Sunday, December 22, 2013

Ducks, the dynasty, and God's truth

This whole Duck Dynasty, Phil Robertson controversy is probably overly talked about. And with that I will now voice my thoughts about the whole situation, knowing that everyone on planet earth is probably sick to death of hearing the name Phil, seeing a duck or hearing the word "controversy."
Personally, my opinion of this situation is quite simple. Phil had the right to speak truth. The journalist at GQ had the right to print it. And A&E had the right to essentially fire Phil.
But what it says about our culture is a bigger issue. TV broadcasts "twerking" and sexually demean female conservatives on so-called news programs. Yet, when a Christian says something about a topic that they find offensive because it has to do with actual Biblical truth, they are shutup in a New York minute. The problem isn't that people have free speech. The problem is that certain free speech is having its mouth duct taped shut because it has to do with Christianity - heaven forbid.
As freedom loving Americans there is nothing we can do to reverse the actions of A&E, and who would want to, quite frankly? It is their constitutional right. I want them to have that right. We can, as freedom loving Americans, choose to support the people, programs and companies that share our values and are standing up for Biblical truth even in the midst of a firestorm of opposition. We can share the truth of scripture in the market place and in our neighborhoods, refusing to be silenced just because truth is somethings uncomfortable for some people to hear.
Brothers and sisters, there are lessons to be learned from Phil Roberton and the A&E split. Truth makes people uncomfortable because it confronts them with the stark difference between right and wrong. Lets face it, our culture doesn't like the idea of right and wrong. They want everything to be right and acceptable. Be gay. Sleep around. Drink to drunkeness. If you want to do it, then go for it!
But the Bible does not accept that lifestyle. The Bible lays out a clear, black and white, right and wrong. There is living in obedience to God and then there is sin. The Bible clearly states what sin is. Those living in sin and wanting to continue living in sin, don't want to hear what the Bible has to say about their lifestyle choices. They want to be told they are A-O.K. The Bible says there is no excuse for sin.
What Phil Robertson said was offensive to a segment of the population because it hit them where it hurt: their lifestyle. They heard that the way they were living was wrong and so they took up their fists to defend the sin they have claimed as their normal.
Their defensiveness is not a reason to be silenced.
Ephesians 4:25 says, " Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another."
Scripture doesn't give the born-again Christ follower an out for spreading the message of the gospel just because the world doesn't want to hear it. If we have been saved and changed by the blood of Jesus Christ then we are to speak the truth of His word. Period. End of story. We are not to be silenced just because there are some people who won't like the truth.
Truth can be spoken in love. But it still must be spoken. Love is truth. And this love can be shared with boldness when we do it with the power of scripture, the power of God's word. There is no substitute for the truth. So speak it with conviction;  in the love of Christ and with the boldness of  Christ.

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