13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We inhabit a world that in many instances is without hope. But, we carry in our hearts the One who is the hope of the world. Where there is guilt and shame, a lack of appreciation for life - one's own nor the life of others - we can bring a different vantage point. We have an opportunity and responsibility to radiate that hope, to shine Christ's light into darkness. Hope enables people to change their outlook, to see a way forward rather than to be trapped in the past, and God's strength is available in order for them to see it come to pass.
In Psalm 71, the psalmist projects an attitude toward his adversaries which can be instructive to us. He committed them to God and did not seek to exact revenge, and he turned his attention to the Lord. We read:
12 O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me!
13 Let them be confounded and consumed Who are adversaries of my life; Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor Who seek my hurt.
14 But I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness And Your salvation all the day, For I do not know their limits.
Remember, vengeance belongs to the Lord, according to Romans 12. That was not the prescription followed by the main character in a Netflix series about which I am about to tell you.
In a time when you hear of television programs that could be on the chopping block before the next season, Netflix has announced that its controversial drama, 13 Reasons Why, will be back for another set of shows.
The show is based on a book of the same name by Jay Asher and depicts not only the graphic suicide of its main character, but the people in her life whom she blames for driving her to commit the act, it seems.
Megan Basham describes the overall concept at the WORLD Magazine website:
Paul Asay at Plugged In believes the show may be well-intentioned, but misses the mark. He writes,
"13 Reasons Why encourages viewers to really examine their own lives and how they treat people.
That said, shows like this can also have unintended consequences." He points out that, "Those familiar with the issue of suicide know that the act itself can be strangely and sadly contagious. If someone commits suicide in a given school, the odds go up that someone else will attempt it, too."
And, the producers, including Selena Gomez, apparently do not want to come across as promoting suicide; The Hollywood Reporter says:
This show apparently provides some important concepts for Christians to be aware of. For one thing, suicide is not a matter to be glorified; and when teens are struggling, it is helpful to be aware of the warning signs and to attempt to point them to help. And, in Christ, there is great hope for the individual who is struggling. And, yes, there are always reasons why. But, there are also plenty of reasons why not, and that is where hope comes in. People need to experience hope, and grace, as Trevin Wax says: "Grace—that crazy, powerful, table-turning undeserved favor from God that wins the battle against guilt and shame."
And, guilt apparently permeates this show. The characters do not apparently see a way out because, as Megan Basham observes, there is not a faith element. Without faith, without being able to see a Biblical solution, or as Wax puts it, an "eternal solution," people are trapped in their own guilt and shame. Jesus has come to set us free from the prison of our own guilt - He wants us to break free from the shackles of the past and walk in His glorious liberty. He is the One who offers forgiveness, the promise of a new start in our lives.
There may be reasons behind the self-degradation and self-inflicted wounds in our lives, and they may be very valid. But, God wants to interrupt the pattern, the cycle, which would cause us to do harm to ourselves, show us His unconditional love, and teach us to retrain our minds, to renew our minds in His Word.
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In Psalm 71, the psalmist projects an attitude toward his adversaries which can be instructive to us. He committed them to God and did not seek to exact revenge, and he turned his attention to the Lord. We read:
12 O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me!
13 Let them be confounded and consumed Who are adversaries of my life; Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor Who seek my hurt.
14 But I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness And Your salvation all the day, For I do not know their limits.
Remember, vengeance belongs to the Lord, according to Romans 12. That was not the prescription followed by the main character in a Netflix series about which I am about to tell you.
In a time when you hear of television programs that could be on the chopping block before the next season, Netflix has announced that its controversial drama, 13 Reasons Why, will be back for another set of shows.
The show is based on a book of the same name by Jay Asher and depicts not only the graphic suicide of its main character, but the people in her life whom she blames for driving her to commit the act, it seems.
