By Scott Tibbs, May 22, 2014
Let's get this out of the way, before we do anything else. For Donald Sterling to criticize Magic Johnson's sexual history in the 1980's while he commits adultery with a mistress young enough to be his granddaughter is the height of hypocrisy. That said, Sterling does make a legitimate point about Johnson as a role model, given his history.
Johnson admitted to having sex with between 300 and 500 women a year. That is a shameful and wicked lifestyle. For his own selfish pleasure, Johnson had sex with hundreds and hundreds of women, many of which he would never see again. It is likely that there are a number of children out there who will never know their biological father, a basketball star who had drive-by sex and was never seen again.
For all of the whining about Sterling's comment being "despicable," it shows even pagans like Sterling can recognize Biblical truth now and again. After all, there is a reason the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:18 that those who commit sexual sin are sinning against their own body. Can anyone honestly deny that being infected with the virus that causes AIDS was a direct result of Johnson's wickedness?
We should also not forget the inherent misogyny in Johnson's deathstyle in the 1980's. Women were not human beings to be cared for, in Johnson's world. They were pieces of meat to be exploited sexually and then discarded and forgotten. Many of the same people who are outraged by Sterling's remarks would consider themselves feminists. I honestly cannot understand how one can embrace feminism and still defend this level of misogyny.
Magic Johnson has done much good over the last twenty years with his charitable endeavors. He says he is a Christian, and if so he is forgiven of his wicked and woman-hating ways. But if Johnson is truly a Christian, he should be recognizing that what he did was sinful rebellion against the God he claims to serve, rather than attacking someone who points out that what he did was wicked. Our culture hates shame and we hate any restriction on our libido, so it is more important than ever for Christians to say "no" when our culture is embracing even the worst sexual excesses.
