Vol 2 Num 2 (Second Look)

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. sin sports at the real tssue ...and life.

FEATURES

MORALITY: THE RULES THEYARE A路CHANGIN' HEN I played football , our coaches had two unreason~ble rule~ durmg practtce: (l ) Nobody got wate r and (2) Everybody had to do "duck walks" (walk while squatting). These days, things have changed. Coaches now realize that the human body needs water to function and that duck walks ruin knees.

(I wish they had known that when I was playing!)

Any coach who still uses such outdated techniques is considered incompetent, and his dehydrated, limping players would prove it. In sports, as in many -:"SSl!!IIIC~ aspects of life, you

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have to keep up with the 路 changes or ri sk falling behind.

Some people apply that to the area of morality. They claim that there are no absolutes; standards of behav ior have to change with the times. To their way of thin king, you can't apply yeste rday's morals to today's society.

I disagree. God's standards of morality may have been set down thousands of years ago through the Bible, but they are timeless. Society may change, but God's principles don't c hange with it. They work today as we ll as they did in the first century.

We can see the evidence around us. Back in the 1960s, we experienced what was called the sexual revolution; old morals were swept away in favor of freedom.

"Do your own thing" was the motto.

Sounds great, but what has it left us? A rising divorce rate, an increase in teen pregnancies (and abortions), the AIDS epide mic, a nd, most tragically, the loss of true intimacy. We've traded in commitment for independence.

Freedom has turned out to be an expensive item.

In all this "fallout" from the sexual revolution, God's standards of morality deserve a second look. In this issue, we'll do that, from two perspectives. First, Frank Tanana of the Detro it Tigers and Mark Price of the Cleveland Cavaliers give ' - their

thoughts on morality and relati onships. Frank speaks as a former Southern Califo rnia swingi ng bachelor turned fa mily man, while Mark offers the viewpoint of a young man still in the early days of marriage. Then, we'll disc uss the fight agai nst pornography, fea turing Anthony Munoz of the Cincinnati Bengals and other athletes.

Coaches have learned to discard practices that hurt their players. Bring that same openmindedness to your own standards in life, as we take a "second look" a t morality.

- David Burnham David Burnham is chairman of the International Sports Coalition, an association of sports ministries from around the world, and a guest teacher on the television program "Day of Discovery."

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Photography Credits: COVER. DOC HOLCOMB; p . 2 (upper lelt).

Greg Bandy; p. 2 (upper right). p . 7, Diane Johnson/AIIsport USA, p. 2 (bonom right), p . 10 , p. 11, p. 17 (boUom right), p. 19 (left cente<. right center) .

Stephen OUnn/AIIsport USA; p . 3 (lelt. right), p. 13, p. 14, Allen Steele/AIIsport USA; p. 3 (center). p . 18, Robert Beck/AIIsport USA; pp. 4-5, Doc Holcomb; p. 5, Dave Hawkins/California Angels; pp. 8路9, pp. 16路17, Fred Vuich; p. 12, Denny Landwehr; p. 17 (bottom left, bottom right center), p. 24, C. BernhardVAIIsport USA; p . 17 (bottom left center) Otto GrueiOVAIIsport USA; p . 19 (left) J, DanieVAIIsport U SA,(right) Gina Minielli, New York Mots.

4 AWINFOR THE HOME TEAM Frank Tanana has turned his career-and life-around

By Dave Branon

8 NO DETOURS NBA pro Mark Price talks about life on the road With Kyle Rote Jr.

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THE TRAP OF IMMORALITY

TRAINING TIPS

Sexual temptations bring consequences

By David Burnham

Mark Price on maximizing your talents

15 THE G·MEN

FOR ATHLETES

Athletes who have labeled America's youth "untouchable"

By John Carvalho

The "garbage in, garbage out" principle

By Wes Neal

12 THE SMUT STOPS HERE Why Anthony Munoz turned down a Playboy interview

By Sara L. Anderson

19 THE QUIZ BIZ Challenging sports trivia

By Rick York

Volume 2, Number 2 SECOND LOOK MAGAZINE A RADIO BIBLE CLASS PUBLICATION PUBLISHER Martin R. De Haan II; EXECUTIVE EDITOR David Burnham; MANAGING EDITOR John Carvalho; ART DIRECTOR Steve Gier; MARKETING DIRECTOR Craig Finkel.

Second Look is published six times a year by Radio Bible Class. Radio Bible Class is a nondenominational Christian organization whose purpose is to lead people of all nations to faith and maturity in Jesus Christ by teaching the Word of God. Printed in U.S.A. Copyright © t 988 by Radio Bible Class, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Bible quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version © t979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers. Second Look is produced by New Focus, Inc., Vanir Tower, Ninth Floor, San Bernardino, CA 9240t. Subscriptions are available for $7.50/year by writing to Second Look subscriptions, Discovery House, Box 3566, Grand Rapids, Ml49501-3566. .

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COVER STORY

AWIN FOR THE HOME TEAM

Former "swinging bachelor" Frank Tanana has overcome his control problems, while turning his career around, too My contract goes through 1981. I'll be lucky to be alive then. Let alone pitching.

- Frank Tanana in 1977

T'S OCTOBER 4, 1987, and Tiger Stadium is rocking.

The Tigers lead, 1-0. Two outs. Ninth inning.

Frank Tanana is on the mound. All that s ta nd s between D etro it and the Easte rn Divis ion title is Toronto third baseman Garth Iorg. The mounted police are ready to take the field.

BY DAVE BRANON The women in Frank's life now include wife Cathy and youngest daughter Erin.

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Fifty-one thousand and fo ur people are mak ing enough noise to wake up the Dead Milkme n.

Everyone is standing.

Except Cathy Tanana. She remains glued to her seat- praying.

What would work for the Tigers? The crowd noise? Cathy's prayer? Could Frank pull one more di splay of magic from his mystical bag of 77 mph tricks?

Tanana delivers, and Iorg dribbles the ball meekly between firs t base and the pitcher's mound. Tana na pounces, wheels, and tosses to Darrell Evans. Bring on the mounties. It's celebration time.

Now even Cathy is on her feet, trying to catch a g limpse of her husband as he dances around the infield grass with the rest of Sparky's gang.

It was an astounding ending to an unbelievable season for the Tigers. Unheralded and unfeared in spring training, they had stormed the gates of their division's leadership by surprise. After stunning the favored Blue Jays with four straight onerun v ictories as the season ran out, the Tigers were baseball's winningest team.

And right in the middle of this improbable conclusion were Frank and Cathy Tanana - one pitching and one prayi ng. Te n years after mak ing dire predictions about his life a nd career, Frank was again atop the baseball world. And I 0 years after meeting Frank in a West Coast nightclub, Cathy was calmly talking to God while the thousands around her were screaming.

To frame this scene properly, take a peek back to Anaheim, California, in the middle of the 1977 baseball season.

Frank Tanana is the talk of baseball. His 95 mph fastball and wicked, 90 mph c urve have batters tal ki ng to themselves and quotemakers talking to the media. Bobby Bonds claims that Frank is "th e best youn g pitc he r in th e Ame rican League." Don Drysdale compares him to Sandy Koufax. Othe rs me ntion names like Warre n Spahn. On June 21, Frank fans 17 Texas Rangers to set a league record for most strikeouts in a single game.

Even off the field Tanana is the picture of success. Writer Ron Fimrite calls him the "quintesse nti a l s win g ing bachelor." He 's go t a Mercedes, a condo with a pool, lots of money, and lots of women. Just a talented young athlete having a good time.

It was no surprise that Frank would adopt this play-as-yo u-go lifes tyle . All h e h ad ever observed o f s upposed ly "moral" people was hypocrisy. He recalls in his youth seeing "people who would go to church and 2 hours later were bombed out of their minds." So it was easy for him to develop his own theology: "God wasn't real. He was just someone up there who was going to balance your good against your bad. If you did more good, which I thought I did, you were OK. I never hurt anybody intentionally."

Instead, he admits, he took advantage of them,

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Lots of money, and lots of women.

Just a talented young athlete having a good time.

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especia lly women. "I was very selfish," he recalls. "If I'd meet someone, it was just for what they could give me- you know, a one-night stand or something like that. The whole attitude was 'Please yourself."'

T he fast-lane life of a Southern Californ ia major league r seemed just the ticket for Frank.

After all , he had worked hard to get where he was. Hadn't he earned the right to live as he pleased?

Sports had co ns umed h is life as a yout h.

"Every waki ng moment I had was spe nt on a basketball court or a baseball diamond," he recalls.

All those hours paid off. When Frank graduated from Detroit Catho lic Cen tral High School, he was a young man in de mand. Duke Un iversity offered him a basketball scholarship, but he wanted to pitch for the De troit Tigers.

The Tigers, however, didn't trust the left-hander's a rm . Frank had injured it his senior year while making an unnecessary sidearm pitch, and Detroit was afraid to use a high draft choice on a questi onable prospect. The Califo rni a Angels, though, took the risk.

The results were heavenly. After a couple of years in the minors, Tanana landed in Anaheim in Septembe r 1973. From 1974 th ro ugh 1977, Tanana averaged 229 strikeouts per year. He and Nolan Ryan teamed up to become baseball's most feared one-two pitc hing duo.

But 1977 offered surprises for Frank. Midway through a potential Cy Young year, he began to feel pain in his left shoulder. It was that same pain he had felt back in 197 1. But now he was pitching to Reggie Jackson and Fred Lynn. By the end of the season, Frank's record, which had been 10-2 at one point, had fallen to 15-9. Doubts replaced his well-known confidence.

Pitching with pain was not the only new item in his life that summer. On one of Frank's almost nightly outings, he stopped by Bobby McGee's, a Newport Beach disco. As he scanned the dance .floor, he spotted an attractive youn g woman dressed in black - a feature that always got his atte ntion.

As soon as Frank began to dance with her, he knew he was overmatched. How could he know that Cathy Mull, the woman in black, was a dance major at Long Beach State? And how could he know that this dance-floor meeti ng wou ld change his lifestyle - and his life?

Frank may have felt that he was in control of the people around him, but that didn't make much of a difference to Cathy. She wasn't impressed with Frank Tanana's fame - she had never heard of him. Even her dad only vaguely remembered hearing the name. "We were football fans," she explains. Still, she recalls, she was impressed with the man behind the name.

The feeling was mutual. "She had this confidence about he r - she had a mi nd of her own," e nthuses Frank. He wasn't accustomed to having a woman tum him dow n for a date simply because

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she had othe r plans. But that's just what Cathy did. "I was very attracted to that," he remembers.

"She kind of put me in my place. I was used to ge tting my way when I wanted it. And Cathy wasn't going along with that."

Frank was ready for a change. He was tired of casting people as ide. He was tired of te lling lies and bei ng d ecept ive . He was tired of t he "destructi ve element of what I did to many of the girls I went with." He was tired of using people.

"Cathy carne into my life at just the right time. I was looking for something more solid , something more meaningful; and I fell in love wi th he r."

Soon after Frank a nd Cathy were married in 1978, they realized that their lives were still missing someth ing.

Frank first sa w it the fo llo w ing s umm e r, through someone whose life demo nstrated th at there was a nothe r, bette r way to li ve. J ohn We rh as, the An gels' chap la in, had some thing going for him that Frank seldom saw in anyone else. John cared for people. He was happy and at peace. He treated everybody the same. Frank noticed "a special look in his eye" that made him curious.

That wasn't all Frank noticed. He also saw that his career was in jeopardy. Because his old shoul der problem had resurfaced, he didn't know how much lo nger he cou ld pitc h. Life no lo nger seemed so carefree. Frank Tanana no longer seemed invincible. He began qu estioning hi s lifestyle.

"For 5 years I had it a ll - women, fame, and fortune - and still it got old." Frank was ready to think about the lifesty le John att ributed to a personal re lationship with Jesus Christ.

Then teamm ate Lyman Bostock was murde red whil e th e An ge ls we re in Chicago for a September series with the White Sox. Bostock, visiting relat ives in nearby Gary, Ind iana, was killed by a g unshot intended for someone else.

"Lyman's death had an impac t on me. We all th ink we're going to live forever, especia lly when we're young. With Lyman getting killed , it just got me asking some questi ons ." Now Frank became more inte rested in getting into heaven than into the Hall of Fame.

Meanwhile, Frank' s wife Cathy had beg un going to the Angels wives' Bible studies led by Kay Werhas, John's wife, and attendi ng a c hurch.

In her mind, she wasn't really searching. Then, she recalls, "one day the gospel was presented and it was like 'Where have I been? Wh y haven't I heard this?"' In the space o f just a few weeks in 1978, both F ra nk and Cath y Ta na n a beca me Christians.

Today the wild nightlife of Southe rn California is as fore ign to the Tananas as Australian rules footba ll is to baseball. The couple who danced up a storm at Bobby McGee's is now more concerned about mak ing the right moves with the ir four little girls.

In 1977 Frank couldn't "see himself as some-

He warns teenage girls to watch out for people like he was.

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one's husband." Now he would prefer to warn teenage girls to watch out for people like he was.

"They'll tell you the words, but they really don't care fo r you at all." Frank should know; he readily admits that's how he was.

The c hange in Frank is evident when you walk into the Tanana household. You can sense a special famil y feeling. Warmt h. Security. Love.

Kindness. Gentleness.

The fee li ng comes from a father who speaks tende rly to h is children and shows by his actions that he loves their mothe r. And it is modeled by a mother who wants o nl y to be kn ow n by he r frie nds as a "mothe r with kids," not the wife of a famo us baseball player.

It's a feeling they want to spread. Fra nk and Cathy look forward with anticipation to Frank 's post-pitc hing days when they may spend their ti me doing for other young baseba ll couples what John and Kay Werhas d id for them - prov iding hope and an alte rnative to the seamy side of baseball life.

