Elites and "Fairy Tales"

A recent editorial made mention of a passage of Scripture from 1st Peter 3, which gives us guidance
when we face opposition:
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

It's not necessarily easy territory to walk as devoted Christian believers in this world.  And, God doesn't call us to blend in, but to stand out, as "peculiar people," according to the Scripture.  If we are dependent on Christ, people will hopefully see the difference in us and be drawn to it.  There will be those who just don't understand and may even ridicule our beliefs - but we can respond appropriately, with grace and not anger, reflecting the presence of Christ in us.

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We have to make sure that we are rejecting an attitude of elitism as believers in Christ, who are
sinners who have been saved by God's grace. James 2 addresses this concept:
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well;
9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

The steady drumbeat of criticism of Christians because of a false perception in society, as well as their political choices, continued on a Sunday morning recently; that's right, on Sunday, a day that is held with great reverence by Christian believers worldwide.

And, there he was - on the throne of the legendary talk show, Meet the Press, Chuck Todd, who, according to the website of a rival network, FoxNews.com...

...pointed to a letter to the editor of the Lexington Herald Leader from last January, something Todd thought was a "fascinating attempt" to explain why so many Americans support President Trump.

The letter read, "[W]hy do people support Trump? It's because people have been trained from childhood to believe in fairy tales... This set their minds up to accept things that make them feel good... The more fairy tales and lies he tells the better they feel... Show me a person who believes in Noah's ark and I will show you a Trump voter."

NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck called Todd out on it, saying, "On a morning after an attack on people of faith, @ChuckTodd uses an ugly Letter to the Editor to mock religious people..."

The Washington Examiner reported that Brit Hume, who has been with ABC and now provides commentary for Fox, responded on Twitter by saying:

"I wonder if Chuck Todd also thinks this is a 'fairy tale,'" Hume tweeted Monday night, along with a picture of CNN reporter Jake Tapper's Hanukkah celebration.

Tapper's tweet captured the essence of the Hanukkah story, in which the oil to light the Temple candles miraculously lasted for eight days.

Well, yes, Todd's comments are a slam toward supporters of the President, to whatever degree, including merely casting a vote for him.  But, as it was pointed out in another Examiner piece, he described a story woven into three religious faiths - Christianity, Judaism, and Islam - as a "fairy tale."  That's horribly insensitive.  And, it came after a machete attack at a Hanukkah celebration in New York.

Certainly, Todd and his media elites seem to try to take every opportunity to take potshots at the President and those who stand with him.  And, that includes a number of Christians.  And, those who do support the President or view him positively are not only denigrated by media elites but the self-proclaimed "evangelical elites."  The Bible has something to say about showing partiality, and there just seem to be a lot of people in Christian culture who believe that they know more than others.

Jim Denison, in an article on The Christian Post website, reminded Christians that we will face opposition.  He says:

While American Christians should note and respond to those who demean or attack our faith (1 Peter 3:15–16), we should also remember those who are facing far worse persecution than we experience.

He also adds:

Persecution is inevitable for true followers of Jesus (cf. John 16:33). Those who hate our Father will hate his children (John 15:18–21). Paul was blunt: “All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).

Here we learn that if we are not facing opposition for our faith, we should ask whether our faith is as public and uncompromising as it should be. I’m not suggesting that we need to seek to be persecuted. But I am suggesting that we should not be surprised when we are.

One takeaway here: Jesus said to "be of good cheer," because He has overcome the world.  There will certainly be trying times and we may even face ridicule for our faith.  And, when we face hostility, we can consider whether or not our witness is not what it should be.

While the Bible says that we are blessed if we're persecuted for doing good, we also have to make sure that we are not facing opposition because of what we've done in a bad way.  We have to continue to stay humble before the Lord.

Elitism is certainly not an expression of that.  We have to make sure that we do not possess the attitude that we are better than someone else - a better Christian, a more "enlightened" believer, a more deserving person.  We have to stay away from elitism.  There will be those who think they are superior to us, and we have to reject the notion that somehow we are exalted above someone else.

By virtue of a network news anchor characterizing the story of Noah's Ark as a "fairy tale" is just one more indicator of the lack of appreciation for solid Biblical stories, much less the deep truths of Scripture.  It could be a lack of understanding or an outright rejection of the Word of God, which also translates to a rejection of the people of God.  We can revere the Scriptures, show respect even toward those who despise us, and make sure that we remember to whom we belong.