I have been intrigued by the recent controversy caused by
Duck Commander, Phil Robertson’s comments on sinfulness. I must confess that I
am a fan of the show, Duck Dynasty; I
find it charming and entertaining. I'll also be honest and say that some of the
things that are said and done on the show can make me a bit uncomfortable, but
I know it’s entertainment and I do not turn to the Robertson clan...as nice and
famous as they might be...for advice, wisdom, moral authority, and spiritual
instruction, because quite frankly, that is not the show’s purpose. The purpose
of the show is to entertain and make money for the A&E network and the Duck
Commander brand.
The Bible tells us that none of us are righteous (Romans 3:9). The Bible also tells us
that God loves the world so much that He sent Jesus to save the world and not
condemn it (John 3:16-18). And then there’s this, “But
God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for
us” (Romans 5:8).
Sinners…all of us…people of faith and otherwise…we are all
sinners. Some really good news is that even though we’re sinners, God doesn’t
cast us out or throw us away; instead, He chooses to work in, with, for, and
through us. God does this even in spite of us and our bent toward
sinning.
Something I have learned along the way is that God can work
through our own sinfulness for the sake of His glory. I know the Lord has
turned some of the muck of my life into something, and for that, I’m thankful!
God has used my mistakes to keep me humble. God has used my mistakes to help me
learn. God has used my mistakes to give me a witness, opportunity, and platform
that declares God loves me in spite of
myself. And God has used my mistakes to help me realize that He does indeed love
me enough to save me when I deserve the exact opposite.
I am watching what my friends on both sides of this Duck Dynasty issue are saying about this
controversy. In my opinion, it isn’t a free speech issue, and it isn’t really
an expression of faith issue. To me, this is a humanity issue! God doesn’t want anyone dehumanized; in fact, God
embodied this in Jesus by becoming human Himself to show us the way to live and
love in God’s world (Philippians 2:1-11, John 14:6).
Phil Robertson, while speaking categorically about sin, took
the bait from GQ and began categorizing sinfulness. In Matthew 23:13, Jesus took on the hypocrisy
of the Pharisees who in their attempt to preserve and protect the Kingdom of
God were blocking out the very ones who needed it most! Lest we forget, Jesus
told us that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him, and He
has charged us to go out and promote the Kingdom.
One of the tools of our enemy, the deceiver, is to cast
believers in a poor light in order to discredit the entire lot. I’m not a fan
of the comments made by Robertson, but I am a fan of his freedom to share them.
I’m also no fan of the hysteria from both sides of the debate. If we are going
to combat the techniques of the evil one, and point others to God, then love is
the only useful tool in our arsenal.
I have had a number of Facebook friends invite me to either join in the boycott of Duck Dynasty or to “Stand with Phil”. After some thought, I have decided to do neither, but to stand with Christ who tells us not to judge or condemn or risk the same treatment in kind (Luke 6:37). I want to love God and love others, regardless what “category” they might belong. After all, this is what I want and need at the core of my being, and if the Golden Rule has taught me anything, I need to treat others according to the way I want to be treated (Matthew 7:12).
Remember, God’s love came to us in Christ in the midst of our darkness and sinfulness. Through His love, God decided to save us. May we resist the temptation to dehumanize others in their sinfulness – specifically the categories with which we don’t agree or like – as we remember that God has saved us from our own. And just as Jesus came for all people, may we love others as Jesus has taught us, so everyone can know of the love and grace of God Almighty!
Merry Christmas,
Mark
No comments:
Post a Comment