Part 2: A Hill Worth Dying On

As many of you have seen over the last few days, I've had quite the scrum with several people on Facebook over the recent comments Phil Robertson made in an interview with GQ Magazine.

I’m not shy about putting my opinions out there in a public forum. I guess that goes without saying. I've often thought that if you’re going to have opinions, you should not be afraid to put them out for all the world to see. Sometimes, I put things out just to “stir the pot,” as it were, to get the debate going and see what other people are really thinking.

Other times, I post, or comment on others’ posts, when something really moves me, and I feel like I want or need to weigh in. In either case, there’s  consequences, both good and bad, when you put yourself out on the line like that, and there’s times when I’m glad I did, and other times when I wish I’d thought better before blabbering on like I’m sometimes wont to do.

With regard to this most recent Duck Dynasty situation, and Robertson’s comments about sin as it’s defined in the Bible, I've read quite a bit on both sides of the debate, and I’m not afraid to say that I have some VERY strong feelings about the whole affair.

There are those who think this story is way overblown. There are some who claim this story pales in comparison in terms of importance with other problems of the world.

I've read some who've written, questioning whether or not this is a situation even worth getting worked up over. You know the old saying… “Is this a hill really worth dying on?” I've read some really enlightening articles recently that have highlighted mass Christian murders in the mission fields in foreign countries, and it begs the question: Is this Duck Dynasty deal really that big of deal when hundreds, and maybe even thousands, of Christians are being persecuted and killed all over the world every day for their belief in God?

That’s a good question.

The worst thing I've read is sheer apathy. People who are not Duck Dynasty fans couldn't give a rat’s behind about what Phil Robertson says to anybody, and they think the whole uproar is just plain silly. Worse, there are Christians who simply want to sit back and say, “Well, we can’t do anything about this anyway,” so instead, they prefer to do nothing. Many people are just already tired of hearing about it. They don’t see how it affects them anyway, and they think it’s stupid that everyone just keeps going on and on about it.

Well, I happen to think this is a VERY big deal, and I’ll tell you why.

I think we ignore the repercussions of all this at our own peril. The continued apathy towards having our faith and beliefs trampled is continuing to not only erode the moral fiber of this country, but feeds the vocal minority in continuing to silence those of us who speak the Truth that this country was founded upon. One of the reasons we are where we are in this country is because we have stood by in those moments of Truth, and we've done nothing, allowing to enemy to get an even better foothold.

You see, there’s a reason the Bible is the #1 selling book of all time. Additionally, it’s no coincidence that The Passion of the Christ is one of the top grossing movies of all time, and no accident that Duck Dynasty is the top rated reality show of all time.

It’s no accident. Those things are popular because they proclaim the Truth of Jesus Christ, and there is a yearning and a hunger, and even a need, in this country to hear more of the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our country is longing for a return to the Christian values upon which this country was founded. Those who seek to destroy and tear down those values are a significant minority, and yet those of us who want to preserve them continue to stand by idly and let them get away with it. The problem in this instance is that A&E has significantly underestimated the majority feeling in this country. They've kowtowed to a minority viewpoint – a very VOCAL minority, I’ll give them that – but a minority no less.

And that’s the primary reason this is such a big deal. The whole world is watching right now. This isn't some two-bit show that’s barely hanging on in the ratings. This is the highest rated reality TV show in the country right now – and is so because of the Christian following it is Millions of people the world over are watching the Christian reaction to all of this. If we back down now, the world is going to see that they can continue to push around Christians and we’re not going to do anything about it.

For those who are concerned about worldwide missions, think of the message that sends to the Christians who are being persecuted in foreign countries. America is seen as a beacon of hope for Christians the world over. If they see that we’re not willing to stand up for our convictions here, where the consequences are little more than a TV show coming to an end, how easy will it be for them to deny Christ when there are real consequences at stake?

Moreover, many worldwide missions are funded by American churches and organizations. In many ways, those Christians who are being so persecuted throughout the world have little chance of hearing the Gospel in the first place without the aid of American ministries. If we continue to allow our Christian values to be stripped of us here in the states in the name of Political Correctness, how soon will it be before our ability to take the Gospel to “all the nations” is stripped away too? So don’t tell me that we should ignore persecution here in America, however slight it is perceived, in favor of worldwide persecution when the truth is that the ability to overcome the former is directly tied to our ability to overcome the latter.

A good friend of mine, Richard Holler, continues to comment on Facebook about how “WE THE PEOPLE” continue to stand by and do nothing as the Political Correctness crowd slowly but surely erodes away our Christian values. Each separate incident seems insignificant by itself. Removing the Ten Commandments from the courthouse lawn seems like such a silly thing over which to get worked up. So too do the comments of some “hick, redneck TV star.” But when you see the bigger picture, all the sudden our children can’t pray in schools, millions of unborn babies are dead, traditional marriage is mocked while divorce rates skyrocket, and we all are forced to pay for birth control and abortions. And all you need to do is look around to see the ramifications of the traditional family being torn apart. What else won’t we be able to do tomorrow? Or worse, what will our heathen government force us to do or accept?

According to the Bible, there is a time to “Turn the other cheek.” But there is also a time to “overturn the money changers’ tables” in the temple courts. I believe it’s high time we “overturn a few tables,” as it were. It’s high time we start standing up and fighting for our Christian values before there all stripped away from us and there’s nothing left to fight for.

The world is watching... I believe we have just one more chance in this country to turn it around. We may not have another.