For a man who didn't even think he'd still be around, it's nice to see that Frank Tanana has such a bright outlook on life. But why not? He and Cathy have discovered a secre t: No matte r what happens on the fie ld, the important thing is to be safe at horne.

Dave Branon is managing editor of Discovery Digest, a publication of Radio Bible Class.

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INTERVIEW

NO DETOURS

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NBA pro Mark Price knows the value of following the straight path while out on the road

N EACH ISSUE of Second Look, Kyle Rote Jr. will discuss that issue's topic with a f ellow athlete.

A form er pro soccer player and three-time winner of ABC-TV's "Superstars" competition , Kyle is also a TV sports commellfator and popular speaker. He will be bringing his personal insights to these interviews.

In this issue, Kyle talked with Mark Price of the Cleveland Cavaliers about the challenges of living a mora/lifestyle as a pro athlete. The third-year guard from Georgia Tech is married, and unapologetically tries to follow a traditional set of values.

Kyle: What is it like to be in the spotlight in pro sports? Is it different than it was for you in college?

Mark: I haven't found it to be a whole lot different.

It's more nat ionwide. When you're in college, you're a name around that area. I had a pretty good reputation in the South when I was at Georgia Tech, but not too many people in the North had heard about me.

Once you get to the pro ranks, people from all over know the players in the NBA. That's where the nationwide recognition starts to come in.

Wife Laura helps steer Mark straight.

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Kyle: One of the negativ e side effects of becoming well-known nationally is that you also become more of a target for "groupies."

Mark: You hav e to be careful whenever you're out on the road, because there are a lot of people who will try to jump on your bandwagon, so to speak. But I think that if you want to find trouble, you have to go looking for it, and I'm not the kind of person who does that. So, I have n't had problems with groupies.

Kyle: Baseball went through a scandal of sorts last season when a woman filed a lawsuit against Wade Boggs of the Boston Red Sox, alleging that they had had an affair (which Boggs later admitted) and seeking financial support. How do you avoid getting yourself in a tempting situation?

What are some principles you operate by when you're on the road?

Mark: First, I don't even begin to play with fire. My philosophy is that if you play with fire, you're going to get burned. So if anything is questionable in any way, I stay away from it.

As a Christian, I think the most important thing is to keep your spiritual senses on the alert. Satan is going to come in on you subtly. If you're not aware of what's going on around you, you're not going to see things coming.

I try to get with some of the other Christian guys on the team-Kent Ben son is one-and spend time with them. We encourage each other as much as we can. But other than that, a lot of the time I'm so tired when we travel that I spend my extra time sleeping or reading.

Kyle: With your games so often being on Sunday, and having an incredible travel schedule, what type of Christian community or support system is available to you?

Mark: We have a good pregame chapel program in Cleveland. Chapel gives us a chance before the games on Sunday to get together with guys who are fellow believers in Jesus Christ, and with those who aren't.

It's a time just to step back from basketball, to see what's really important, and to put things in perspective. Chapel is also a good way of making a stand for Christ in front of your team, because your teammates see you getting up and going to Chapel.

Kyle: A lot of people would feel that most pro athletes don't have anyone holding them accountable in their Christian life. But from what you're saying, it sounds like the Chapel program, your teammates, and other fellow Christians help you to maintain your moral standards.

Mark: Sure. Our Chapel leader, Tom Pe te rsburg, is very good . He comes in before games, and he stops by practice every once in a while. It's good to have somebody like him come by and say, "How are you doing? How's your walk with the Lord?" It gives me some encouragement.

Kyle: You talked about the importance of having a group of friends you could spend some time 10

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Mark is a deadly threepoint shooter ... but layups are also in his range.

with. But having been around pro sports all my life, I know that there's also a group of athletes on eve ry team who don't like to associate with Christians because of their contrasting lifestyle.

Do you feel that you're di scriminated against because you align yourself as one of the "good" guys?

Mark: I don't feel I'm discriminated against as far as guys coming out and abusing me. But I think I get rejected subtly, because the guys don't want to include me in thin gs . Fortunately, I wouldn't want to go to some of the things I'd be invited to. The rejection I experience is them not having much to do with me-stayin g at ann's length, so to speak.

That can be tough, especially if you're one of the only guys on a team who's trying to stand for the Lord, and your teammates don't have much to do with you off the court. I ge t frustrated at times, because I'm trying to live a Christian life, yet I'm feeling like nobody really cares.

It does get tough, but God is always going to be there. I have to love the guys I'm with, and hope that they will come to the place in their lives where they reali ze that they need a personal relationship with Christ.

Kyle: We've me nti oned the issue of sexual purity. But obviously, morality applies to other areas--<:heating on taxes, for example.

Mark: The te mptation is there to act une thically with money, taxes, and other things. The bottom line is integrity. Christ commands those who follow Him to be blameless and holy- to not have to hide anything.

Kyle: Mark, what's your wife's name?

Mark: Laura. L-A-U-R-A. Kyle: (Laughing) You can always tell a guy who spends a lot of time with the press: He spells his wife's name. How long have you been manied?

Mark: Since Christmas Eve, 1986.

Kyle: How is married life?

Mark: Great! I would highl y recommend it to anybody. My wife is a blessing. She really he lps me -both durin g th e season a nd afte r.

Working togethe r, that's what it's a ll about.

Kyle: For a lot of women, pro sports is a jealous suitor, a ri va l for the ir husbands' a tte ntion.

How do you and your wife deal with that?

Mark: Of course, I'm gone a lot, traveling.

But I've always been th e kind of pe rson who leaves the game on the co urt; I don 't bring it home. Obviously, that can't always be done. But most o f the time, I try to come home and let my wife know that she's muc h more important to me than basketball.

Kyle: With all the stories in the media today about a thle tes hav ing ex tramarital affairs and "a girl in every city," how do you two deal with the issue of marital faithfulness?

Mark: I'm totally honest with my wife; that's the only kind of relationship you can have with your spouse. If a girl in one city says something to me, when I ge t home I'll te ll my wife, and we'll kind of la ugh about it.

It's sad that so much un faithfulness is going on.

It's reall y sad to reali ze that even some o f the players' wives know things are going on. But my wife trusts me, and that's important. I have no intention o f ever cheating on her, and by the grace of God, suc h a situation will never happen.

Kyle: It sounds like your marriage is not just you and your wife. It also sounds li ke God is an integral part of your marriage, and tha t it's more a marriage of three indi viduals.

Mark: Definite ly. The fo unda tio n o f o ur whole ma rriage is ou r commitme nt to Chri st.

Even whe n we were dating, we reall y fe lt o ur relati onshi p was like a tri angle. The closer we were individuall y to the Lord, the closer our re lationship to each other was going to be. We feel that way in our marriage too. As we cont inue to grow closer to God, we're going to grow closer to each other.

People may make fun of us or call us old-fashioned, but we won't apologize for our beliefs or our lifestyle because we feel like the only person we have to please is God. That's what we strive to do in our marri age.

