A Duck Call to the Culture

In the 3rd chapter of the book of Titus, we see one of many such passages that we see throughout the Scriptures that delineate between a life lived for God and one lived apart from Him:
3For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.4But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,5not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 

The Bible is clear about so many areas that are not pleasing to God - the Bible calls them "sin".  And, the Scriptures also teach us how to walk in holiness, that is, in a manner that does bring glory to God.   Unfortunately, due to human understanding and the refusal to accept the ways of God and indulge in sinful pleasures, the culture has become mixed up about right and wrong.   That can motivate us to grow in and demonstrate the character of Christ.   Personal holiness is an important pursuit - as we know Christ better, we seek to be more like Him, rejecting sin and experiencing renewal by the Holy Spirit.

The 6th chapter of 1st Corinthians contains a passage that highlights the regeneration that we have experienced through Christ and His power to turn aside from ways that are not pleasing to Him.  And, Paul outlines specific patterns of sinful behavior.
9Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,10nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.11And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the patriarch of the Duck Dynasty family, Phil Robertson, had decided to pass on an interview with Barbara Walters for one of her most fascinating people segments - he went duck hunting instead.   He sent his wife, Kay to the segment.

Phil did decide to take a reporter from GQ magazine out into the woods recently, and now that the interview has been published online, that reporter was hearing and maybe learning a lot more than just about duck calls.  In his own way, Phil took the traditional teaching of the Bible and the church and enhanced it in a way that only the Duck Commander could.

Regarding sin, he said, according to FOX411:

“Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong... Sin becomes fine,” he said. “Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men.”

Paraphrasing (1st) Corinthians he added: “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”

Uh-oh.   The star of a hit television series made some comments that don't square with the network's point of view. Cue the cultural power brokers, such as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD.  Its representative, Wilson Cruz, predictably stated:  "Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil's lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe...He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans – and Americans - who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. Phil's decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors who now need to reexamine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families."

So, Phil uses Scripture to state a personal opinion and GLAAD is determining what "true" Christians believe? There are plenty of other compelling comments about matters of faith in the article - Phil discussed his lack of understanding of homosexuality from a biological perspective...in a way that I find inappropriate and crude.   And, he had some comments about cultures that he pinpoints as having committed mass murder over the last 80 years.

Well, in less than a day, A&E has taken action.  FOX411 quotes a statement from the network:
"We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson's comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series Duck Dynasty...His personal views in no way reflect those of A&E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely."

Now, I'm not a Duck Dynasty fan, but I appreciate the way that these guys use this huge national platform to call attention to their faith.   And, who knows, maybe he decided to go to GQ to expand that platform to an audience that may or may not watch the show.  

But, he realizes that fame is fleeting, so why not be who you are, right?  He said in the piece, “Let’s face it, three, four, five years, we’re out of here. You know what I’m saying? It’s a TV show. This thing ain’t gonna last forever. No way."

Once the uproar began yesterday and before the announcement of his suspension, Phil Robertson did release a statement to FOX411:

“I myself am a product of the 60s; I centered my life around sex, drugs and rock and roll until I hit rock bottom and accepted Jesus as my Savior.

“My mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together.

"However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other.”

There you have it - the gospel according to Phil?  No, the simplicity of the gospel according to the writer Himself.   Jesus taught it - the Great Commandment, 2 components:  love God and love others.   In this increasingly secular culture, that message, and many of those who communicate it, have been rejected, but as I like to say, God's way is best.  Robertson believes the culture would be better off if there were more Jesus - I agree, but so many are prone to reject it.

As I said yesterday, secularism is not working.  But, even though the Bible teaches that human understanding is generally futile, I really believe that trust in human ability is trumping God's truth in so many sectors of society.  I trust that each of us will be motivated to love God as Jesus taught us, with our entire heart, soul, mind, and strength, and ask ourselves: how can we love the Lord more deeply?   And, how can we demonstrate that? 

I don't think we back down from speaking freely about our own Biblical beliefs, either, and I think that we can be effective in relating the truth in the context of trusting relationships and make sure we are not repelling the ones whom we are trying to win to Christ.