It is one of the most anticipated movie releases in a long time, with pre-sale tickets breaking an all-time record for an R-rated movie, according to Fandango. But not everyone is jumping up and down with excitement over the new Fifty Shades of Grey movie.
Rick McDaniel, an author and senior pastor of Richmond Community Church and highimpactchurch.tv, says that while human sexuality is certainly a natural phenomenon, we need to understand it through the lens of God’s morality. McDaniel says Fifty Shades, with its explicitly erotic scenes that feature bondage, dominance and sadism, is dangerous, destructive and against the teachings of God’s promise in marriage.
McDaniel says:
- Despite what Fifty Shades of Grey portrays, real intimacy is more than just sex. The real meaning of intimacy has become distorted among society, and been reduced to acts of sex instead of building a solid and lasting relationship. Matthew 5:28 says, “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
- Fifty Shades puts too much focus on fantasy and removes the reality of the effort it takes to make a marriage work. It’s no wonder so many people file for divorce these days. As we learn in 1 Corinthians 13, love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things.
- Erotica is just another form of pornography and can lead to extramarital affairs, S&M and a number of other relationship disasters. Galatians 5:19 tells us the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity and sensuality, yet we continue to live in sin despite the consequences they bring to families, relationships and children.
In fact, McDaniel is taking on the movie release with his own sermon series next weekend, titled 5 Shades of Grey, in which he will tackle the five topics of adultery, divorce, cohabitation, pornography and gay marriage. He even bought this boisterous billboard on the interstate in Richmond, VA.
If you would like to arrange an interview with Pastor Rick McDaniel around the Fifty Shades of Grey movie release:
