Things Christians Should Learn from the Phil Robertson Fallout

Things Christians Should Learn from the Phil Robertson fallout:

1.     When truth needs to be said, it needs to be said tactfully. Phil’s comments did point to scripture, but his expanded comments about anatomy appalled even me. It mistakenly assumed that homosexuality is only about the physical and nothing about the emotional. No wonder so many were offended!

If you agree with Phil that homosexuality is a sin, then you should shy away from generalized comments and approach individual cases with sensitivity, God’s truth, and compassion. Many people who live a homosexual lifestyle, evenly openly and proudly, have faced a lot of cruelty, mockery, and guilt. Some have committed suicide because the pain is too much to handle. For those (including many Christians) who have homosexual feelings, face a daily battle and we need more bible-believing Christians to love them, encourage them, and remind them of God’s power, hope, and grace. Looking at either group with disgust will never help anything.

2.     Don’t fall into the trap. Several times a year, a famous person who is outspoken about their Christian faith gets baited with the question about homosexuality or same-sex marriage from a liberal media source.  Why? Because it will enrage someone and sell more magazines. Non-famous Christians get these questions posed to them in an attempt to discredit them or to incite an argument. If the Holy Spirit has led you to give your answer, then answer with God’s truth (and nothing more or less).  All Christians are told to share God’s word with the unbelieving world on a one on one level. Only some Christians (pastors, writers, speakers) are given the proper wisdom and gifts to speak that same truth to a group of strangers. If you have a close friend who is struggling with homosexuality, then God may be trying to use you to share His love, or His grace, or His guidance with them.

3.     Stop comparing homosexuality to other sin. Yes, the bible groups this sin in with others in the passage to which Phil referred. (1 Corinthians 6:8-10; see also 1 Timothy 1:9-11). However, in this passage Paul was speaking to the bible-believing church in Corinth. They already knew the theological concept that all sin is created equal, because it is part of the sin condition that all humans inherited from their ancestors Adam and Eve which causes us to think things and do actions that separate us from God. From an eternal perspective, a glutton, a liar, an alcoholic, a murderer, a lustful man, a disobedient teen and yes, a homosexual are all at risk of not inheriting the kingdom of God (i.e. going to heaven) unless they believe in Jesus’s redeeming death and resurrection and surrender their life to his grace.  However, to someone who doesn’t know this theology or believe this theology, they only see the worldly consequences of these behaviors. Yes, murder is bad. Lies are sometimes bad. Gluttony is part of our culture and only bad when we step on the scale. Disobedience in the teen years is a healthy way of differentiating us from our parents. Lust is an outrageously successful business in the form of Victoria Secret, strip clubs and pornography.  It is horribly wrong to compare homosexuality to murderers or bestiality in the eyes of an unbeliever, so just don’t do it. And if you get backed into a corner, read the passage straight from the bible.

4.     Stop being surprised that people are offended by the bible. Remember that we are witnessing the greatest battle of all time. Satan and God are fighting a fierce fight for the souls of people around us. Many people are unknowingly being used by Satan as pawns for his tactics. Many Christians do really dumb things that actually aid their enemy. Being aware of this fact allows us to see the bigger picture so that we may actually help the Lord to save his people. Any time the word of God is spoken outside of the church, attacks will happen. Any time a celebrity starts speaking out on his faith, attacks will happen. I am guessing that simply by writing this post, I will lose several Facebook friends. There will always be consequences to speaking about God in a world run by unbelievers. Some we must accept. Others we must fight, which leads me to…

5.     Choose your battle.  I do believe that it is wrong that Christians cannot share their opinions without being silenced. When was the last time the ACLU fought for a Christian’s right to do anything? People may bash or mock Jesus Christ or his followers all they like and that is considered freedom of speech. Yet sharing our beliefs is considered hate speech. Now that is intolerance.

6.     A last warning. We are 6 days away from celebrating the birth of our savior who makes so much of the junk we face personally and socially irrelevant. This is the one time a year where even unbelievers can look at our Lord with reverence. The one time when you hear things like “God bless you” without dirty looks. The one time you hear Christian songs played on secular radio. Do not let a controversy such as this overshadow Christmas! Who needs to hear the story of Christmas in your life today?