Not Shocking?

The Federal Communications Commission was dealt a blow today when an appeals court decided that it was wrong to fine CBS corporation for its 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. Yep, the infamous one in which Justin Timberlake ripped off part of Janet Jackson's shirt moments after singing "Gonna have you naked by the end of this song." I remember the game, but not the "moment." I was already so offended by the lyrics and choreography of the halftime show that year that I had turned off the TV, so I never saw it. The court stated that the FCC was wrong to fine CBS because the FCC may only issue fines in cases so "pervasive as to amount to 'shock treatment' for the audience" Not shocking? A sports game displaying nudity that is watched by children is not shocking?

Our courts have ruled that we cannot issue fines for nudity on shows in which children are an expected part of the audience. Tim Winter, of the Parents Television Council, said it best: "If a striptease during the Super Bowl in front of 90 million people— including millions of children—doesn’t fit the parameters of broadcast indecency, then what does?" Those who care about decency must surely fear where this will lead and whether or not the time will come when no Christian who is serious about holiness can have a TV in their home. Until then, Christians need to take control over what enters their home and what reaches their children.