I've been debating whether to publicly comment on the whole Duck Dynasty thing or not. Mainly because, I know my comments will probably get me in trouble with my fellow Christians who are bound to disagree with me. Truthfully, the fact that this has become the forefront of American discussion at the moment in and of itself I find troubling, but perhaps there is a discussion in the middle of this that does need to happen among Christianity as a whole. It has highlighted at the very least some issues regarding what it means to be a faithful witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Does simply quoting the Bible in order to back up a controversial stance constitute faithful witness? I have to wonder.
When I awoke Thursday morning and saw post after post expressing outrage regarding the firing of Phil Robertson, I admittedly was shocked and dismayed by the Christian community's rants, ranging from claims that his free speech had been violated to Obama should have been fired instead (because those leaps of logic are always fun). I think the free speech thing has been covered aptly at this point - the short version being unless you're being thrown in jail, your first amendment rights have not been violated.
Irony of ironies, however, was just a day earlier, I had a friend who had posted a rather controversial personal statement on Facebook that expressed his anger at a particular deity many of us worship. He used crass language that many found offensive. Christians began filling his wall with statements about how they were "offended" and he needed to "not blame God" for his problems. (Job's unhelpful friends in a time of crises jumped to mind). The next day, he posted that due to his Facebook comment, expressing a personal belief that was a result of some bad life situations, his job had summarily been threatened.
Ah, hypocrisy. We Christians thrive on it.
As my friend discovered - his public words and actions had a negative consequence in the community he lived and worked in, which was predominately Christian (and for the record, he is not an atheist. You have to believe in a deity to get mad at that deity). Unfortunately, his Facebook friends only number in the triple digits and he didn't have a twitter hashtag set up so his supporters (all, like, five of us) could demand we respect his right to rage against God if he so chose.
Phil Robertson and my friend are not the only people to discover this reality. Recent examples of people who have lost their jobs due to the public expression of opinion is hardly relegated to Holly-weird targeting religious folk. I didn't see a whole lot of Christians upset by the fact that Martin Bashir was forced to resign due to his statements against Sarah Palin. I mean, MSNBC knew that they had hired a leftist news commentator who was known for making tasteless comments (he had also been suspended from ABC), so why was it so shocking when he went beserk on a right-wing soccer mom from Alaska? It's not like they didn't know what they were getting when they hired him. He was just doing his job.
Same goes for Charlie Sheen. CBS knew full well when they contracted him for Two and a Half Men that there was the potential for some erratic public behavior. Yet he got fired, too, for public comments that CBS just finally decided were too "out there" and just wasn't worth the PR nightmare that went along with it. But they went into it knowing the possibility existed.
The all-mighty dollar and goldmine of getting what you can out of these drama-types by selling their antics to the American public is typically worth the possible future public blunder that will force the cash cow to come to an end. But in the meantime - cha-ching!
The public outrage regarding these firings was fairly minimal. Because, well, their comments, while offensive to someone, weren't religious in nature. In fact - the only Facebook postings I saw from any of my friends regarding Martin Bashir resigning was from a very liberal, non-Christian friend who lives in South Beach, Florida - and his only comment was he never cared much for Bashir's rantings anyway (even though I'm pretty sure he agreed with Bashir's opinion of Ms. Palin in general).
Apparently, the outrage against people getting fired (or in this case suspended) for offensive comments only applies if they're quoting and interpreting the Bible. Never mind that those offensive comments are directed at the very people who sign your paychecks. (I used to work for Disney, which owns A&E, and believe me, the LGBT community pretty much runs that conglomerate. So if you're going to bite the hand that feeds you - prepare to get slapped). Not to mention the fact that anytime you suggest African Americans had an okay life prior to the civil rights movement, you're going to get in trouble. (Perhaps the reason African Americans didn't complain against the white establishment was because they were a bit terrified of being lynched if they did so. Just a thought.)
However I think the question Christians need to be engaging right now is what exactly constitutes a faithful, public, Christian witness? Just quoting the Bible? Because I can quote the Bible right now:
"Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." (1 Samuel 15:3)
Wait - isn't genocide a bad thing?