Kyle: I've heard it said that sex ual immorality

STEPHEN DUNNIALLSPORT USA

Mark exercises control on the court calling plays for the Cavaliers.

is a poor substitute fo r the true intimacy th at comes from commitme nt a nd love. How does your relationship with yo ur wife keep you from seeking those poor substitutes?

Mark: First of a ll, marri age isn't going to fulfill you. Only a re la ti onship with Christ can .

When you come to that reali zation, it can free you to really love your spouse.

So many married people, even Christians, look to their spouse to fulfill their lives. As my wife and I both know, we're going to let each other down a lot. Not th at we intend to- but we're human. Jesus, however, will never let us down.

I have no doubt th at a lot of the guys who do these thin gs while o ut o n the road love th eir wives. But human love just isn't strong enough.

The Holy Spirit gives us that inner strength to say no and to tum away. Sure, you need a good re lationship with your wi fe, but I still believe that it begins with your re lationship with God.

Training Tips

THE PRICE OF EXCELLENCE

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AS A YOUNG basketball player growing up in Enid, Oklahoma, M ark Price's philosophy was simple: "I fe lt that although I might not be as big as a lot of players, what I could do was work harder than anybody e lse. I made that my goal."

That goal has led to great accomplishments.

Mark went to Georgia Tech University, where he earned All-America honors. Now he plays with the big boys in the NBA. As a point guard for the C leve land Cavaliers, Mark has established himself as a consistent scoring threat. Pretty heady stuff for a 6-foot- 1, 170pounder.

M ark gives the four aspects of his training regimen:

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Practice. "When I was in high school, I was in the gym at least 3 hours a day in the summe r- most of it by myself, j ust shooting. I split it up some- an hour each in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night. Then I would try to play games too. I still shoot at least 500 shots a day minimum."

2. Running.

"I try to spend some time running, mostl y for e ndura nce. I'll play so me pick-up basketball games and also run a couple of miles a day."

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Weig ht training. "I lift weights- both upper body and lower body work. I'm trying to put some weight on, because I lose so much during the season."

4. Attitude. "Do all you can to prepare yourself. That way, at least you'll know you gave it your best shot. Mo st g uys don't work hard enough to succeed, so they'll never know what they could have accomplished ."

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FEATURE

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THE SMUT STOPS HERE

Why Anthony Munoz turned down a Play boy interview, and enlisted in the fight against pornography T TAKES GUTS to man the line of scrimsiveness of pornography-an issue he admi ts he mage, face mask to face mask with some has not always been sensiti zed toward.

Just before his senio r year at the Uni versity of of the nastiest 300-pound-plus defensive Southe rn Californ ia, Munoz was named to a prelinemen in the National Football League.

(Of course, it's not so season All-America team- by bad w he n yo u ' re 6Playboy magazine. The perks inc lud ed a pho tograp h in foot-6 and 278 pounds yourself.) It also takes Playboy wit h mo re th a n 40 g uts to st a nd up fo r ot h er top co llege foo tba ll pl ayers, a nd a weekend at a your convic tions - especiall y when yo u ri sk be ing misunderresort. stood.

At that point in Anthony's li fe, it was a s ig nifica nt G ive Antho ny Munoz a n "A" for intestinal fortitude on oeNNvLANoweHA achieveme nt. "It was a great both count s. The C inc innati Anthony says, "I like Cincinnati. honor to be na med wi th the Be ngals o ffe nsive tackle has People fight to get [pornography] out." top athle tes in the country," he bee n voted to the Pro Bow l says, especia ll y since inj uries seven times and has been recognized twice as the had side lined him fo r a ch un k o f hi s co llege NFL's best offe nsive line ma n. The 30-year-old career. He agreed to pa rtic ipate.

Munoz has also deve loped the courage to take on But the st ory doe s n' t e nd there. Mun oz tT)Oral issues. One that concerns him is the pervareceived another call fro m Playboy in 1986, 7

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years later. As a part of the magazine's preseason football issue, an article would feature some of the key matchups among NFL standouts that seaso n. The editors wanted to match Anthony against a top defe nsive lineman. The decision was more complicated this time. "I can't de ny that it was an honor. You're being singled out as one of the be tte r players in the league," Anthony explains. Munoz asked the Playboy sportswriter to call him back the next day.

Even at that point, his answer was becoming clear- "! knew in my heart I wasn't going to do it," he says- but he also wanted to seek advice from some respected friends. When the return call came, Anthony was ready for it. He told the sportswriter, "Because of what I stand for, I can't have an article about me in a magazine with the type of lifestyle Playboy depicts."

The writer said he respected Anthony's convictions and his courage to stand up for them. Others might have considered Anthony silly to pass up such an honor. After all, it was just a sports artic le . Did it real ly matter which maga zine it appeared in?

It obviously matte red to Anthony. For more than 2 years, he has been a part of Cincinnati's Citizens Conce rned for Community Values. "I saw how they were really getting involved and fighting to keep [pornography] out of the community," he says. The group is affiliated with the National Coalition Against Pornography.

As part of his involvement with CCCV, Munoz tells church and civic groups why he opposes sexually explicit media. His family gives him two good reasons. "I have two children," he says, "and I'd like the m to grow up in a community whe re pornography is not available."

Munoz has educated himself on the scope of the porn plague and its effects on those who perfonn in it and those who use it. He knows what to say whe n a Penthouse reader asks, "What's the big deal?" Anthony responds, "It's just like drugs or alcohol: The re's always that temporary satisfaction, but you don't think about the long-te rm effects. You might start out with those magazines, but they lead to something worse, then to child porn."

But that's not the only reason to avoid X-rated media. Anthony adds, "These magazines give you a false image of what love, sexuality, and your li festyle should be. [Reading even soft-core porn] fogs the picture on relationships and morality. It depicts everything about the way God doesn't want us to live."

Munoz points out that pornography is a big industry, grossing as much as $ 10 billion per year.

Pornographers abuse their subjects, sometimes snatching young runaways to star in hard-core pictures. Their world is brutally violent, and their victims suffer emotional damage for the rest of their lives-if they survive. Even small children are not protected from the pornographer's studio.

Munoz quotes statistics estimating that there are 14

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ARE LIFE'S PAINFUL LESSONS UNAVOIDABLE? A lot of people argue that everyone should be able to make up their own minds about their sexual morals, without pressure from parents, teachers, or churches. To deny them access to resources that can help them decide (including pornography) is unfair.

But athletes like Anthony Munoz are willing to tell young people that there's a lot of pain out there to avoid. They know because they've experienced it. "I share with young people that I've made a lot of mistakes, but I've learned through those mistakes. I've suffered the conse-quences, and I don't want to see the youth of today make those same mistakes," Anthony says Is it best to allow young people to decide their own morals on the basis of personal experience?

Or if there are absolute rights and wrongs that protect us from such pain, V:IOuldn't it be in our best interest to learn those first?

four times as many adult bookstores in the United States as there are McDonald's restaurants. Noting the abundance of golden arches, Anthony calls the number of X-rated bookstores "staggering." But th ey a re n't the only outle ts for pornography.

