Anyone who has been following popular media for the last couple of weeks would be familiar with the outrage secular media and non-Christians (even Christians!) have expressed against Phil Robertson's comments in a recent interview.
What has surprised me the most is how easily it was for the media to manipulate the public. When I took journalism courses in high school, I was taught that journalists should focus on facts because they are to report the facts as they allow the readers to form their own opinions; that is, they were not suppose to shape opinions by purposefully leading readers one way or another with their own opinions. That clearly is not how journalists operate anymore. There is so much hatred in the air, readers readily use anything they can get their hands on to augment their own personal feelings, giving little regard to check the facts. The media has caught on to this raw appetite and is eager to oblige, often reporting half-truths or quoting people out of context to expose more gore.
In especially the last few years, Christian views are being attacked more and more viciously. In the US, we are at least still civilized enough to "talk" about it, as opposed to resorting to physical violence. "Freedom of speech" and "tolerance" are chants people from both sides of the argument like to wave around, and while I don't think anything I write here will provide any lasting solution, I would like to propose a couple perspectives:
1. We are ALL free to express our opinions.
It is illogical to yell at someone for expressing his opinions while supporting freedom of speech.
2. Tolerance is not agreeing with everything.
It is illogical to yell at label someone as "intolerant" just because he doesn't share the same opinion. (Example of true tolerance: While Phil Robertson's opinion is that homosexuality is sin, he still welcomes and loves homosexuals as friends.)
3. Love is love.
It is illogical to curse and condemn someone for expressing his opinions while supporting love for all.
4. Truth is truth.
Bible-reading Christians know for a fact that God clearly defines homosexuality as a sin. To us, this is as much of a fact as the Earth is round.
I am sorry if this offends people, but please consider this: Before scientists were able to prove that Earth was round, those who championed that Earth was flat persecuted those who held a different "opinion." This has always been the case -- Any time someone proposes an idea that did not flow with the popular opinion, that person/group gets persecuted.
My point? Be grounded in facts rather than feelings.
Rules, such as anti-gay marriage, is not something Christians invented. As God-fearing people, we are simply following His laws. Just as it is illogical to yell and scream at a friend who tells you that it is illegal to jay walk, it is just as illogical to yell and scream at a friend who tells you that homosexuality is a sin. If you want jay walk to be legalized, go to the authorities -- your friend can't do anything about it no matter how much you yell at him. If you have a problem with what defines sin, take it up with God -- yelling at Christians doesn't grant us the privilege to rewrite God's rules.
Ultimately, the real question is whether we have any respect for God. If we don't first try and understand who God is, how do we expect to understand sin? If we don't understand sin, then of course we would be offended by comments such as, "adultery is sin," "homosexuality is sin," etc., because wouldn't we all just like to do as we please without being criticized?
Moving forward, friends, be aware of the hype created by the media. Seek facts, not sensationalism. More importantly, if we are of love, then let us reach solutions with love. We may not agree with the opinions expressed by others, but if we treat them with hatred, how is that any better?
Despite being nailed to the cross by His enemies, Jesus cried to God the Father, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." (Luke 23:34).
This is the agape love we ought to be showing, even amid extreme hostility.
Having said all that, I thank Koinonia House for providing a more balanced perspective of Phil Robertson below. Before we form an opinion, I would urge all of us to actually read the interview in its entirety, lest we, too, take things out of context and jump to erroneous conclusions.
WHEN PC PUNISHMENTS BACKFIRE
From the December 23, 2013 eNews issue
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“We’re Bible-thumpers who just happened to end up on television,” Phil Robertson told GQ writer Drew Magary. “You put in your article that the Robertson family really believes strongly that if the human race loved each other and they loved God, we would just be better off. We ought to just be repentant, turn to God, and let’s get on with it, and everything will turn around.”
The punishment of a high-profile individual for expressing negative views on homosexuality has again exploded in support of the offender. In 2012, it was Chick-fil-A’s president Dan Cathay. This month it’s Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson. Thousands of people went out to eat at Chickfil-A in solidarity with Cathay’s views on marriage, standing in long, visible lines to buy their chicken sandwiches. During the past week, a vast multitude of voices in the news and on social media have cried out in defense of Robertson’s right to call homosexuality a “sin” and freestyle quote 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 in the January 2014 issue of GQ magazine.
There is a reason the most recent controversy has continued to hit the headlines and people continue to tweet their views; it exposes the massive chasm between world-views in America.
Back in July 2012, the president of Chick-fil-A came under attack for expressing the view that marriage should be only between a man and a woman. “I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage,’” Dan Cathay said on the Atlanta radio program The Ken Coleman Show.
Gay rights groups called for a boycott on Chick-fil-A to punish the chicken sandwich franchise for its “anti-gay” position. That effort massively backfired when droves of people came out to stand up for Cathay’s right to vocalize his Biblical view on marriage.
