Man oh man the media is absolutely blowing up with all of this Duck Dynasty controversy and such. Quite honestly, I'm a bit overwhelmed by it all, and I thought long and hard before deciding to contribute to all of the responses that are circulating the web, but after pinpointing my motivation I've decided to jump on the bandwagon and share my thoughts, because that's really all I have at this point: jumbled thoughts. After reading various blog posts, watching many news sources, and hearing countless responses all I have are scattered thoughts that I can hopefully compile together so that they can be useful to the Church and her edification.
Church, just as a quick sidenote, we can never exhaust edification. We are a broken vessel that God has chosen to shine His lovely, glorious light through, and His truth that is placed inside of us can never be exhausted.
Firstly, I want to direct you to a post recently published by Richard Beck, a professor at ACU (I reblog and recommend him far too much, but he's just spot on with much of what he writes). This post, Preacher of Love, is not directly about Duck Dynasty. However, the truth it contains can easily be applied to the controversy and to everyone involved. Basically, Dr. Beck weaves reminders of love within his post, because that's what the Gospel is centrally about: loving other people.
Dwell on that for just a moment: the Gospel is about loving other people. It's not about predestination, armenianism, conservation, liberation, homosexuality, or much else. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is about loving God and loving others. End of story.
As many of you may know, I work at Mardel Christian Bookstore, a place that sells Duck Dynasty merchandise galore. Ironically, I have never seen the show. I don't know much about it at all, except that the family is incredibly wealthy and that they call themselves 'Jesus-loving yuppies'. To be completely honest, I'm growing a bit weary of Duck Dynasty, because that is seemingly exactly what it is growing into: a dynasty. From their television series to their recently published Christmas album to the cardboard cutout of one of the bearded men (I can hardly claim to know any of their names) that used to greet our customers when they walked through the front doors, Duck Dynasty is around every corner, and though I'm sure (or I hope, at least) that it is a funny show with people who really do deep down love Jesus as they claim to, I can't help but wonder if the kingdom of God is actually concerned with this recent uprising within evangelical Christianity. If we were to step into the mind of Jesus right now, would He actually care about the 'persecution' that is happening to these incredibly financially stable celebrities? Would God actually be in an uproar about a celebrity being (temporarily) suspended for being tactless with his speech and voicing his religious beliefs in a context in which, to be honest, he should've expected negative feedback? I'm not saying God doesn't care about Phil. I'm not saying God doesn't care about morality, or freedom of speech, or persecution. It's just that I'm not sure if this controversy actually pertains to any of those elements, or at least, if it does pertain, then I think we may be engaging hyperbole in many of our responses or reactions to all that is happening. I think Phil will be okay in the end; either he will be put back on the show, he will take his views to a religious media setting, or he will continue to live his life as he's been doing all along. Honestly, he's probably out hunting ducks or eating Christmas cookies right now, less concerned with his own controversy than the Church of North America is.
I'm not saying in this post that Christians shouldn't seek social justice. One of my best friends wants to use her life to set captives free, to bring healing to girls who have been sexually trafficked into slavery. She is seeking justice, but she is doing it in the name of Jesus. She is doing it by love, for love, and through love. She is standing up for human rights, and I think anyone would agree-Jesus included-that sex trafficking is an issue worth fighting for. I'm not saying that freedom of speech isn't worth fighting for, but I am saying that we need to discern properly what that means, exactly, as well as pinpoint a definition for the word 'persecution'. Is Robertson truly being persecuted? I think Christians need to pick battles wisely and then remember that the way to fight is often not what we think. Christianity is ironic because it consists of a fight of love, with the main weapons being righteousness, truth, the Spirit, gentleness, mercy, humility, and much else. I recently read a quote that says, 'When God sets out to embrace the enemy, the result is the cross' (Miroslav Volf). Christians are called to be sheep among wolves, to 'turn the other cheek', yet also to 'seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly'. To figure out exactly how to be Jesus in certain contexts and circumstances, we need to pray for discernment and figure out how to remain near the heart of God.
