So, let’s talk about sin.
The present world is slated to end by fire (2 Peter 3:7), but, of course, the world was virtually ended once before — by water. In the Flood narrative (Genesis 6—8), the wickedness of man is such that “every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5), but two kinds or types of sin are singled out in the Flood narrative: violence (e.g., Genesis 6:11) and sexual immorality (e.g., Genesis 6:1–2).
Skipping ahead a little bit (Genesis 18—19), we are presented with the narrative of Sodom and Gomorrah. What are their sins? Violence and sexual immorality.
In fact, violence and sexual immorality are singled out frequently in Scripture — not least of all in the Fifth and Sixth Commandments.
Have we, as a society, learned from the mistakes of (and the consequences imposed upon) those who came before us? No, we have not.
The US is both one of the top producers and one of the top consumers of pornography. Marriage rates have been falling and the percentage of children born out of wedlock has skyrocketed. Homosexuality, transsexuality, and all manner of other sexual deviancy are not merely tolerated but encouraged, promoted, and praised.
Worse, Sodom and Gomorrah were simply two cities (technically, part of a pentapolis), and their corruption and sin spread only so far; the US exports its corrupting influence around the world. Hollywood alone is responsible for untold damage to the morals and culture of the entire world.
We need not venture into the sordid world of the sexual proclivities of our so-called “elites”. Degeneracy and degradation are widespread in our culture. The higher echelons of society may be worse, but they are not alone.
Do we fare better when it comes to violence? No, we do not. What is one of the fastest growing sports in the US? Mixed martial arts. We have revived the Roman Coliseum, save for fighting to the death (but do not for a second doubt that there is an attorney somewhere figuring out a way to revive that practice, too).
Mixed martial arts is now a multi-billion-dollar industry. And our love and support of violence do not end there. Since Roe v. Wade in 1973, an estimated 60–70 million pregnancies have been terminated by abortion. Stated more bluntly: We are responsible for the outright murder of tens of millions of children.
I cannot help but think that even the antediluvians would blush when presented with the scope and scale of our evil; that the Baal-worshipers of Canaan and Carthage would balk at our industriousness; and that Sodom and Gomorrah would hesitate to go so far as we’ve gone.
There is no example of heinous, monstrous, detestable, sinful behavior in Scripture below which we have not, as a culture and as a civilization, sunk. And, yes, we are personally responsible for the crimes of our fellows, because we do nothing to stop them. We are all complicit.