out of their tomb of inaction and begin to spread God’s truth, absolute truth, society will reap the benefits that Scripture has