Megan Basham describes the overall concept at the WORLD Magazine website:
Netflix takes the simple but hooky premise—a 17-year-old girl leaves behind cassette recordings for the people she believes caused her to commit suicide—and expands it into a full-blown whydunit complete with conspiracies, double-crosses, and vigilante justice. Instead of occurring over a single night, the intrigue plays out over many harrowing months, giving the story plenty of time to meander into much darker and more distressing territory.Trevin Wax of LifeWay wrote this at The Gospel Coalition website:
The show wants people to take certain sins seriously: the objectification of young women, the invasion of privacy, sexual assault and the temptation to cover it up, as well as failing to believe the victim of rape. In order to heighten the seriousness of these sins, 13 Reasons Why shocks the viewer with its gruesome display of high school depravity, and the many forms of guilt and shame that arise in a social media-saturated, sexual revolution-fueled society. When the show delves occasionally into sermonizing, it becomes clear that the writers want young viewers to treat others with respect.
But it is also clear, at least to me and to a growing number of psychologists and mental health experts, that 13 Reasons Why will lead to more suicide, not less. Already, we are hearing warnings from various experts on teen suicide, and we are likely to see a rash of suicide attempts throughout the country.
I am not surprised. 13 Reasons Why is a hopeless show whose story arc climaxes with suicide.The absence of hope is also pointed out by Basham:
No one—not school administrators, not students, and certainly not any of the parents—professes any sincere faith or religious conviction. Strangely, given the subject matter, the nature of the soul or the possibility of eternity never even comes up.Wax echoes this lack of hope, writing: "13 Reasons Why compounds a problem it is trying to fix, perhaps because it has no eternal solution to offer. For those who have entertained thoughts of suicide or who have friends who know the darkness of this despair, hope remains. But it will not be found on Netflix. He then challenges the church to "take a good look at the message we promote and the culture we create." One question he asks is: "Will we be faithful to provide a countervailing message—that our sins are indeed real and that we are indeed guilty, but also that Christ is precious and that his blood was shed so that his life can be ours?"
Paul Asay at Plugged In believes the show may be well-intentioned, but misses the mark. He writes,
"13 Reasons Why encourages viewers to really examine their own lives and how they treat people.
That said, shows like this can also have unintended consequences." He points out that, "Those familiar with the issue of suicide know that the act itself can be strangely and sadly contagious. If someone commits suicide in a given school, the odds go up that someone else will attempt it, too."
And, the producers, including Selena Gomez, apparently do not want to come across as promoting suicide; The Hollywood Reporter says:
Although the series, produced by Paramount Television, launched with warnings ahead of episodes featuring suicide and sexual abuse, Netflix recently addressed criticism that it glorified suicide by adding additional warnings to the start of the show. (The season concludes with a special 30-minute PSA called Beyond the Reasons, which features producers including Selena Gomez as well as the cast, doctors, advocates and psychologists offering insight on how to get help or assist someone in need.)Asay points out that the show is rated TV-MA - it apparently is quite graphic and laced with profanity.
This show apparently provides some important concepts for Christians to be aware of. For one thing, suicide is not a matter to be glorified; and when teens are struggling, it is helpful to be aware of the warning signs and to attempt to point them to help. And, in Christ, there is great hope for the individual who is struggling. And, yes, there are always reasons why. But, there are also plenty of reasons why not, and that is where hope comes in. People need to experience hope, and grace, as Trevin Wax says: "Grace—that crazy, powerful, table-turning undeserved favor from God that wins the battle against guilt and shame."
And, guilt apparently permeates this show. The characters do not apparently see a way out because, as Megan Basham observes, there is not a faith element. Without faith, without being able to see a Biblical solution, or as Wax puts it, an "eternal solution," people are trapped in their own guilt and shame. Jesus has come to set us free from the prison of our own guilt - He wants us to break free from the shackles of the past and walk in His glorious liberty. He is the One who offers forgiveness, the promise of a new start in our lives.
There may be reasons behind the self-degradation and self-inflicted wounds in our lives, and they may be very valid. But, God wants to interrupt the pattern, the cycle, which would cause us to do harm to ourselves, show us His unconditional love, and teach us to retrain our minds, to renew our minds in His Word.
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