Rev. Mark H. Creech
Sexual impurity still matters
FacebookTwitter
By Rev. Mark H. Creech
October 9, 2020

The U.S. Senate race to represent North Carolina between Cal Cunningham (D) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R) took an unexpected turn when it was revealed that Cunningham, a married man and father of two, was caught sexting with a woman from California. Cunningham has admitted to sending the texts and apologized. Still, the California woman’s husband calls for Cunningham to drop out of the race, and new allegations have surfaced of a second extramarital affair.

Cunningham says that his campaign will continue. The question is whether the scandal matters.

Rob Schofield, who writes for the left-leaning NC Policy Watch, says, “it's up to North Carolina voters to decide, but the suspicion here is that the response will likely be a near-unanimous yawn.”

Schofield adds that in the aftermath of Bill Clinton’s sexual escapades, and the era of Donald Trump’s “trysts throughout the course of three stormy marriages – the idea that voters find relevant a candidate’s marital or relationship woes has almost been permanently laid to rest.”

Schofield is right, but that shouldn’t mean that adultery doesn’t matter. Granted, voters today, with so many enormous issues at stake, cannot afford to be monolithic in the way they cast a ballot. When making judgments about a candidate’s character, one cannot merely consider personal flaws. Policy positions must also be relevant to character determinations.

Nevertheless, this does not mean sexual immorality is a non-issue. It may not be the only one by which the electorate decides on a candidate for public office, but sexual impurity matters!

The Seventh Commandment of God’s Big Ten Commandments is abundantly clear, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

Repeatedly, the Bible draws a contrast between sexual purity and sexual immorality. Sexual purity occurs between one man and one woman, a husband and a wife. Sexual sin is everything outside that marriage bond.

The late Dr. Billy Graham rightly contended in his book, The Seven Deadly Sins:

    “God hates the sin of impurity. It has caused nations to fall. It has over and over again ruined the sanctity of the home. It has hindered the health and development of the personality, and it has caused the spiritual impotence of thousands. It has filled our divorce courts, made thousands of innocent children victims of a broken home, and has wrecked the hope of the bright tomorrow for many a young person.

    “Impurity is one of the most revolting sins because it twists and distorts one of God’s most precious gifts to man – human love – and drags it down to the level of the beasts. But despite its heinousness, it is the most prevalent of all of Satan’s contrivances.”

Dr. James Dobson once said sex was similar to nuclear energy. If it's kept within its proper parameters, it serves a profound purpose. But if it makes its way outside God’s boundaries, sex becomes a powerfully destructive force.

What’s at the core of sexual impurity? It is the wrong emphasis on self. Think about it. More than sixty-one million babies have been killed in forty-seven years of abortion. Yet abortion would virtually disappear tomorrow if it were not for the willful violation of God’s charter for marriage. The abortion problem, which has been tearing our nation apart, as well as tragically snuffing out millions of tiny lives, can be directly traced back to the rejection of God’s prescribed limits on sex. Our way, as opposed to His way, means death.

There is another consideration of the way adultery harms our national life. The Old Testament describes the prophet Hosea as someone who experienced first-hand infidelity’s destruction. His wife, Gomer, was a sexually promiscuous woman. The book of Hosea is a picture of God’s suffering caused by His spiritually adulterous people, Israel. The people offered sacrifices on heathen altars, and cult prostitution was prevalent. The book ends with a hope for reconciliation between Hosea and Gomer, and the Israelites and God.

Central to the story is the lesson that our fidelity to each other is parallel with our loyalty to God. The way we treat our spouse is of tremendous social import, and not something just personal. For if we show we can’t be trusted with our most intimate relationships, how can we be trusted with those of lesser importance? Our faith in God and our faith in each other is a prerequisite to meaningful and productive relations, domestic and public.

History shows that when the printers of the 1631 edition of the King James Version of the Bible prepared that edition, a significant error was made. The word not was omitted from the Seventh Commandment, and it read, “Thou shalt commit adultery.” Based on contemporary sexual morals, it seems many would prefer that edition today. We’re living in an atmosphere when sexual sin is dismissed as inconsequential, but it isn’t.

We may not rule out a candidate for office solely based on their sexual indiscretions, but adultery is still a big deal, and we dare not write it off with a collective yawn. It still matters!

© Rev. Mark H. Creech

 

The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)

Click to enlarge

Rev. Mark H. Creech

Rev. Mark H. Creech served as Executive Director of the Christian Action League of North Carolina for twenty-five years. Before leading that ministry, he spent two decades in pastoral service, shepherding five Southern Baptist churches across North Carolina and one Independent Baptist congregation in upstate New York. He now serves as Director of Government Relations for Return America.

A seasoned voice for Christian values in the public square and a registered lobbyist in the North Carolina General Assembly, Rev. Creech is also a respected speaker and writer. His editorials have appeared not only on RenewAmerica.com, The Christian Post, and other online platforms, but also in most major daily newspapers throughout North Carolina.

Whether in the pulpit, the halls of government, or the media, his mission has remained steadfast – to call the Church and the nation to redemption and righteousness.

Subscribe

Receive future articles by Rev. Mark H. Creech: Click here

More by this author

October 28, 2025
Horror of horrors: Seven greatest hauntings of the human heart


October 10, 2025
The false hope of socialism rises again in the shadow of Wall Street


October 1, 2025
Before we pronounce a national divorce, let’s test the power of the Cross


September 30, 2025
From the womb to the train car: Defending life everywhere


September 26, 2025
Not a flash in the pan: The deeper current behind the movement surrounding Charlie Kirk


September 11, 2025
Charlie Kirk: A martyr for faith and freedom


September 6, 2025
Chasing waterfalls: The folly of the Powerball dream


August 30, 2025
Climate fears are robbing our youth of hope


August 23, 2025
Heavenly hope: What President Trump’s words show us about salvation


August 9, 2025
North Carolina should not follow the marijuana legalization trend


More articles

 

Stephen Stone
HAPPY EASTER: A message to all who love our country and want to help save it

Stephen Stone
The most egregious lies Evan McMullin and the media have told about Sen. Mike Lee

Siena Hoefling
Protect the Children: Update with VIDEO

Stephen Stone
FLASHBACK to 2020: Dems' fake claim that Trump and Utah congressional hopeful Burgess Owens want 'renewed nuclear testing' blows up when examined

Pete Riehm
Don’t give up Gen Z – The American dream is not dead

Rev. Mark H. Creech
Horror of horrors: Seven greatest hauntings of the human heart

Joan Swirsky
The crashing failure of the feminist movement

Madeline Crabb
Compromise, collusion, corruption, and cowardice— Four Cs leading to America’s collapse: Part two

Harold Witkov
I’m Witkov, not Witkoff!

Cliff Kincaid
China’s planned cyber security attack

Paul Cameron
Has trans gone too far?

Cliff Kincaid
Obama’s progeny scares New York media

Jerry Newcombe
We’re blessed we have 'No Kings,' and Donald J. Trump is no king

Selwyn Duke
Video: Leftist lunacy—my experiences at a Saturday 'No Kings' protest

Curtis Dahlgren
Eco-extremism and the pagan Great Mother of the Gods

Tom DeWeese
Mansplaining, government style
  More columns

Cartoons


Click for full cartoon
More cartoons

Columnists

Matt C. Abbott
Chris Adamo
Russ J. Alan
Bonnie Alba
Chuck Baldwin
Kevin J. Banet
J. Matt Barber
Fr. Tom Bartolomeo
. . .
[See more]

Sister sites