Children can find sexually explicit media by tuning in a cable TV channel when the folks are away or by calling "dial-a-porn" telephone services.

Amazingly, not everyone will listen or take the situation seriously. "You can share the hard facts with them, and some people are going to deny it," Anthony says. Eve n worse, soft-core porn has become a sociall y accepted means of entertainment to some. "They don't see past the magazine or the movie to the sufferings that go along with [producing] it," Munoz adds.

But aren't Playboy cente rfold s part of pro sports' mac ho image? Wha t about so-called "lockerroom" talk? Do Anthony's teammates give him a hard time? Guess again. "The guys know the differe nt issues I'm involved in, and it opens up opportunities to ex plain why I'm doing what I'm doing," he says. He has been equally outspoken in encouraging kids to say no to drugs, alcohol, and premarital sex.

The abi lity to ta ke public stands on moral issues has not always come naturally to Anthony.

"When I was younger, I would know something was wrong, but I wouldn't speak out against it," he says. "God has given me the strength to take a stand-not only to say, 'I oppose pornography,' but to risk being ridiculed."

Anthony has learned that when you take a stand, you don't just get respect; you get results. " If you voice your opinions, things will start to happen," he says. "People listen when you stand up for something."

He has seen those results from groups he has spoken to. "The ste reotype of pro athletes is not always the best, so people really appreciate the stand I take." Because of the influence enjoyed by professional athle tes , Anthon y hopes others will be willing to join him in the battle. ¡ And he doesn't mean athletes only. Anyone can get involved in the fi ght against pornography.

Anthony says, "I've spoken to people who have walked into a store and seen these magazines out for everyone to see. The y write letters and all of a sudden the magazines are off the shelves. That's what I like about Cincinnati," he says of his adopted hometown. "The people fight to get that stuff out."

Now if every football fan would direct half the energy to getting rid of X-rated theaters, dial-aporn phone services, and adult bookstores, that he or she directs toward the game on Sunday afternoons, who knows what they could accomplish?

That's one matchup Anthony Munoz would like to see.

Sara Anderson is an associate editor f or Good News magazine in Wilmore, Kentuc/..'Y, and a frequent contributor to Second Look.

FOR ATHLETES

GARBAGEIN,GARBAGEOUT Standards affect behavior-on and off the field

BY WES NEAL

Wes Neal is a resp ect ed writer with a unique perspecti ve on sp orts com petitio n .

Currently living in Branson, Missouri, Wes is the author of The Handbook on Athle ti c Pe rfection. A frequent contributor to Second Look magazine, Wes looks in this column a t how you can apply ethical princ ip les to you r sports involvement.

L

IVING BY a ri ght set of sta nd ards is n' t j us t a n o ff-th e- fi e ld iss ue fo r a thle tes. It has a lot to do with what you do on the fie ld.

Le t me e xpla in how.

M os t fo otba ll e x pe rt s agree that o ne fac tor in the Gree n Bay Pac ke rs' trans ition from a bunch of average pl a ye rs with po te nti a l into wo rld c h a mpi o n s in th e 1960s was head coach Vince Lombardi's code o f e thi cs.

Fo r exa mpl e , qurin g o n e road trip, a h otel m a nag e r refu sed to a llow th e blac k Green Bay players to use the hotel's front door. Lombardi was furious. He insisted that they be allo wed to use th e fro nt door lik e th e w hit e p laye rs. Whe n th e h o t e l man a g e m e nt re fu sed hi s reque s t, Lomba rdi had th e e ntire tea m u se th e b ac k door.

Yo u see, o ne e thi c in Lombardi's code was togeth-

em ess. If one team member was left out of something, the rest of the team would bow out too . T his toge the rness he lped th e Pac ke rs on the play ing fie ld as we ll. They would work togethe r as a unit in th e ir prac ti ces, and rip apa rt the opposition in their games.

Just as o ff- the-fie ld practi ces directl y affect the o nth e -f ield pe rforma nce of a footba ll team, yo ur personal th o u g hts ha ve a profound impact on the way you li ve.

Compute r ope rato rs explain how it works with one word: "GIGO." That combines the firs t le tt e rs of th e p hra se "garbage in , garbage out." In

o the r wo rd s, a co mput e r's output is only as good as the information you feed it. If you g ive it good infonnation, you'll get good res ults; bad info rm a tion y ie ld s b ad results.

If that "computer" called .yo ur brain is prog ra mmed with a faulty se t of standards, your act ions w ill be fa ulty.

O n th e o the r ha nd, i f y our st a nd a rd s a re hi g h , yo ur actions will reflect it.

Let me suggest one sta nda rd tha t not o nl y de mo nstra tes a C hri stia n a ttitude, but also will help you as an athle te. And it ties in beautifull y with Lombardi's ethic of "togetherness": Help other

p eople succeed! Simple to say, tough to do, but dynamite when done!

Keep in mind that helping othe rs succeed is part of the ethical code God wants us to ha ve. The a p os tl e Paul wrote, "Le t nothing be done throug h selfish a mbition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better tha n himse lf. Le t each of you look out not onl y for his own interests, but also fo r th e inte re sts of o th e rs" (Philippians 2 :3,4 ).

When we think in tenns of success in sports, we usually think strictly in te rms of winning and losing. But to God's way of thinking, success and failure goes much deeper than that, and re lates to our obedi e nce to His Word. Obeying His comma nds- be ing wo rth y representati ves of Jesus C hrist- is the sta nda rd fo r winning and losing.

For the next season, commit you rself to th e e thi cal s ta nd a rd o f he lpin g yo ur teamm ates im prove (S ince psyc ho logists c laim it takes about 9 weeks for a behav ior to become a habit, it's a feasible seas o n -lo ng goal. ) Chances a re, thi s goal will free yo u up to perfonn better.

But mu c h mo re th a n th a t, you' ll fee l l ike a s uccess , because you're do ing things God's way.

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FEATURE

THE

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A warning to producers of X-rated media: Athletes for Kids has labeled America's youth "untouchable" TONE TIME, the swing ing athlete represented the good life. Media darlings suc h as "Broadway Joe" Namath and Bo Be linsky captured sports fandom's imagina tion with the ir fast- lane lifestyles. But today wine, women, and song translate into substance abuse, A IDS, and selfdestruction.

Small wonde r th at square may be the shape of things to come. Many of today's athlt:tt:s art: upting for a way of life based o n more tradi tional val ues. They've seen both sides of the fence, and they've abandoned the wi ld jungle in favor o f the backyard barbecue.

Ath letes for Kids is o ne organization that g ives such sports persona lities an opportunity to promote these values. The group seeks to "uphold human d ig nity," as project coordinator Leo Wisniewski puts it, by nurturing positive relationships and confronting society's negative influe nces. One of Athletes for Kids' main concerns is the fight against pornography.

Experts estimate that the pornog raphy industry grosses between $7 billion a nd $ 10 billio n every year, all the while warping Americans' attitudes toward sex. But with athletes speaking out and upholding decent, trad itio nal values, things can change, says Brad Curl, Athletes for Kids executive director.