Or how about this: "Put a knife to your throat if you have a big appetite." (Proverbs 23:2) Oh, except... isn't suicide a sin? And have you seen my Christmas dinner spread? Ugh.
Or my personal favorite: "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Matthew 19:21)
Uffdah. I guess I don't really want to be all that perfect, or have a lot of treasure in heaven because truthfully - I have no intention of selling off all my possessions. I like having a roof over my head and place to sleep at night, food on my table, and being able to have a television that could, if I chose, make it so I could watch Duck Dynasty. (My television has actually never had that show on it, but theoretically, it could)
But the point is: if we take Jesus at face value - if we take him literally - that is but one of our many challenges as faithful disciples that few of us follow. And we all fail pretty miserably whenever we try.
Whether we want to admit it or not, Christians live in an uncomfortable tension. There are disturbing, seemingly non-Christian type things in the Bible that don't quite jive with Jesus' message of peace, love and somewhat passive resistance against the governing authorities of his day. (The exception being, of course, getting out some whips and chasing out the money changers. Jesus had a spunky side.) There is a mystery that we still do not understand about the fact that Jesus affirms the validity and truth of the Old Testament scriptures, while simultaneously re-interpreting them and incorporating them in ways that baffle us to this day. Our recognition of sin and what God has done about sin through Christ finds itself lived out in a variety ways in many Christian communities. The reason so many different Christian denominations exist is because none of us know exactly how to reconcile everything we read in the Bible. It speaks to us, God's word is a living thing that creates faith in us - and there are definitely points that are non-negotiables - but we still live in the reality that we do not fully comprehend God's ways and as human hearers of this word - we mess it up.
So on the one hand, I can't really blame Phil Robertson for doing what we Christians have been struggling with for the past two thousand years. However, I also can't give him a pass when the statements he made, contrary to some people's perspectives - can, and do, hurt many people. One need only look at the suicide rates and violence against LGBT's to know such public statements only inflame these problems. Nor can one ignore the violence and struggles the African American community has suffered at the hands of the white, Christian, establishment for so long.
From my perspective, these were irresponsible statements to make, even the ones that were directly quoting the Bible. Because it's not just about quoting the Bible - it's about how you go about quoting the Bible. Wielding God's word inappropriately and irresponsibly can have devastating consequences. Wars get started because of that.
One of the disturbing parts in all of this is that apparently, for many, faithful witness about Jesus had better make sure it gets those quotes about homosexuality right. After all, such statements are the reason Jesus says we'll be hated... right? Because that's why Jesus was crucified - for denouncing gay people, just like scripture says we should.
Except... Jesus kind of never mentioned homosexuality. Like, ever.
Hmmmm.
Jesus does indeed warn that his disciples will be hated. But I really don't think it's because they stand up and quote Leviticus 18 faithfully or because they're making offensive comments directed to a particular group of people in His name.
Jesus said they were going to be hated for the opposite reason. That they were going to be hated because they were supposed to follow Leviticus 19: "love your neighbor as yourself." Which, for the Israelites - their neighbor meant their enemies and those whom they disagreed with. Jesus was crucified not because he made some radical statements that upset the secular world and gay community, but because he spoke of a radical love that upset the - get this now - religious leaders of his day... who quoted and followed scripture! <GASP!> He called them a brood of vipers. He challenged their views on purity and righteousness. He was crucified - by faithful, "Bible"-following people.
Let that sink in for a moment.
He even had the audacity to suggest that God's grace and mercy was for EVERYONE. That the religious leaders should be focusing more on mercy, love and justice than following the letter of the law. That forgiveness and healing was available to the outcasts and "sinners." And if you go back and really read the gospels - Jesus' threats about "hell" are never directed at the pagan world. They're directed at the religious leadership. The faithful. The people who have the inside track on this whole God thing. And he was crucified because he made a particular claim in a world that deified their Roman leader - who claimed to be the Son of God, Savior of the world, and the Prince of Peace. That trust and security wasn't going to be found in the Roman system.
Ultimately, the cross of Christ is offensive because it upends the way in which we tend to view the world. Notions of power and strength don't operate the same way in God's Kingdom. The gospel is offensive because it rails against human systems.
