There have been a number of negative comments recently on
the activities of certain athletes, entertainers, and politicians. It has
raised the question of how much can those of us who consider ourselves
Christians participate in this talk that ranges everywhere from playful banter
to outright venom. Does what we say as a Christ-follower say more about the
topic at hand or about us and our walk? I don’t know about you but that question
is beginning to step on my toes.
Most recently the antics by Johnny Manziel have stirred
considerable controversy and a firestorm of negative comments. Some have
insisted that the negativity has no place when discussing the attitudes and
conduct of a twenty-year old football player. “Character assassination”, it has
been called. “We all made mistakes at that age”, some have said. My answers to
those comments are that it’s not character assassination as much as it is
suicide and I know plenty of young men and women that would not, and did not
act that way in similarly tough circumstances.
And what about Miley Cyrus? Evidently her performance, while
not seen by quite as many of my friends, was equally disturbing. I understand (since I did
not see the awards show) it was presented in a forum that many of our nation’s
youth were watching and would most certainly be emulating. I’ve heard “trashy”
and “provocative” used to identify her actions, and from what I have seen I
would probably agree.
These are both tough calls. There were obviously some
actions in both of these cases that offended many, especially if you are not a
fan of either of these young people. Christians, in many instances were members
of the groups offended. So where do we stand when it comes to criticizing the
actions of others publicly? Does it matter whether or not the offender professes
to be a believer, as well? If we can criticize, how far can it go, and who
decides?
While these are great questions for which I cannot answer to
anyone’s satisfaction, let me go one step further and talk to those of us who
don’t need the obvious actions of a Johnny or Miley (hey, maybe we shouldn’t
name our kids with an “y” on the end of their name….) to bring out our negativity.
Are you the Christian man or woman that cannot stand (insert team(s) or player(s)
name here) and MUST point it out at every opportunity? Or are you the person
who disagrees so violently with the political group and/or person in power that
EVERY word from your mouth and/or FaceBook post reminds us all of that fact.
Even closer to home, are you the person that ALWAYS criticizes the pastor
and/or church leadership, regardless of the circumstances?
Unfortunately, social media has made it far too easy to make
this behavior well known by all. I confess to being a part of the problem at
some level, but have yet to decide exactly where the freedom to voice my
opinion and my responsibility to
share my thoughts get crossways with God’s desire for me to control my own thoughts
and tongue and offer grace instead of judgment. Ouch.
I’m sure I don’t often cross that line (trying hard to pull
beam out of own eye here) but I do often feel “put-off” by other Christians who
continually speak badly of others. The President is always wrong. The Rangers
are trash and will never win it all. The Cowboys can never win with a jerk like
Tony Romo or Jerry Jones leading them. I could go on and on and some people do
just that. Even the ones I pretty much agree with get old and I quit listening
to what they say. This makes me wonder, does it hurt our credibility when we
try to talk to others about the important things? How do I speak so poorly to
you about someone God loves just as much as me, then turn around and share with
you the Good News?
I feel certain the answer must reside somewhere within my attitude.
So, I commit to be poorer in spirit, able to mourn with others, and more humble,
I will hunger and thirst for justice, show mercy, strive for a pure heart, work
for peace, and be prepared to be persecuted for doing the right thing. Yep, I
think that’s a good place to start. Feel free to join me.
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