Phil Robertson & WWJS

The reason that people have their panties in a wad over this Phil Robertson thing is simply because the majority of humanity can accept the idea of a heaven where good people go who have lived good lives, but also lean toward rejecting the thought of an "eternal torment" place called hell.  I happen to believe fully in both because the Bible teaches this truth.  But for those who do believe in a hell, the begging question is how to avoid it.

Because of our laws, our views on karma, our reward systems, and every other part of culture, the logical accepted way to get into heaven is to be a "good person."  If we've done enough right, and it outweighs our list of wrongs, then we must be going to heaven.  Only "bad people" go to hell.  But if THAT'S true, then the question begs, "How good is good ENOUGH?"  "Good" to one may not be "good" to another.  Hitler was someone's son. They may not have viewed him as evil, though the rest of us probably would.

So is it then a majority vote?  If so, who casts the ballots?  In the eyes of gay & lesbian groups, they have viewed Phil Robertson's quote as a "ballot" cast against them.  Many gays & lesbians believe in heaven, God, and a moral code and attend churches weekly.  So they are wondering how DARE someone cast that ballot against their ability to get into heaven?!?

But here's the truth that I know...that Phil Robertson knows, I believe.  There isn't ONE of us worthy to cast a ballot, nor make a determination on what must be right and wrong, or dub someone "good enough" for heaven.  THAT responsibility is God's and His alone!  So if we don't determine who is or isn't good, and God does, then how does this standard leave His mouth to reach our ears so that we're not just left guessing?  That would be the Bible. But the problem there is that NOBODY is good enough to live up to the standard set by this book!  God knew that too.  He didn't send a list of right and wrongs that He knew we couldn't uphold to simply laugh at us and scoff because of our failure at righteousness, tho.  There was a plan.  One that would pay the death sentence that is the ONLY payment for sin and satisfy the law that He, Himself, instituted.  And that's why He sent Jesus.  What we deserve, hell: eternal death and punishment, because of all the things HE listed as wrong in scripture (yes, homosexuality is one of those things along with lying, cheating, murder, adultery, coveting, putting anyone or anything as a priority in our lives over God, etc., etc.) was trumped by God's love for humanity in the death of Jesus Christ and is granted to ALL through an acceptance of this gift.  It goes against everything we trust in in our merit based sociological systems, I know.  But that's grace.

Phil didn't just come up with what he said. God did. Robertson may have stated it a little harshly, maybe. But it doesn't negate the truth of it. Nor the grace, love, and mercy God offers those who are caught up in ANY of the "sins" listed in scripture. I've not been a participant in that particular one (homosexuality), but there are certainly others that I have been.  And what I deserve is no different whatsoever from anyone else.  NONE of us are perfect!  We are all sinners saved only by God's grace.  We (including Phil) are ALL deserving of hell.  None "good enough" to make it into heaven on the merit of our own spiritual report cards. Those of us who are assured that heaven will be our eternal home are only confident of that hope because we have accepted the gift of Jesus' death on the cross.  We have no room for pointing fingers.  Grace just changed everything.

So, WWJ...um...S: What Would Jesus Say?  Let me be very clear, do NOT lump me in the crowd that looks at the Robertson issue with A&E and yells, "Christians need to stand up for what's right!"  If we talk double standards, yes, I believe there is one in this nation on free speech when it comes to Christian beliefs and morals. But I don't believe that it is a battle won in the media, Facebook, pulpits, or especially the White House! This may shock some of you, but I don't think that's what's needed here!!! I don't think that would be advised by our Savior either.