Another thought: I'm also not saying here that Phil Robertson is right or wrong about his views regarding homosexuality (there is hardly time/space right now for me to share my views on that). I do think, however, that he came off a bit crude with his statements, and no matter where you stand, whether in agreement or disagreement with him, I think that moral values, including homosexuality, should be able to reach a point of being lovingly discussed rather than hatefully debated. Most, if not all, of the repercussions of Roberton's words were not based on what he said but rather how he said them. He could've been a little bit wiser. He could've showed a bit more compassion. What was he expecting, making such directly crude comments about a topic that is firstly, proving to be a dividing point in the Church (a separate problem altogether), and secondly, is one of the most sensitive topics in the world today? I'm not sure what reaction he foresaw coming his way, and again, I can't help but wonder if the media's reaction would've been differently had he voiced his beliefs in a more loving manner (or simply even in a context in which the same views were held).
Another (more whimsical) thought: a friend of mine posted a rather satirical Facebook status that I found quite humorous, so I thought I'd share: 'Wait, a backwoods, country boy who loves Jesus is against gay marriage? That's absurd. Next thing you'll tell me he doesn't like Obamacare' (credit Taylor Flowers). So there's a funny for ya, if that's your sort of humor. If not, then sorry.
Lastly, but perhaps more importantly, as I was hearing about this media and evangelical uprising and seeing declarations for or against one side or the other on every social networking site known to man, all I could think was this: most of the world has no idea about this controversy. Most of the world does not even know about the show Duck Dynasty or the people that make it up.
Most of the world is more concerned with merely surviving.
Did you know that the world produces enough food to feed everyone, yet most of the world goes hungry?
Did you know that extreme inequality exists in regards to economic distribution of wealth around the world-including in the United States?
Most of the world lives on less than $1.25 a day.
Most people in the world, a large majority being children, do not have the adequate nutrients they need to survive or to be considered healthy. Most people in the world, the majority being children, are malnourished and impoverished.
AIDS is running rampant in most of Africa.
Sex trafficking is the main industry in Thailand.
Literacy rates are at an all-time low in Haiti.
Homelessness is a gargantuan issue within the United States.
Christians from Pakistan to Syria are being truly persecuted-literally slaughtered-for their faith (and it has nothing to do with homosexuality but rather a desire to read the Bible or claim the name of Jesus).
I'd like to be a part of a Church that begins an uprising to shine light into these dark places. To end world hunger. To bring freedom to women and children. To bring long-term sustainability and resources to those in poverty.
These are the issues that should make our stomach's churn, the ones that unsettle our souls.
I want to be a part of a Church that unites, in the name of love, to bring Jesus into any and/or all of these situations, and at the end of the day, the only kingdom I want to be living for is the kingdom of God, which is solely the kingdom of love.
Now, if you are truly concerned with how the world is responding to Christians in America, then that's all well. However, be sure to have the facts straight, to prayerfully discern if an issue truly does exist, and make sure that your response is Jesus, because, as my pastor from College Station recently blogged about in this post, Jesus is the spokesperson for Christianity-not Phil Robertson.
No matter what the issue is-a controversy from southern celebrities, secularism, differing viewpoints, injustice-I wish to encourage you to respond in love, in the workplace, at school, in the world, at home, and every day in any and all circumstances. However you're responding to all of this media coverage, this is a simple remember to strive for love and to put out a reminder for Christ-followers that the kingdom of God is first and foremost about serving other people. However you respond and wherever you stand, make sure love is at the center. Remember to be Jesus. Value what He values. Strive to be heart of His own heart, and not merely because it's the calling of a Christian or because it's the 'good thing to do', but because Christ first loved us.
Jesus loved me at my darkest.
In the Bible, Jesus came for the poor and needy. He came for the sick. His Good News was such because it WAS GOOD NEWS-it was for the outcasts, untouchables, impoverished, and captives. It was message of love that was meant to permeate through the darkest night to declare that no man can be reconciled to God through his own actions, but rather by grace through faith in the person of Jesus Christ, hope and life, both present and eternal, could be found. I think we forget sometimes that the Gospel was a message for those that needed it most in society, the ones who had deep, dark, poverty-stricken problems.
In the midst of hearing and reading about the Duck Dynasty crisis and evangelical uprising from the North American Church, this is all that was running through my head: most of the world knows and cares nothing about it.
