An Apple a Day...
I am a parent of a couple teens and every day seems to be a new lesson in the struggles of parenting. This is not so much a complaint as simply and observation and relfection. Raising my kids with appropriate Christian values and views of God, themselves, and the world is a constant stuggle. But all of the work, I pray, will yield fruit. Today, I highlight what a difference an Apple makes...
Do you know who this is (re: the picture with the blog)? It is Steve Jobs, the co-founder and CEO of Apple. Yes, he's the chief of the company responsible for the iPhone, Macbook, and recent iPad. He recently engaged in an email exchange with Ryan Tate, who writes a blog for an industry gossip website. Ryan made the exchange public in his blog.
Tate was apparently upset about the controls against pornography that Apple places on applications produced for it App store. When questioned about freedom, Jobs responded with, "...freedom from programs that steal your private data. Freedom from programs that trash your battery. Freedom from porn. Yep, freedom." To this, Tate took exception regarding pornography.
This might seem meaningless to you but it is significant for a for-profit company to take a stand against revenue from pornography. An image-driven, electronic-savy, for-profit company like Apple has a lot to lose by taking moral positions such as this. Or, to say it another way, Apple could make a lot more money if they allowed pornographic content. Granted, Jobs did not expand much beyond his brief statement but he said a ton with three words, "freedom from porn."
The men of St. Johns just returned home after almost 100 of us gathered for study, fellowship, and growth in Christ. One of the struggles always present for men is pornography. It just is part of the struggle for men today. Paul commends us to "flee from sexual immorality" in 1 Cor. 6. The struggle is real and damaging for so many men and relationships. With the growing presence of the internet and computers in our life, and such Apple products as the iTouch, iPod, and iPad, porn is readily accessible in private places. This allows men to hide the struggles, which grows worse and worse the longer it is kept secret.
We could, and probably should, spend a lot more time on this topic in the church. The point today is simply that it is so refreshing and hopeful to see a company taking a stand today that makes a difference. Thank you Steve Jobs for protecting us in some little way from the destruction of pornography. I for one am thankful for your aid in parenting my son. I trust it will assist in yielding fruit, whether it is an apple or not, in my life and the life of my son...