I can here the collective, "HUH?!?" What would Jesus say?  Well, let's see.  I believe He's already said it. Fellow believers, people who choose not to follow Christ will not act as though they are Bible thumping believers and neither should they be EXPECTED to!!!  Jesus said it on the cross, remember?  "Father, forgive them. THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING!" (emphasis mine)  (Click here to read it for yourself.)  How dare we argue something with the very people to whom we are trying to extend hope?!? That makes NO sense! Phil was asked a question.  He answered it.  Do I think he's being treated fairly?  No.  But he is not the first and will not be the last.  So do we sit by and do nothing?!?  Absolutely not.  "Then what do we do?" you ask.  I'm so glad you did.  But let's start with what NOT to do from the words of scripture, the same source from which Phil drew his deductions shared with GQ.

Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them. 2 Timothy 2:14 (NLT)

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. Proverbs 15:1 (NLT)

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Romans 12:19 (NLT)

Let's stop acting like spoiled brats and saying we gotta stand up for Jesus!  Jesus can handle His own!  He's waiting on us to stand up for the broken, the sick, the hurting, the needy, the hungry, the tired, the confused, the addicted, THAT'S who we need to stand up for!  THAT'S who Jesus gave His life for!!!  You can't make the change you want when you do it top down. Jesus knew that.  That's why He never instructed us to "love thy President, Mayor, Governor, Congressman, King, Pastor, Elder or otherwise."  He said, "love thy neighbor."  Right before Jesus' ascension, He gave the instructions to start with those closest to them geographically and work outward from there!  Click on this scripture reference and read Acts 1:8 (NLT).  This was God's plan all along!  Christians have been acting like we can save God time by forgetting our neighbor and trying for the big fish!  That's never worked!  So what can we do that WILL make a difference?

“The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31 (NLT)

You know that guy standing on the exit ramp begging for a dollar?  Stop, get out, and give him $5 and pray for him while you're there.  "But he might be running a scam!"  Click on the scripture reference and look back at Romans 12:19.  That's not your call or your problem.  You know the single Mom who checks you out at the grocery store or serves you in your favorite restaurant?  Cook her a meal to feed her family because when she gets home, she's probably too tired and would enjoy a night to concentrate on her kids.  You know the college students in your town that may be staying over Christmas because they can't afford to go home?  Buy one of them a gift and invite them to your home to spend it with your family.  Give your sales clerk a friendly smile and understand that they are just as stressed as you and that their day would be better if they could make yours better as well.  Pay for the person's coffee behind you at Starbucks just because.  Give toys to a family in your community who you know needs them.  Act like you're a child of God and that you believe what you claim!  Watch your attitude.  If you know Jesus, all of the fruit of the Spirit (click the underlined part to read the list) are in you and at your disposal.  LIVE IT!!!  Be hope.  Be grace.  Be mercy.  Be the Church.  Be Jesus.  Err on the side of grace.  Love the unloveable.  Forgive the unforgivable.  Don't think you can do that?  That's exactly what Jesus did for you!  Who do we blame for the mess the world is in?  Go look in the mirror!  No, you didn't do it alone.  Neither did I.  At some point the collective Church forgot her mission and her call to obedience.  We devised our own plan and thought we could do better.  We didn't.  We can't.  Get back to basics.  Love because your are loved.  Serve because you have been served.  Give because you have been given to.  And one by one by one by one, we will see the change we seek in our communities, our nation, and our world.

I welcome your comments!  PLEASE click on the words "No Comment" or "Comment" (whichever is listed just to the right of the posting time directly below this paragraph) and post a comment of your own.  You must also choose a profile from the drop down list, or just choose "anonymous" from the list and type your name at the end of your comment in the actual comment box.  Clicking the PUBLISH button posts your comment and you're good to go!  Use the social media links there to share to your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ accounts directly.  THANK YOU for stopping by!  Till next time...

LIFE: Can Racism be Eradicated?