"Athletes still are the real heroes in o ur society," Curl says. "These ath le tes want to rall y public opinio n against pornography. We're hoping that training athletes to speak o ut o n thi s issue will have an impact."

A mo ng those affi liated w ith A thle tes for Kids a re offensive line man Craig Wolfley of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks w ide receiver Steve Largent , Atl anta Falcons kicker Mick Luckh urst, Seattle quarterback Je ff Kemp, a nd Minnesota Vikings running back D. J. Dozier.

Dozier, an All -American whil e at Penn State, describes the popularity o f pornography as "a frustrating, heartbreak ing situation. Kids are talking like it's a big thrill , but it's bringing socie ty down. I have no qualms or hesitations about standing against it."

More and more people feel the same way, especially after the Attorney Gene ra l's Commission on Pornography released its report in 1986. Among

BY JOHN CARVALHO 16

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Athletes for Kids leaders Brad Curl (left) and Leo Wisniewski (right) aren't playing around, and they have the support of (bottom left to right) Mick Luckhurst, D.J. Dozier, Steve Largent, and Jeff Kemp.

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th e Commission's findings was that sex uall y explicit media have many devastating effects- not only for the people who watch pornography, but also for those who are victimized on fi lm .

"This is a business that exploits people," Jeff Kemp says. "We've opened the door and let it run wild." He echoes the message he presented in an Athletes for Kids public service spot: "Our children need a st rong a nd loving e nv ironment.

Pornography tears down that environment."

Curl, a pioneer stra tegist in the war against sexually explicit media, says, "It's wrong to degrade people for the pleasure of others. If you want the right to view pornography, then you must g ive producers the right to recruit women and c hildren to appear in it."

The audience for such media is growing, he adds.

"There used to be 700 adult theate rs in the U.S. Now there are potentially 40 million in people's homes because of VCRs. In 1986, 104 million X-rated videotapes were rented. Hundreds of new X-rated films are being produced on videotape."

This trend allows pornography to reach an increasingly younger audience, with ruinous results. Leo says, "More and more children are acting out what they see. I read about a 7-year-old boy who molested and killed his little sister after watching an X-rated video."

Little wonder that the athletes' main concern is the young people; this is, after all, Athletes for Kids. "It's now acceptable for kids to have sex while they're in high sc hool," Mick Luckhurst says. "That puts treme ndous pressure on them."

What about the emphasis on so-called safe sex?

"A cop-out," Mick says.

When these teenagers see an athlete turning his back on society's permissiveness, the message finds a receptive audience. "Athletes fall more within the mainstream of society," Leo says.

"They will be more readily received than someone who's labeled a 'fundamentalist right-wing advocate." Curl adds, "It's hard for the media to label pro athletes as repressed, uptight individuals."

Dozier likewise expects young people to listen.

"They're looking at a person who, in their eyes, has everything," he says. "Having this platform helps me tell kids that they don't have to give in to peer pressure. Kids will say, 'Maybe that's [the lifestyle] I need':-not only because I'm saying it, but because it's true."

Speaking out on a topic like pornography can be threatening, Curl admits. "I notice that as these athle tes speak out and take a stand, they're a little nervous," he says. "It's a struggle to talk about a private subject; it takes courage. But once they begin, you see them become more comfortable."

"Pornography has had a negative influence on many of these guys," Wisniewski adds. "So they speak from that, a nd warn young people about the dangerous way pornography shapes our view of sex."

Craig Wolfley is one athlete who has overcome his re ticence. "Anytime you make a stand, you 18

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1

1 here's a time and place in everyone's life to stand up and be counted for something.'

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-Craig Wolfley

have to be aware that you co uld be subject to public ridicule," he says. "But there's a time and place in everyone's life to stand up and be counted for something. Whe n I started reading the facts abo ut what pornograp hy is doin g in America-how prevalent and widespread it is -1 was motivated to become involved."

A warning to scoffers: These athletes have been trained to refute many of the pro-pornography a rgume nts. For example , if you thro w a Constitut ional-freedom-of-expression pass, they'll intercept it. "It's quite sill y to say that pornography is protected by the First Amendment," Kemp, a graduate of Dartmouth, says. "The Constitu tion protects our freedom by limiting other freedoms .

Freedom of the press is protected so that people can govern the mselves."

According to Wisniewski, organizations suc h as Athletes for Kids are not seeking new laws against pornography. They simply want current laws to be enforced. He adds, "The distribution of obscenity has never found any protection under the law. Many landmark Supreme Court decisions have defined obscene materials . These decisions have been consistently upheld."

Bes ides seminars to equip the athletes to speak, Ath le tes for Kids sponsored a series of luncheons to publicize what they're doing, and produced both TV ad spots and a short video featuring sports personalities. "The video helps kids inte rpret the messages about sexuality that they ge t thro ug h the medi a a nd th e ir peers, " Wisniewski says.

Luckhurst takes network TV to task for its sexual values. "TV is very subtle," he says. "It creates the nonns, and kids live down to its expectations." He cites a story line in the popular series Mo on lighting, whi c h s howed Cyb ill Shepherd- "a hi ghl y regarded woman ," M ick points out- going to bed with two differe nt men in 2 weeks.

The res ult is that both ne twork te le vis ion shows and pornography warp youn g people's views on sexuality. "We all have a basic need for intim ac y," Cu rl says . "The bottom line, researchers have found, is tha t pornography and promiscuity damage our ability to enjoy normal sex. What they offer us, they actually rob from us."

But pornography's opponents have been making headway, C url claims. In September 1987, 150 producers and distributors of c hild pornography were arrested. By the e nd of that year, 70 percent of the adult bookstores in North Carolina were closed. And the Play boy empire soured financially, marked by decreased magazine ads, fewer Playboy clubs, closed gambling casinos, and canceled distribution in many conve nience stores.

"It's important to keep this issue in front of the public," Wisniewski says. To illustrate his point, he recalls a billboard message: "When we don't advertise, something terrible happens: Nothing."

1.

17.

Under which coac h did Denny Crum of Loui s vill e serve as an assistant?

A. Bobby Knight B. John Wooden C. Dean Smith D. Adolph Rupp

7•

2.

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Under w hic h coac h did Mike Krzyzewsk i of Duke serve as an ass istant?

A. Bobby Kni ght B. John Wooden C. Dean Smith D. Digger Phelps

3.

Who was the first player from the University of North Carolina to be the overall #I pick in the NBA draft?

A. James Worthy B. Michae l Jordan C. Mitc h Kupchak D. Bob McAdoo

5.

Whi c h uniform numbe r did the New Jersey Nets retire in ho n or of Juliu s Ervi ng, wh o played w ith the Ne ts when they were in the ABA?

7. Who is the only American skier to wi n a gold medal in the dow nhill at th e Wint e r Olympics?

A. Billy Kidd B. B ill Johnson C. Phil Mahre D. Steve Mahre

8.

Sutcliffe, Franco, Davis, Fernandez: Which Is not an ex-Dodger?

