Going barefoot on airplanes: The fallacy of private sin

“Is it ever OK to go barefoot on a plane?”

So asks the Wall Street Journal, pointing to recent
viral videos showing airline passengers imposing their bare feet on others.

One clip shows us a sockless flier using her toe to scroll
through movie options on her monitor. I’m thinking, I could be the next
person to use that screen. It’s not a pleasant thought.

A passenger dries a shoe using the overhead air vent. Another
rests her bare foot on the armrest. Passengers are putting their bare feet on
tray tables, inside the seat pocket, and even on other seats.

Major carriers, including Delta Air Lines, United Airlines,
American Airlines, JetBlue, and Alaska Airlines, explicitly state that bare
feet are grounds for removal from a flight.

But in a day when airline passengers are wearing more casual
clothing than ever (I’ve seen passengers in pajamas and sweats they would
probably not otherwise wear in public), it seems that bare feet are here to
stay.

This trend points up a fact our culture is ill-equipped to
understand: private sin never stays private.

Private sins vs. public consequences

We live in a postmodern society that rejects the very
concept of objective morality or absolute truth. “Sin” for many is an
outdated Puritan concept.

As a result, examining the relation between private sins and
public consequences is not a discussion most are willing or able to have. But
the ramifications of our moral obtuseness are no less real.

The pathway of sin is clear: “Each person is tempted
when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has
conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth
death” (James 1:14–15).

Private desire leads to public death. And not just for the
sinner.

Pharaoh’s refusal to liberate the Jews led to plagues that
nearly destroyed the Egyptian nation. David’s sin with Bathsheba led to the
death of their child (2 Samuel 12:18). King…