When concerned staff members at A&E complained about Robertson’s comments in the GQ article, the Duck Dynasty paterfamilias was promptly suspended from the show. Never mind that Duck Dynasty has a fan base of 14 million who love the Bible thumping, backwoods family, and if they’re watching, then they probably have no problem with the free-expression of the Robertson family’s faith.
In fact, millions of Americans find the open, down-to-earth Robertson family a fresh breath of air, one that GQ calls, “beloved for staking out a bit of holy ground within the mostly secular, often downright sinful, pop culture of America.”
And they’re not hateful people. They call each other “idiots” and they poke fun, but they’re warm and decent family folks. Few people watching rough looking, gentle spoken Phil Robertson talk could think he hates gays.
“We never, ever judge someone on who’s going to heaven, hell,” Phil Robertson said in his explosive GQ interview. “That’s the Almighty’s job. We just love ’em, give ’em the good news about Jesus—whether they’re homosexuals, drunks, terrorists. We let God sort ’em out later, you see what I’m saying?”
The Los Angeles Times was not pleased with Robertson’s associating homosexuals with drunks and terrorists. GLAAD expressed outrage at Robertson’s referring to homosexuality as “sin” and for some generally tactless comments about male versus female anatomy. A&E canned Robertson “indefinitely” and Cracker Barrel started to pull its Duck Dynasty merchandise from the shelves.
But, the attack on the Duck Dynasty star raised a loud cry of support from Robertson’s fans across the country. People who had never bothered watching the red-neck swamp show waged battle on his behalf as well, adamant that Robertson should not get picked on for voicing the Biblical view that homosexual behavior is sinful. The Robertson family made it clear they weren’t going to go on without Phil at the helm, and A&E faced the potential loss of all that Duck Dynasty revenue.
After the uproar, A&E responded by assuring the world that Phil Robertson would be included in the new episodes in January. Cracker Barrel even returned Duck Dynasty merchandise to the shelves, stating their purpose was not to offend their customers.
Mike Huckabee spoke out on the whole issue, summing up the reason for the backlash in Robertson’s favor. “I think it has come to a point in our culture where political correctness has made it so that if you want to take a point of view that is traditional, that holds to steadfast, old fashioned biblical Christian values, which are also, by the way, values of traditional Judaism, and even Islam, that somehow you’re supposed to just shut up and keep that to yourself. But if you want to advocate for same-sex marriage, we’re supposed to be very tolerant.”
The Family Guy and South Park and The Big Bang Theory and a multitude of shows freely make fun of religious people and sometimes God Himself. Movies and books and celebrities of all sorts can bash Christians, and the major media make little fuss about it. It’s not exactly balanced out there.
Yet, some of us who never watched Duck Dynasty are now pulling up episodes to watch on our computers. As they say, no publicity is bad publicity.
The Far Side
There’s another side to this whole issue, though, one that goes beyond Free Speech and standing up to the PC bullies and making them think twice about their next attack on Christian values. There’s more. There’s the homosexuals themselves.
This is a big issue. These are people God loves deeply, precious people for whom Christ died. A multitude of gays and lesbians have turned their backs on the Bible, on Christianity, on God Himself because they believe they were born that way and there’s no place for them in a body of good Christian believers. They don’t feel they fit there; they don’t belong. And they feel stuck; what are they going to do? Live a lie? Pretend their whole lives?
These are men and women who need to know and feel the love of God. They need solid, good friends who will come beside them and help them and let them know they are not alone, they are not rejected, and God wants them. He wants them so much He sent his Son to die for them.
All of us are in the same boat. We all—every one of us—have things that we struggle with, things that separate us from God. Every one of us has to come to a place where we say, “Lord, this thing is too big for me. I can’t bear it. Nothing in my life is as important as my relationship with You, so here I am, with all my warts. I give up anything that displeases You. Please help me. Rescue me from my sin.”
Christmas is about the fact that the Son of God Himself was born on this earth and grew to be a human man, with all the hormones and frustrations, loneliness and pain that every one of us deals with. He understands. And that is why we know we can come boldly to the throne of grace for help in time of need (Heb 4:16). He knows what it’s like. He knows the help we need.
Notes
Huckabee Weighs In On “Duck Dynasty” Controversy
— CBS News
Critic’s Notebook: ‘Duck Dynasty’ Controversy Comes Down To Freedom
— Los Angeles Times
What The Duck?
— GQ
Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day Brings Out Supporters, Protesters
— Fox News
Cracker Barrel Puts ‘Duck Dynasty’ Items Back On Shelves
— USA Today
Report: Phil Robertson To Appear In ‘Duck Dynasty’ In January
— UPI
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