This past week “Curb Your Enthusiam” (HBO) aired an episode where Larry David (creator of Seinfeld) accidentally urinates on a picture of Jesus and a woman mistakenly believes the picture of Jesus is weeping. The outcry in the media among Christians, especially Catholics, has been significant. The argument is that if significant religious images valued by Jews or Muslims were mocked in the way that Christian symbols and images are, such mockery would be widely denounced. Kevin DeYoung has posted a helpful article about the double-edged sword we wield when Christians publicly denounce entertainment and media that offends them, but only when the offense is shocking or blatantly offensive.
DeYoung says:
But playing the grievance game with these kind of stunts is not always a good move. For starters, it attracts more attention to the offending show. More to the point, it overlooks the fact that just about everything on television is tasteless, irreverent, and stupid. If we are going to be offended by sin, we should be disgusted by more than the occasional shock episode. We should be just as opposed to taking the Lord’s name in vain, fornication, lust-enticing sensuality, glamorized crime, voyeuristic entertainment, and all manner of worldliness. Sure, peeing on a picture Jesus is bound to get more headlines, but there are a thousand other sins that get broadcast every day and every night.
DeYoung makes a good point. Why is it that Christians aren’t as offended at all glamorized sin as we are at those sins that make a mockery out of our faith. Doesn’t all sin mock the sacrificial death of Jesus? Shouldn’t that be more important to us than whether or not culture is making a mockery out of our faith? Of course culture is going to mock the Gospel and everything associated with the Gospel. The Gospel is foolishness to a perishing world (1Cor 2:14). Since the Fall of Adam and Eve man has been exchanging the glory of God for the folly of worshiping created things (Rom 1:16cf).
The point is clear. All sin should be offensive to us, not just the ones that are blatantly shocking and irreverent. And yet, more often than not, we are as entertained my sin as our neighbors who are perishing. Our feathers don’t get ruffled until someone mocks our faith in a way that makes us look foolish for cherishing the Gospel. Too often we are looking for a level playing field within our culture, but only when we are especially offended by the gods of this age. There isn’t – and won’t be – a level playing field until the King returns to reign in power and glory. Until that day, if we are going to be offended, let’s be offended at all sin, not just the ones that shock us.
Filed under: Current Events, Scripture Meditations, The Gospel | Tags: Drew
So I’m not the most likely guy to write the sports-related commentary. Ideally, we wait for C.J. Mahaney to write about the current athletic news and relate it to the gospel. Well, CJ seems slow on the take today, so let me relate a conversation I’ve been watching on Facebook.
My brother dropped the news that Michael Vick has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Vick, you may remember, was THE star quarterback in Atlanta before he was convicted of running a dog fighting ring and served 18 months in prison for his crime. After showing appropriate remorse, he was reinstated a few weeks ago. The question became “Who would want him?” Many teams declared no interest. PETA was ready to pounce on any takers. He seemed poisonous – who wants to risk the bad press, the fan reaction, the protests? But three weeks later, Vick is an Eagle.
The response on Facebook started with one friend’s “boo.” All over the blogs, folks are shaming the Eagles for embracing Vick. He’s shown his true colors, and he never deserves to play again. He could never become a role model. Why would you reward a criminal? The opinions are sharp and unrelenting.
Now remember, Vick has served his sentence. He has paid the debt society asked him to pay. He’s not starting for the Eagles – he’s in line behind one of the better QBs in the game, Donovan McNabb. He has a massive hill to climb to regain a good reputation and respect. But many would ask that he never play again. You could fall on either side of the debate, but it has made me consider the way we view mercy and reconciliation. (more…)