Not necessarily because it takes a stand against homosexuality.
I think Tony Compolo really got it right when he made the statement, "love the sinner, hate your own sin." Because believe me, I have a laundry list a mile long - and no, I don't repent of all of it. Because repenting means going completely down a new path and turning away from those sins. Honestly, there are behaviors I engage in, actions I commit, thoughts I have, that I'm not really and truly sorry about. I can be judgmental and figure out a way to justify it. Because - well - I'm a sinner. I'm a hypocrite at times. Because - well - like I said, we Christians are good at that. Many of the things scripture - and Jesus - has to say makes me uncomfortable. Because that's what it's designed to do. It's supposed to make you think about what you're doing in your life and I don't care who you are, you will find something that isn't quite up to par.
Which... is kind of the point of Jesus and why he came here in the first place. Because - we're broken, screwed up people who can't deal with God on his terms, so he came to deal with us on ours, in a form and way we MIGHT have some ability to begin to fathom.
The bottom line is, just because you can quote the Bible does not mean you are necessarily being an ambassador for Christ. Satan quoted the Bible when he tempted Jesus. Now don't take that to an extreme - I'm not suggesting Phil Robertson is Satan (because I know someone will try to suggest that's what I just said. It's not.) My point is - just because "the Bible says it" doesn't give us an automatic "pass" on quoting it and utilizing it to justify every viewpoint we might have. Rather, it requires some thoughtful reflection on how best to convey Jesus' message of salvation to people. How does this scripture fit with the overarching themes of the Bible - faith, love, justice, and mercy? "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!" (Matthew 23:23-24)
There is real persecution of Christians going on in this world - but firing Phil Robertson for making some questionable and charged comments is not one of them. Yes, he had a "right" to say them. But his heavily leaning LGBT employers also had a right to say, "you've crossed a line." (And keep in mind - he hasn't been fired. He was suspended.)
The issue continues to be a debatable one within Christian circles and is but another divisive issue within the church. However, even if Phil's faith and understanding of "proper sexual relationships" is not compatible with LGBT's, there are better ways to address the issue.
Personally, as a Christian, I did not see his statements as standing up for Christ. A good friend of mine put it this way: "When you think you are being persecuted, first ask yourself, "Am I being a jerk?"
When I awoke Thursday morning and saw post after post expressing outrage regarding the firing of Phil Robertson, I admittedly was shocked and dismayed by the Christian community's rants, ranging from claims that his free speech had been violated to Obama should have been fired instead (because those leaps of logic are always fun). I think the free speech thing has been covered aptly at this point - the short version being unless you're being thrown in jail, your first amendment rights have not been violated.
Irony of ironies, however, was just a day earlier, I had a friend who had posted a rather controversial personal statement on Facebook that expressed his anger at a particular deity many of us worship. He used crass language that many found offensive. Christians began filling his wall with statements about how they were "offended" and he needed to "not blame God" for his problems. (Job's unhelpful friends in a time of crises jumped to mind). The next day, he posted that due to his Facebook comment, expressing a personal belief that was a result of some bad life situations, his job had summarily been threatened.
Ah, hypocrisy. We Christians thrive on it.
As my friend discovered - his public words and actions had a negative consequence in the community he lived and worked in, which was predominately Christian (and for the record, he is not an atheist. You have to believe in a deity to get mad at that deity). Unfortunately, his Facebook friends only number in the triple digits and he didn't have a twitter hashtag set up so his supporters (all, like, five of us) could demand we respect his right to rage against God if he so chose.
Phil Robertson and my friend are not the only people to discover this reality. Recent examples of people who have lost their jobs due to the public expression of opinion is hardly relegated to Holly-weird targeting religious folk. I didn't see a whole lot of Christians upset by the fact that Martin Bashir was forced to resign due to his statements against Sarah Palin. I mean, MSNBC knew that they had hired a leftist news commentator who was known for making tasteless comments (he had also been suspended from ABC), so why was it so shocking when he went beserk on a right-wing soccer mom from Alaska? It's not like they didn't know what they were getting when they hired him. He was just doing his job.
