I feel really goofy for saying what I am about to say, but it is been on my heart. As you may know, recently I took a huge public stand against a pastor committing crimes against children. Our church is about to make a huge shift in which we will begin fighting a fight against the sexual trafficking and exploitation of children in Atlanta. It has become a terrible epidemic in the city I love.
With all of that, why then would I have the time or desire to say what I am about to say? Because crime and sin all start small. They start with bending the rules. When we create an environment in which “small crimes” and “small sins” are OK, people begin to use poor judgment on what’s small and what’s not. I kid you not, grown men that are sleeping with 14 year old girls all around our city convince themselves that it’s not a big deal.
I don’t know what this says about me and the church I lead, but I have recently noticed that a gang of people in our church LOVE bootleg DVDs and movie downloads. Does purchasing bootleg DVDs lead to human trafficking? Probably not. But I am reminded that Dr. King said “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Beyond bootleg DVDs I am noticing that people everywhere are downloading stolen audiobooks, music, movies, software, etc instead of paying them. It seems harmless. It’s easy to do. It’s good for your budget. It saves money.
This is a crime. That alone makes it wrong. If you are a Christian – it is also a sin. Where does the Bible say that such behavior is a sin?
Exodus 20:15 states, “You must not steal.”
Beyond that, James 4:17 states, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”
As your friend and brother, I strongly advise you to not participate in the bootleg industry. I’m not your dad and I’m not the sin police. Ultimately, it’s on you, but I want to suggest that we set a bad example for children on what’s right and wrong when we bend these rules. We then lose just a very small bit of our moral authority to speak out on other issues as well.
I have purchased a $7.99 membership to Netflix and I get unlimited downloads of over 10,000 movies. It’s a great deal.
I just don’t think stealing this type of stuff is putting your best foot forward.
Love you all.
Shaun
