… “Zoo,” a film by Robinson Devor that deals with the 2005 death of a Seattle engineer on an Enumclaw, Wash., horse farm after having intercourse with a stallion, manages to take that incident and create from it a handsome, poetic and nonjudgmental meditation on self-identity, liberty and inter- and intra-species bonding.

I can’t believe I have just cut and pasted the above excerpt from a review in the Oregonian, our local paper. I was reluctant to do it–thought about deleting it several times. But I want you to feel the same sense of revulsion that I felt. I want you to experience the wrenching in the center of your gut when you realize what you have just read. I wanted you to see it, read it, feel the agonizing sense of despair when you consider where we are as a society. We are living in biblical Corinth, not Jerusalem; we are careening toward Sodom; hurtling toward Gomorrah.

Read it again. Read the whole review if you want to. Consider the other critics who described the film as “beautiful”–yes, beautiful. Then sit, stunned and sickened as I did.

Soon there will be pounding on the door and a demand for the flesh of angels.

Last July I remember blogging a about the eventual loss of the culture war. On my mind then was the rapidly growing acceptance of homosexual practice. My question was this: once the law and society have made the transition to full acceptance, what will “the church” do? Will churches follow culture and just float along with the tide? Given enough time, will Christians merely adjust their thinking and their moral code?

Moreover, would that acquiescence mark another step toward other moral “adjustments.” Surely not. Or maybe it already has. Since then, we’ve seen the release of Brokeback Mountain. The Oregon legislature, a week ago, approved civil unions for same-sex couples.
And now, a movie called, “Zoo.” So, the question stands: as we discover yet another reason to loosen our hold upon this world, how will we live here?

First, it isn’t our mandate to try to reclaim the culture. We are not to hate homosexuals. Hatred is a cancer as virulent as any moral sickness. I don’t believe we’ll accomplish anything with “one-man-one-woman” legislation; or by picketing movie theaters; or taking out full-page ads decrying the decay of American society. Been there, done that. We’ve already done a great job of establishing ourselves as social critics and blasters of unrighteousness, only to be caught later with our pants down…sometimes literally. The results have been less than gratifying.

Rather, let’s consider the signs of the times and seek greater intimacy with Father and with one another; draw closer together while going intentionally out into the world. As things get worse–and they can get worse than bestiality–we should be on the alert for those who who awaken suddenly from the cultural nightmare. As things deteriorate, some will awaken. The Holy Spirit is still at work convicting the world of sin and righteousness and judgment, and when He does some will wake up in the darkness crying for somebody to turn on a light. In the terror of night a candle seems like the blazing sun. The time is here for living faithfully and authentically between the worlds. The more we take hold of the coming kingdom the brighter we shine. The darkness is deepening. Light a candle.