Same goes for Charlie Sheen. CBS knew full well when they contracted him for Two and a Half Men that there was the potential for some erratic public behavior. Yet he got fired, too, for public comments that CBS just finally decided were too "out there" and just wasn't worth the PR nightmare that went along with it. But they went into it knowing the possibility existed.
The all-mighty dollar and goldmine of getting what you can out of these drama-types by selling their antics to the American public is typically worth the possible future public blunder that will force the cash cow to come to an end. But in the meantime - cha-ching!
The public outrage regarding these firings was fairly minimal. Because, well, their comments, while offensive to someone, weren't religious in nature. In fact - the only Facebook postings I saw from any of my friends regarding Martin Bashir resigning was from a very liberal, non-Christian friend who lives in South Beach, Florida - and his only comment was he never cared much for Bashir's rantings anyway (even though I'm pretty sure he agreed with Bashir's opinion of Ms. Palin in general).
Apparently, the outrage against people getting fired (or in this case suspended) for offensive comments only applies if they're quoting and interpreting the Bible. Never mind that those offensive comments are directed at the very people who sign your paychecks. (I used to work for Disney, which owns A&E, and believe me, the LGBT community pretty much runs that conglomerate. So if you're going to bite the hand that feeds you - prepare to get slapped). Not to mention the fact that anytime you suggest African Americans had an okay life prior to the civil rights movement, you're going to get in trouble. (Perhaps the reason African Americans didn't complain against the white establishment was because they were a bit terrified of being lynched if they did so. Just a thought.)
However I think the question Christians need to be engaging right now is what exactly constitutes a faithful, public, Christian witness? Just quoting the Bible? Because I can quote the Bible right now:
"Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." (1 Samuel 15:3)
Wait - isn't genocide a bad thing?
Or how about this: "Put a knife to your throat if you have a big appetite." (Proverbs 23:2) Oh, except... isn't suicide a sin? And have you seen my Christmas dinner spread? Ugh.
Or my personal favorite: "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Matthew 19:21)
Uffdah. I guess I don't really want to be all that perfect, or have a lot of treasure in heaven because truthfully - I have no intention of selling off all my possessions. I like having a roof over my head and place to sleep at night, food on my table, and being able to have a television that could, if I chose, make it so I could watch Duck Dynasty. (My television has actually never had that show on it, but theoretically, it could)
But the point is: if we take Jesus at face value - if we take him literally - that is but one of our many challenges as faithful disciples that few of us follow. And we all fail pretty miserably whenever we try.
Whether we want to admit it or not, Christians live in an uncomfortable tension. There are disturbing, seemingly non-Christian type things in the Bible that don't quite jive with Jesus' message of peace, love and somewhat passive resistance against the governing authorities of his day. (The exception being, of course, getting out some whips and chasing out the money changers. Jesus had a spunky side.) There is a mystery that we still do not understand about the fact that Jesus affirms the validity and truth of the Old Testament scriptures, while simultaneously re-interpreting them and incorporating them in ways that baffle us to this day. Our recognition of sin and what God has done about sin through Christ finds itself lived out in a variety ways in many Christian communities. The reason so many different Christian denominations exist is because none of us know exactly how to reconcile everything we read in the Bible. It speaks to us, God's word is a living thing that creates faith in us - and there are definitely points that are non-negotiables - but we still live in the reality that we do not fully comprehend God's ways and as human hearers of this word - we mess it up.
So on the one hand, I can't really blame Phil Robertson for doing what we Christians have been struggling with for the past two thousand years. However, I also can't give him a pass when the statements he made, contrary to some people's perspectives - can, and do, hurt many people. One need only look at the suicide rates and violence against LGBT's to know such public statements only inflame these problems. Nor can one ignore the violence and struggles the African American community has suffered at the hands of the white, Christian, establishment for so long.
From my perspective, these were irresponsible statements to make, even the ones that were directly quoting the Bible. Because it's not just about quoting the Bible - it's about how you go about quoting the Bible. Wielding God's word inappropriately and irresponsibly can have devastating consequences. Wars get started because of that.