A A nge l Cunkro, Jr. B. Willie Shoemaker C. C hris McCarron D. Laffit Pincay

10. Whi ch

golfer won the 1988 U.S. Women's Open?

A. JoAnne Camer B. Betsy King C. Ayako Okamoto D. Lisolette Neumann

11. Which of these All-Stars did not play in the Dodgers organization?

A. Rick Sutcliffe B. Sid Fernandez C. John Franco D. E ric Davis

Who won th e women's s in g les c h a mpi o n s hip a t Wimbledon in 1988?

A. Steffi Graf B. Chris Evert C. Pam Shriver D. Martina Navratilova

12. Who, in

9.

13. What

Whic h jockey has n o t toppe d t he 6 ,000 m ark in career w ins?

Ha ll of Farne r w ith hi s college.

A John Unitas I. Alabama B. George Blanda2. Louisville C. Bart Starr 3. Kentucky D. Y.A. Tittle 4. Louisiana State A crucia l play in the Los An geles Raide rs' 19 84 Super Bowl victory ove r Washington occurred whe n a Raider linebacker retumed an interception for a touchdown just before ha lftime. Wh o made that interception?

A. Matt Millen B. Brad Van Pe lt C. Jack Squirek D. Rod Martin

player to have hi s uniform number retired?

8.

18. Match each Pro Football

19.

4. Who is the only Utah Jazz Oscar Ro bertson had two different uniform num be rs retire d by two diffe re nt tea m s. Name th e num be rs and the teams.

Which of these running backs from Syracuse was not a first round draft pick?

A. Floyd Little B. Larry Csonka C. Jim Brown D. Joe Morris

1987, became the seventh switc h-hitter to hit 30 o r more home runs in a season? is the record fo r

most pitchers combining on a no-hitter?

14.

Who wa s th e fi rs t Kansas City Royals pitcher to w in 20 games in a seaso n?

A. De nnis Leonard B. Steve Busby C. Bre t Saberhagen D. Paul Splitto rff

15.

Who wa s th e firs t California Angels pitc her to w in 20 games in a season?

A. Dean Chance B. Bill Singer C. Clyde Wright D. Nolan Ryan

18.

Which of these players never hit four home runs in one game?

A. Willie Mays B. Mike Schmidt C . G il Hodges D. Mic key Mantle

BY RICK YORK

20. Which

player holds the NFL record for most seasons played w ith the sa me team ( 19)?

A. Jim Hart B. Johnny Unitas C. Jim Marshall D. John Brodie

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PERSPECTIVE

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Sexual temptations promise pleasure, but be warned: There are consequences TRIP TO the National Football League Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, fills the sports fan with a feast of exciting football history. The museum is packed with memorabilia of players and games, portraying the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

The Bible presents characters and situations in much the same fashion. They win, and they lose. They succeed, and they fail. And no athletic defeat compares with the agony of defeat on the battleground of morality.

Look, for example, at the life of David. He strides into the arena of fame as a young, unheralded shepherd. The Bible follows his life in careful detail, not missing any of the lifeshaping events in the adventurous career of this small-town boy who makes it big in the international world.

But heroes also fall. Victories on the field don't always carry over to our private lives. The life of David reads like a soap opera. Only this Dynasty wasn't a TV series; it really happened.

Dav id enters the scene like a rookie relief pitcher coming into a World Series game in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded and no outs. (See I Samuel 17.) A Philistine giant has been challenging and mocking the army of the Israelites. Finally, David

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volunteers to go in. You know the story. David slings a "hard fastball " at the Philistine giant, defeats him, and becomes a hero. Later, he even becomes the king.

One lazy evening while the rest of his troops are off to war, King Dav id gets up from a late afternoon rest and wa lks a round his roof porc h. Suddenly hi s eyes are drawn toward a woman bathing herself. Po werful fee lings are aroused; lust has a mag netic way of holding o ur attention . Why was she there? What message did she want to convey? Dav id could dream a thousand answers, yet none could sati sfy the need to see more. He had fo ught many battles since Goliath but now he would wage war on a di fferent battlefield: his mind and heart. He fo rgot that giants can sometimes be beautiful.

Have you ever been in a similar situation? In your mind? How did you handle it? As you examine David's fall into sexual immorality, you may recogni ze the steps that led him downward. These steps are vividly traced in 2 Samuel II .

First, " ... he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beauti ful to behold" (v. 2). Visual attraction occurs so easily that we o ften excuse it as mere curiosity or casual interest. David's next step, however, wasn't so casual. "So David sent and inquired about the woman" (v. 3). Still no harm done, right? The problem is momentum. Immorality is a steep slope. Once you start down its trail, it isn't easy to stop.

T he investigation lifts a red flag. The woman, Bathsheba, is married (v.

3). But Dav id can't stop. He won't stop. "Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her ... " (v. 4). At this point some try to blame Bathsheba. She could have resisted.

Perhaps, yet the record keeps referring to what David initiates and carries out. He can't blame someone else.

Soon Bath she ba sends word that she is pregnant w ith D av id's ch ild . What n ow, David? Face it like a man?

Hardl y. He tries to cover his tracks by e nco urag ing Bathshe ba's husband, Uriah , to sleep w ith her. But

BY DAVID BURNHAM

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21

Uriah, a good so ldier, refuses such a privilege during a time of war, ruining David's scheme.

(See verses 6- 13.) Finally, in blind desperation, David orders his army commander, Joab, to put Uriah in a military position that would cause his death (vv. 15, 16). Joab fulfills the order and reports it to David. Mission accomplished.

David has covered his sin. Or has he? As 2 Samuel 11 closes, it leaves this chilling warning: "But the thing David had done displeased the Lord" (v. 27).

In the next chapter, God graphically confronts David with his sin. Finally, David recognizes that he has sinned against God. God forgives him, but not before David's moral failure affects many lives.

Reviewing the record of David's disobedience reminds me of studying game fi lms, when my coaches would use slow motion and replays to point out missed assignments and fumbles . Why the replays? So we wouldn't make the same mistake in the next game.

What would God want us to learn from David's disobedience? Is this account just a juicy expose' of a king and national hero? No. God wants us to learn, so we won't make the same mistakes.

Lesson #1: Get out of there!

THE EVENING WALK hadn't overcome David.

The problem began when his mind locked in on a

IS IT POSSIBLE TO MAKE ACLEAN START? LIKE DAVID, you might have made choices you now regre t. You might realize that you ha ve sinned against God through your own shortsighted choices.

If so , you can turn to the same God David turned to. If you already know Him as your heavenly Father, you can be restored to a right relationship with God as David was. He admitted his sin and cried out, "Create in me a clean heart, 0 God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" (Psalm 51 :10).

If you don't know David's God as your heavenly Father, you need to start at the beginning.

