6:17 AM
Kathy Griffin (potentially offensive speech when clicking on that link). At the 2007 Emmy Awards, she made a statement upon receiving her award that, if said to a colleague, would be extremely insulting, and she completed that statement with, "This award is now my god." This is old news to many, as it happened last year and was talked about a good deal, as far as I know, in religious circles.
Surely, if she'd said this to someone in the Screen Actors Guild (or whatever organization), she'd have been forced to offer an apology, and in the e-mails I've received (typically entitled, "Yes, I am offended"), it's been suggested that she'd have never gotten away with this statement if it'd been directed toward Muhammed. Her words have been called "hate speech."
As people who know and serve the God she maligned, how are we to react? Should we have a particular reaction? If we say, "I'm going to boycott everything she's a part of," is that really of value? My guess is that most of us didn't watch her shows, anyhow. A while back I started to watch something she starred in and had to turn it off pretty much immediately (can't recall if it was foul language or innuendo or what). But if that is our response -- not watching anything she's involved in -- what's our motivation behind it? Anger? Personal injury?
Are we justified in becoming indignant, or isn't that kind of talk something we should expect of a comedienne who doesn't believe that Jesus is, indeed, God, and has built a career upon sarcasm and irreverence? Should we have expected her to conform to some higher standard? If so, why?
This leads to the important question: is it correct for the Christ-follower to expect people around him to meet his moral standards of living as prescribed by the Word of God? When we get upset about something like this and are vocal about it, does it damage our visual, active statement of faith and adherence to Jesus' teaching to turn the other cheek, offer our proverbial tunic, and love those who don't love us (Matthew 5:38-48)? Or does it show that we will take a stand for what we believe in?
The first area of Scripture that comes to my mind as a literal example of how to react to insult or injury is this:
"When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.' And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice." (Luke 23:33-34, NLT)
Oddly, though Jesus was God, one never gets the impression that He was being condescending when He spoke to anyone (except the religious leaders, and that was more anger than condescension). When Jesus saw the crowds during His ministry, He had compassion on them (Matthew 9:36, Mark 6:34), and He displayed the same compassion while He was on the cross.
Before reacting to situations, and definitely before forwarding an e-mail expressing personal disgust or offense, it is our responsibility as Christ-followers to make certain that our reaction is the same one that Jesus Christ would have, were He in our situation.
Surely, if she'd said this to someone in the Screen Actors Guild (or whatever organization), she'd have been forced to offer an apology, and in the e-mails I've received (typically entitled, "Yes, I am offended"), it's been suggested that she'd have never gotten away with this statement if it'd been directed toward Muhammed. Her words have been called "hate speech."
As people who know and serve the God she maligned, how are we to react? Should we have a particular reaction? If we say, "I'm going to boycott everything she's a part of," is that really of value? My guess is that most of us didn't watch her shows, anyhow. A while back I started to watch something she starred in and had to turn it off pretty much immediately (can't recall if it was foul language or innuendo or what). But if that is our response -- not watching anything she's involved in -- what's our motivation behind it? Anger? Personal injury?
Are we justified in becoming indignant, or isn't that kind of talk something we should expect of a comedienne who doesn't believe that Jesus is, indeed, God, and has built a career upon sarcasm and irreverence? Should we have expected her to conform to some higher standard? If so, why?
This leads to the important question: is it correct for the Christ-follower to expect people around him to meet his moral standards of living as prescribed by the Word of God? When we get upset about something like this and are vocal about it, does it damage our visual, active statement of faith and adherence to Jesus' teaching to turn the other cheek, offer our proverbial tunic, and love those who don't love us (Matthew 5:38-48)? Or does it show that we will take a stand for what we believe in?
The first area of Scripture that comes to my mind as a literal example of how to react to insult or injury is this:
"When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.' And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice." (Luke 23:33-34, NLT)
Oddly, though Jesus was God, one never gets the impression that He was being condescending when He spoke to anyone (except the religious leaders, and that was more anger than condescension). When Jesus saw the crowds during His ministry, He had compassion on them (Matthew 9:36, Mark 6:34), and He displayed the same compassion while He was on the cross.
Before reacting to situations, and definitely before forwarding an e-mail expressing personal disgust or offense, it is our responsibility as Christ-followers to make certain that our reaction is the same one that Jesus Christ would have, were He in our situation.
