This does not mean that I'm unaware of what's happening around me. I'm aware, for example, if not necessarily a fan, that Tim Tebow is a quarterback for the Denver Broncos. I'm aware that the Broncos are having a very good season. And I'm also aware that a lot of people seem to really hate this guy Tebow.
I think of it as "The Tim Tebow Knee/Jerk Phenomenon." When Tim takes a knee, jerks react. They mock him. They make fun of his faith, of what he believes, to Whom he chooses to ascribe glory on one knee on a football field on any given game day. It seems to me that Tebow's public displays of affection are at the heart of the heavy criticism leveled at him.
Now as a Christian I am aware of the risk of public displays of affection for Christ. I'm a conservative Presbyterian, so PDAs hardly enter my mind, frankly. We Orthodox Presbyterians have been charged with "the worship of order" instead of being concerned for the order of worship. Ah well. So be it. "It's the doctrine, stupid!" But criticism of us for excessive displays of emotion in church? Eh, not so much.
I understand that it's perfectly possible to be obnoxious in the way we choose to ascribe glory to God; that is, if we bring a lot of attention to ourselves when we do it for the purpose of self-aggrandizement. This was one of Jesus' criticisms of the Pharisees. And perhaps this is a perception from others with which Tebow has yet to grapple. But it seems to me that the problem goes way beyond that.
It's a spiritual problem. God's people have been hated for millennia. I'm not sure that that hatred is on the rise in our day. But one thing is certain; mass communication such as radio, TV and the internet have made these bigoted feelings much more vocal and ubiquitous.
Recently, an article originally published at Jewish Week by Rabbi Joshua Hammerman (and subsequently removed because of reader backlash) highlighted perfectly from where these critics come. The entire original article can be found here. For those of you who don't wish to read the whole article, the pertinent part is as follows:
If Tebow wins the Super Bowl, against all odds, it will buoy his faithful, and emboldened faithful can do insane things, like burning mosques, bashing gays and indiscriminately banishing immigrants. While America has become more inclusive since Jerry Falwell’s first political forays, a Tebow triumph could set those efforts back considerably.
Hey, way to go there, Rabbi! Seems to me, though, you need to work on that whole uniter versus divider thing, dontcha know?
It's interesting how this "mistake" only becomes one in hindsight and in the aftermath of their readers' moral outrage. Are there no editors at Jewish Week, someone to reign in the nutjobs?
Oh yeah, I forgot.
The answer is, "Of course there are." But if the editors are nutjobs too, who reigns them in?
Well, it would seem that that is the purview of the readers. On the other hand, this writing style has the virtue of letting the writer say what he really believes and then to say something truly idiotic akin to "I didn't really mean it."
Right.
It would be as if I said "All Jews are terrorists and I can expect to find my church firebombed this Sunday because of them," but then added, "oh, I didn't really mean that."
Right.
If someone offends me but truly repents, then it is my duty as a Christian to forgive them. As it is, this offense is not against me personally, so I don't know what I would have to forgive. And I cannot know whether they are being sincere or not.
But I suspect that we are just seeing the tip of the bigotry iceberg that exists within the hearts and minds of at least some of the people at Jewish Week. I believe they printed exactly what they think of Christians and conservatives. They're just sorry they got called out over it.
As for Rabbi Hammerman, he has shown his whole "interfaith" schtick for what it is--evangelical Christians need not apply. And if it means denying essential truths, then we should not apply. Interfaith courtesy and respect, after all, are entirely different matters from compromising and denying the absolute claims of Christ.
Now couple Rabbi Hammerman's comments with comments made by Bill Press recently in which he just wants Tim Tebow to S.T.F.U. about Jesus Christ.
Nice.
But surprising? No. It's all part and parcel of what we've come to expect from our deeply caring, tolerant and articulate friends on the left. Their masterful use of the English language makes me swoon with astonishment and envy.
Jesus Himself warned his disciples:
18 "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (John 15:18,19)
John himself adds this in his epistle:
13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. (1 John 3:13)
Jesus equates hatred of the disciples with hatred of Himself. In fact, hatred of the followers of Christ is merely a spiritual by-product and a physical manifestation of one's hatred for God.
Would I ever tell you that you must like Tim Tebow? No. If you disagree with him do I think you're necessarily a God-hater? Or course not. It's possible to be a Christian and to question seriously whether a brother in Christ may be young and a bit overly rambunctious from time to time, though I'm not suggesting that is the case with Tebow.
By all accounts, Tim Tebow is a decent human being. We are all fallen, but Tebow has managed up to now, by the grace of God, to avoid many of the pitfalls that plague many of those in the NFL. He's not a drug addict. He hasn't done time for cruelty to animals. He hasn't been in court on weapons or robbery or assualt charges. He hasn't gotten an STD. Is the world so turned on its head that these virtues no longer matter, and in fact, are no longer virtues at all? Could we really be staring into the abyss of the death of decency in our society when we can no longer recognise it when it comes into our homes through our television sets on game day?
Above I said that I wasn't necessarily a fan of Tim Tebow. All right. I've convinced myself. The Eagles aren't doing anything this year. Why shouldn't I cheer on a brother in Christ who's done nothing but be a positive role model for the youth of this country, and one who has happened to have led his team to victory time and again this year? Yeah, why shouldn't I be a fan?
And honestly, ask yourself this: if I don't agree with someone's public displays of affection for His Lord, do I really need to say that Christians will burn mosques and bash gays and Tebow should S.T.F.U.? Doesn't this indicate that there is something desperately wrong with these people? Something that a Tim Tebow, perhaps, and to their utter horror and dismay, may be able to help them with?
2 comments:
I'm not one who can quote scripture by memory; however, there must be a special place in the afterlife for haters who masquerade as holy men (Al Sharpton and the good Rabbi included).
If Americans were prone to burn mosques, it seems likely the burning would have begun on 9/11/01 and ended when the fuel was exhausted rather than after some football game played over a decade later.
Bill Press, who openly worships his savior, Obama, getting nasty with someone who openly worships the true savior? Now that's ironic, isn't it?
You've nailed it. And while I'm keenly aware of my own sins and failings, the Bible is quite clear on the place of hypocrites (as you've pointed out) in God's economy.
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