One of the disturbing parts in all of this is that apparently, for many, faithful witness about Jesus had better make sure it gets those quotes about homosexuality right. After all, such statements are the reason Jesus says we'll be hated... right? Because that's why Jesus was crucified - for denouncing gay people, just like scripture says we should.
Except... Jesus kind of never mentioned homosexuality. Like, ever.
Hmmmm.
Jesus does indeed warn that his disciples will be hated. But I really don't think it's because they stand up and quote Leviticus 18 faithfully or because they're making offensive comments directed to a particular group of people in His name.
Jesus said they were going to be hated for the opposite reason. That they were going to be hated because they were supposed to follow Leviticus 19: "love your neighbor as yourself." Which, for the Israelites - their neighbor meant their enemies and those whom they disagreed with. Jesus was crucified not because he made some radical statements that upset the secular world and gay community, but because he spoke of a radical love that upset the - get this now - religious leaders of his day... who quoted and followed scripture! <GASP!> He called them a brood of vipers. He challenged their views on purity and righteousness. He was crucified - by faithful, "Bible"-following people.
Let that sink in for a moment.
He even had the audacity to suggest that God's grace and mercy was for EVERYONE. That the religious leaders should be focusing more on mercy, love and justice than following the letter of the law. That forgiveness and healing was available to the outcasts and "sinners." And if you go back and really read the gospels - Jesus' threats about "hell" are never directed at the pagan world. They're directed at the religious leadership. The faithful. The people who have the inside track on this whole God thing. And he was crucified because he made a particular claim in a world that deified their Roman leader - who claimed to be the Son of God, Savior of the world, and the Prince of Peace. That trust and security wasn't going to be found in the Roman system.
Ultimately, the cross of Christ is offensive because it upends the way in which we tend to view the world. Notions of power and strength don't operate the same way in God's Kingdom. The gospel is offensive because it rails against human systems.
Not necessarily because it takes a stand against homosexuality.
I think Tony Compolo really got it right when he made the statement, "love the sinner, hate your own sin." Because believe me, I have a laundry list a mile long - and no, I don't repent of all of it. Because repenting means going completely down a new path and turning away from those sins. Honestly, there are behaviors I engage in, actions I commit, thoughts I have, that I'm not really and truly sorry about. I can be judgmental and figure out a way to justify it. Because - well - I'm a sinner. I'm a hypocrite at times. Because - well - like I said, we Christians are good at that. Many of the things scripture - and Jesus - has to say makes me uncomfortable. Because that's what it's designed to do. It's supposed to make you think about what you're doing in your life and I don't care who you are, you will find something that isn't quite up to par.
Which... is kind of the point of Jesus and why he came here in the first place. Because - we're broken, screwed up people who can't deal with God on his terms, so he came to deal with us on ours, in a form and way we MIGHT have some ability to begin to fathom.
The bottom line is, just because you can quote the Bible does not mean you are necessarily being an ambassador for Christ. Satan quoted the Bible when he tempted Jesus. Now don't take that to an extreme - I'm not suggesting Phil Robertson is Satan (because I know someone will try to suggest that's what I just said. It's not.) My point is - just because "the Bible says it" doesn't give us an automatic "pass" on quoting it and utilizing it to justify every viewpoint we might have. Rather, it requires some thoughtful reflection on how best to convey Jesus' message of salvation to people. How does this scripture fit with the overarching themes of the Bible - faith, love, justice, and mercy? "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!" (Matthew 23:23-24)
There is real persecution of Christians going on in this world - but firing Phil Robertson for making some questionable and charged comments is not one of them. Yes, he had a "right" to say them. But his heavily leaning LGBT employers also had a right to say, "you've crossed a line." (And keep in mind - he hasn't been fired. He was suspended.)
The issue continues to be a debatable one within Christian circles and is but another divisive issue within the church. However, even if Phil's faith and understanding of "proper sexual relationships" is not compatible with LGBT's, there are better ways to address the issue.
Personally, as a Christian, I did not see his statements as standing up for Christ. A good friend of mine put it this way: "When you think you are being persecuted, first ask yourself, "Am I being a jerk?"
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