I recently read a book that was taken out of the MCC library, in the MCC office here in Managua, Nicaragua. I was shocked to find explicit sexual material inside this book.
At first I thought, I'll just put this back on the shelf and make sure not to read it again. But then I thought, you know, MCC is a christian organization. And the library here is open to anyone that walks through the door. Is it really okay to have sexually explicit material as part of a library that is located within the walls of a Christian organization's office and is maintained by that same organization? What would somebody think, if they picked up a book with this kind of material, that wasn't a Christian? Probably that Christians aren't so different after all!
Since the team was meeting soon after wards, I decided to bring up the issue with them and hear what their thoughts were on the issue. I wasn't surprised by the responses. One person stated it should be a personal issue, even though it is not a personal library. Another stated that if the book is good otherwise or is a classic, then it doesn't really matter. There was also the statement that people don't really look at the library as MCC's. It's just a collection of books found in the office that is maintained by MCC but not a reflection on MCC.
Like I said, I wasn't surprised by the responses. Although Steve and I didn't agree with the opinions, it did sadden us. The area of sex is not an easy one. It is one that, in general, the church tend to avoid, although millions of women and girls, worldwide, are victims of sex trafficking and the stats in the States are not much better. 1 out of every 3 woman has been sexually assaulted by the time she turns 18. And 1 out of every 6 men. Clearly, this is not an area to treat lightly.
I would encourage you to check out Steve's latest blog on the issue. On what God has been talking to us regarding this issue. Check his blog out at left.