My church, Oasis Church of Nashville, has been led through an exciting sermon series called AT THE MOVIES.  Today's message was based on the movie "42."  It's the story of the baseball player, Jackie Robinson (who wore the number 42 for the Brooklyn Dodgers), and broke the color barrier in professional baseball.  The theme given was unity/disunity and was based around prejudices and racism.  So I've decided to write some on the subject.  If you're a Facebook Friend of mine, I wrote a post not long ago about equality in America, and some of these thoughts may be the same...but...anyway.  :-)

I've been around racism all my life.  Not because I came from racist parents, I didn't.  It was because of an environment and peer pressure.  I grew up predominantly in the south, in Georgia and Mississippi, where even in the 80's, tensions still would rare up from time to time.  I remember the KKK having rallies in Commerce, GA, the town where I went to high school, and the city having to cancel the Christmas parade because the Klan wanted to take part in it.  I remember saying things back then that I'm now ashamed of, as well as having things said about me.  But time, maturity, and Jesus changed me - not necessarily in that order.

In a post I made on Facebook recently, I said that I didn't really believe that true equality could exist in America today.  And it can't in our current mindset.  I could have gone on for some time about he whole issue, but I made a reference to my church, Oasis, and how it is a diverse church and how inside those walls, racism seems to fade away.  My point to the post on Facebook surrounded the "unknowns."  How, if presented with two unknowns from which to choose, most people will choose that which they are most like.  This could be true with race, culture, religion, sports teams, careers, whatever.  Familiarity brings a sense of safety to us.  It makes us feel welcome, at ease, and comfortable.  So by nature, diversity brings a certain amount of division.  It is within the definition of the word.

Yet, as Pastor Danny Chambers pointed out in scripture this morning, division isn't a good thing.  We've heard the famous words delivered by Abraham Lincoln in his speech to Congress,

"A house divided against itself cannot stand."

Now take a moment and read that scripture which Pastor Danny brought to our attention this morning, Galatians 3:28-29 (MSG).  Scripture says that we are "all equal."  So if we're equal, how can we also be DIVERSE?  Good question.  One that Paul, the author of Galatians, answers immediately following the declaration of our global equality.  He says,

"That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ."

Now some of you who may be reading this may not be of any faith whatsoever.  So the references to scripture may not be relevant to your current way of thinking.  While I believe that a belief in Jesus would TOTALLY revolutionize your life for the better, I will just say for now that belief in the truth of scripture or not, the answer to equality and racism and prejudice worldwide can be summed up in one word:  RELATIONSHIP.

In the movie, 42, Mr. Ricky (Harrison Ford) said something that has stuck with me.  Jackie Robinson was known to have a bad temper.  Mr. Ricky knew that he couldn't be throwing his temper around if he fight was going to be won.  Jackie asks him,

"So do you want somebody who doesn't have the guts to fight back?"

To which Mr. Ricky replied,

"NO!  I want someone who'll have the guts to NOT fight back!  The way that we'll win this fight is if we show them that you're a good gentleman and a great baseball player!" 

I didn't write it down at the time, that quote is a bit of a paraphrase, but most is really close to being correct.  Did Jackie have a right to be mad?  ABSOLUTELY!!!!  Anyone would've been that had to face that kind of crap!  But Mr. Ricky knew that if Jackie was going to win over a nation who was already against him, he had to present to them that which he had in common with them.  There would need to be a relationship built from the field, even though he would never shake the majority's hand.  He was going to have to leave what he knew to be his RIGHTS aside, only for a time, until trust could be built.

Can we do that, America?  Can we, no matter what race because ALL are guilty, can we not pursue our RIGHTS long enough to establish RELATIONSHIP?  Paul knew that he was speaking to a diverse crowd when he wrote Galatians, so he quickly pointed out that which was common among them, the relationship with Jesus Christ.  That relationship gave them a foundation on which to build.  If we're going to be equal, if racism is to die, if prejudice is to be replaced by peace, there must first be relationship.  YOU can be the first!!!  Find someone different than you and shake his/her hand.  Start the revolution!

I leave you with this final thought from scripture.  Just in case there is still a deep seeded root in your thoughts about others who may be different in some way than you.  Here is what the Bible says about that: Matthew 7:1-2 (GWT).  Later, everybody.