You can be born into God's family by believing on His Son, Jesus Christ. When He died, He died for all your sins. When He rose from the dead, He showed His ability to give the gift of e ternal life to all who would acknowledge their sin and believe on Him (Acts 13:36-39). The gift is yours in exchange for your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you accept Him now, why not thank Him for what He's done for you? Then look for a way to tell someone else of your faith. If you let us know, we will send some free information to help you grow in your new life. Please write to: Second Look, Grand Rapid s, MI 49555.

22

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You must get out of those settings that stimulate you to sexual immorality.

-

stimulating scene. David probably should not have even been on the rooftop. He should have been with his army in the field. Now what could he do? He co uld have turned around, walked back into his room, and prayed to God for help.

Instead, hi s mind p lotted anoth er step in th e wrong direction.

You put yourself in a difficult predicament when you choose books, magazines, fil ms, and environments that are designed to stimulate you.

Stop! You shouldn't be there in the first place!

But what do you do when you suddenly find yourself in a tempting situation? Joseph demonstrated one of the best techniques in Genesis 39:712. When Potiphar's wife tried to entice him into a sexual encounter, and actually grabbed hold of his garment, he ran.

The apostle Paul gave the same advice to another young man in 2 Timothy 2:22, "Flee also youthful lusts." You must get out of those settings that physically and mentally stimulate you to sexual immorality.

Lesson #2: YOU are responsible for your choices.

SADLY, David had accepted steps of accommodation early in his career. God had instructed Israel's kings to have only one wife (Deuteronomy 17: 17). But David, for the sake of political expediency, justified his many marriages.

We often place ourselves in difficult circumstances when we compromise principles of purity concerning what we read, what we watch, and what we let our minds dwell on. We try to justify our disobedience by saying, "I'm not hurting anybody with what I think." One old song claimed, "Standing on the comer, watching all the girls go by. .. . you can't go to jail for what you are thinking." That may be true in a courtroom, but God holds you accountable for what goes through your emotions and mind.

I have been amazed to hear today's heroes- in sports and entertainment- justify what they do by saying, "I need the stimulation; I like e xcitement; I just want to have it all." At the funeral for John Belushi, who died as a resu lt of injecting a lethal mixture of illegal drugs, Dan Aykroyd said, "Real greatness gives real license for great indulgence.

There had to be an illicit thrill to make it all worthwhile."

That kind of rationali zation always leads to disaster, no matter what argument we offer. You can claim unusual circumstances, extreme temptation, or the need for adventure, but it won't excuse your personal responsibility. David se nt for Bathsheba. David took her.

The Bible clearly tells us that we are to choose whom we wi ll serve. Paul reminded the membe rs of the church at Rome, "Do not present your [bodies] as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your [bodies] as instrumen ts of righteousness to God" (Romans 6: 13). What is ruling

your life? It's your choice. You are responsible for your actions.

Lesson #3: Don't try to cover up your sin.

WHENEVER you tell a lie, you have to reme mbe r everything you have said. That can create quite a complicated problem, because o ne lie demand s a noth er, a nd so on. David's life became a lie as he tried to cover up what he had done.

"Facing the music" is never easy, but its quick pain is preferable to the slow death of deceit. And truth and time always walk hand in hand , as David wou ld eventually discover. "He who covers his sins wi ll not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy" (Proverbs 28: 13).

Lesson #4: Immorality bears consequences.

THE LIST of consequences for David's sin is long. F irs t, h e pro b ab ly lo s t res pec t for Bathsheba. Even though he dutifully took he r in after caus ing her husband's death, their relationship mus t have lacked trust. Afte r all, David knew th at Bathsheba was an un fait hful wife.

Second, there was the loss of life. Bathsheba's husband was murdered when David placed him in the front line. Notice too that other soldiers were killed with Uriah, by David's orders. There are always othe rs, unknown to us, who are affected by our sins.

Third , there was the loss of reputation. How would you feel if you were the messenger sent by David to find out about Bathsheba? Or if you were Joab, and you received an order from your chief commande r to cause the death of o ne of your most loyal soldiers?

Fourth, the people are affected. Their hero has fallen; why shouldn't they lower their standards?

They can mock the name of God. But God never lowers His standards, and ultimately David recognized that his sin was against God. He learned what the writer of Prove rbs wrote, "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, a nd He po nde rs a ll his path s " (Prove rbs 5:2 1). Once David broke that intimate relationship with God, the consequences affected those around him.

Your obedie nce or disobedience to God's standards will affect many lives. But ultimately it will affect your relationship with God. Do you want an open, growing relationship with the Lord? The only way you can do it is to be honest and obedient before Him. Once you establish God and His Word as the found ati on of yo ur be hav ior a nd thought-life, you'll discover the stre ngth to overcome temptation. Plus, you'll be free of all of immorality's consequences-the fear of discovery, the fear of di sease, the fear of loss of reputati on. You'll experience another freedom: the freedom to live life abundantly.

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BIBLE STUDY

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ASECOND LOOK AT SEXUAL MORALITY It's not easy to control sexual desires. But once you have disciplined yourself to do so, you'll also begin to win other mind ballles. Let's see how victory can be gained.

1. THE COMMANDMENT What is God's standard regarding sex outside of marriage, according to these verses?

Exodus 20:14 Hebrews 13:4 (Use a dictionary if necessary to help you distinguish between the terms adultery and fornication. )

2. THE CONSEQUENCES Knowing the consequences of an act can be a strong de terrent.

Read Proverbs 5:5-23. What are some consequences of sexual sin, accord ing to these verses?

3. THE CONCESSIONS Read Proverbs 7. While there may not have been pornographic magazines or adult movie theaters, there were still sexual temptations.

According to verse 25, how should we respond to such temptations?

Which do you think should be in control: your mind, or your desires and emotions? Why?

4. THE COMMITMENT The Bible lists several principles in overcoming te mptation. They include: Protection. According to I Corinthians 10:13, wi ll God allow you to be in a temptation which you can't handle?

How do you think He will personally protect you in this area?

Planning. Without a plan to avoid sexual sin, you can be in trouble before you know it. What guidelines for such a plan do you find in the fo llowing verses?

Ephesians 5: 15,1 6 Proverbs 14: 15,16 Escape. Read Genesis 39:7-12. What was Joseph's response to temptation?

Read 2 Timothy 2:22. What is its instruction?

Look up "flee" in the dictionary. Define it as it relates to escaping sex ual temptation.

5. THE CONFESSION God is gracious. If you have failed in the area of sexual immorali ty, even though it is costly, God forgives and restores. Look up the following verses. Write the benefits of turning from sin .

Proverbs 28: 13 James 5:16 I John 1:9

SECON D

LO O K

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WHO DECIDES WHAJ•s FAIR AND WHAJ•s FOUL? In baseball, umpires make the calls. And, whether greeted by boos or cheers, the call stands. In society, it's a different matter. Some people say that each person should decide his own moral standards-make his own calls. That gives us a lot of freedom. But is it the best way?

Second Look Magazine addresses a variety of life's tough questions-like morality-with a fresh approach.

TAKE ASECOND LOOK AT THE REAL ISSUES IN SPORTS ... AND LIFE.

Second Look Grand Rapids, MI 49555

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