As we celebrate the 1st
Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and anxiously await His 2nd Coming
it should come as no surprise that He is under attack. The students at the
Ralph J. Osgood Intermediate School in Kings Park, Long Island, New York last
week were giving their holiday concert. The choir director had the students
sing “Silent Night” but with a few changes. Gone were the words “Holy infant”,
“Round yon virgin”, and “Christ the Savior” and in their place were simply
repeated the words “sleep in heavenly peace”. It should be no surprise that the
world finds offensive any reference to Christ. In a world as dark as which ours
has become we need not be surprised when anything that would bring light in the
midst of the darkness is removed as men love the darkness more than they do the
light.
Phil Robertson, patriarch to the
“Duck Dynasty” Roberston family was yanked from the show this week by A&E
after he was interviewed in GQ magazine and was asked about what he deemed to
be sinful. He listed things such as homosexuality which have caused him to be
blasted publicly by many news network commentators and Hollywood actors. In
fact Cracker Barrel has selectively pulled some of their duck dynasty items,
presumably the ones baring Phil Robertson’s likeness. So let me understand
this, it’s perfectly fine to have tv programs such as The Kardashians, Jersey
Shore, 16 and Pregnant, Teen mom, Toddlers and tiaras, shows with no moral
compass and seemingly no purpose, but then we have a show about family that
loves one another, loves their God, their guns, and others, a show about doing
the right thing and standing for what you believe in and we need to pull it or
at the least suspend the patriarch of the family featured for answering a
question in a country that is rooted in the principle of “free speech”? Could
it be the speech is only free as long as doesn’t offend anyone with the
exclusion of course of Christians? The silencing of Phil Robertson by A&E
goes beyond his somewhat coarse and ill-advised remarks over the anatomy, and
sex in a secular magazine, even though his remarks were true to the Bible. If
this were the issue, then why isn't Miley Cyrus, Alec Baldwin, Lady Gaga, Madonna,
women on ‘The View’, and every other secular humanist and equally offensive
words addressed accordingly? Mr. Robertson is not perfect. This is not the
issue. The issue is whether or not it is right to have a moral view on sex
outside of conjugal marriage, which in this interview Phil’s answer was reflective of 1 Corinthians 6. There are many scriptures
through the Word that address this sin and many other hedonistic sins of man.
Through them all, Christ calls for repentance. Any biblical worldview is not
tolerated in a culture that is screaming tolerance. Today we are seeing that a
born again Christian is losing their right of freedom of speech. This event is
just another proof of the Truth of God's Word. .... “Indeed, all who desire to
live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted," (2 Timothy 3:12 ESV)
At the
same time is this in New York Times Square the American Atheist Association has
put up billboards with pictures of Santa and Jesus. Under Santa’s profile it
says "keep the merry" and under Jesus’ it says "dump the myth." While I find the
billboards repugnant and could not disagree any more with them, I understand
that is their right, guaranteed by our constitution, as we are supposedly given
the right of “free speech”. I fear that the culture we live in will continue to
give free speech to all but those who hold a Christian worldview.