Ok, so I'm reading along in one my favorite magazines when I notice a provocative title, "Virginity For Sale." If the magazine were Cosmo or even Men's Vogue it may not have caught my attention. But this was in Leadership. This magazine has as a subtitle "'Real Ministry in a Complex World." So it's written for church leaders and while it may be a little radical for us men of the cloth it is terribly tame for mainstream America. I soon discovered this article wasn't in the classified section but in a part of the magazine called "Toolkit." Upon closer observation I found it to be a fascinating article on declining moral values. Here is part of what I read.
"Natalie, a 22-year-old woman from San Diego, California, decided to fund her post-graduate education by selling her virginity to the highest bidder. The idea came from her sister, who was able to pay for her education after working as a prostitute for just three weeks. "I know a lot of people will condemn me for this," Natalie says, "but I don't have a problem with that."
Here's the amazing part of the story, at least to me:"Since announcingng the auction, Natalie has received offers from over 10,000 men. The highest bid came in at over $3.7 million. Even Natalie was surprised. "It's shocking that men will pay so much for someone's virginity, which isn't even prized so highly anymore," she says."
Ok, ready for the most surprising part? She plans to use the income from selling her virginity to pay for a degree in Marriage and Family Counseling!
The question is: can everything be assigned a monetary value? Does anything have inherent worth that cannot be bought? In the world of commerce everything has a price. The price is determined by the simple truth that value is determined by what the seller is willing to receive and a willing buyer will pay. My opinion is that somethings are more valuable than money, any amount of money. The Bible teaches us that there are things that are inherently valuable. God cannot be bought. Salvation cannot be bought. Some things have higher prices than anyone would ever be able to pay. Some things are not commodities and are infinitely valuable. One such thing would be a human being. Human beings are created in God's image and have immeasurable value. People should not be abused, discarded, abandoned or exchanged as mere commodities. Life should be valued and regarded as a gift from God. Whether it is the life of an unborn child or a handicapped man or woamn, every life is valuable beyond measure.
We cannot allow ourselves to assign monetary worth to sacred things. Any price on a gift from God de-values the gift. I am disappointed that men would take advantage of the girl's offer to lose her virginity for a price, but I'm more disappointed she would sell something of infinite value to pay her college tuition. Get a loan!
Pastor Ken
This is Jessica. Norman and I loved this blog, mostly Norman because as you know Jeeps are def. a subject he can relate to and the way it tied into your message was awesome and very creative. An easy read!
Posted by: Jessica Smith | May 23, 2009 at 11:10 PM