There are moments in my life when I hate to admit that I was right. There are moments when I want to be wrong, when I will do just about anything to be wrong. This weekend held one of those moments for me. Let me explain, in a recent blog post, I predicted that Jennifer Knapp’s recent admission to being a lesbian would erupt into a full-fledged battle in the culture war. I wanted to be wrong about my prediction. I would have preferred that my analysis of the underlying event and everything about ir was incorrect. Sadly, it was not to be.
On Friday night round one in the culture war slugfest that is the Jennifer Knapp dilemma took place. It happened on Larry King Live of all places. It included Jennifer, Larry King, Bob Botsford, and Ted Haggart. The event was cordial and polite with all parties in this round attempting to be on their best behavior, (I guess aiming for style points from the judges mostly). The politeness with which it took place might allow one to think it was not a bare-knuckled brawl of the highest order, which it was.
It was a polite brawl is the best way that I can describe it. All the people involved looked exactly as I figured they would, cheap dime store caricatures of who they were. Everyone looked petty and small in my estimation. No one came out looking like a rose. Everyone took serious wounds coming out of the altercation. The cause of Christ was set back on Friday night. And new reasons to think Christians are mean-spirited were given to anyone watching that needed one.
It was hard for me to watch. I wanted to yell, ‘just shut up’ at my television, but I couldn’t, as the rest of my family was sleeping at the time I watched it. I wanted to turn it off, but I couldn’t. It was like watching the train wreck you know is going to happen that eventually does. It made me sad. And I think it made all of Heaven sad.
Let me explain why… Everyone involved made the work of the Kingdom all the more difficult as a result of the broadcast. It made it harder for people truly trying to help their neighbor wherever they find them. It made it harder for anyone carrying a cup of water in the name of Christ. It hardened hearts, and closed ears. It cast mud on the name of Christ, and left every believer trying to be about the calling of their creator with a black eye.
There were no successes as a result of the broadcast. It wasn’t possible for there to be any. Why Mr. Botsford went on the show at all is beyond me? He knew he wasn’t going to be able to change Ms. Knapp’s mind. He knew he wasn’t going to convince her with rhetorical flourishes and sound logic. It just wasn’t in the cards. She wasn’t going to break down in tears and repent on national television. If the goal was to convince Jennifer on the subject of Biblical truth, then going on Larry King was the wrong venue for it.
These sorts of things have to happen in private. They have to happen in the context of a relationship. It is only in the comfort and security of a meaningful relationship that one person can share truth with another one, with any hope of success. This is something Mr. Botsford I assure you already knew. Which leads me to ask, why did he go on the show at all? Why did he seek the confrontation? I don’t know the answer to my questions right now. I can only guess at his possible motives, and my mind won’t let me assign pure ones to his actions.
The right way to handle this issue is to show the love of Jesus. People have to know how much you care before they will ever care what you think. People of faith need to be expressive of the love of Christ to the wounded and the broken among us. We need to live the lessons of the parable of the Good Samaritan. That man didn’t ask how the victim came to that place. He didn’t query the nature of the victim’s perspective on hot button issues to determine whether or not his neighbor was worthy of his aid. He rolled up his sleeves, and cleaned his wounds, and bound his injuries. He took the man to a place where he knew aid could be rendered to the injured, and the paid for the care.
So our response to these issues must be… We must hold the broken and the battered. We must help them with their wounds. We must take them to the healer, (which we aren’t by the way), so that they can get the care they need. In this description, you haven’t heard one ounce of judgment or condemnation. That isn’t our role. That isn’t ever going to be our role in these situations! Our only role is to be there in the midst of pain and agony. Our only role is to share the essential nature of our spirit with those in need. Our job isn’t to judge or condemn. Our job is to be the hands and feet of God’s grace in difficult circumstances.
It won’t be easy to do this. We won’t feel comfortable in the process. Our lack of ease or comfort with the task at hand doesn’t relieve us of the requirement of doing so. It makes the clarion call upon us all the more urgent to step up to our task. The more we love without pretext, and share the wealth of our hearts without precondition the less the stereotypes and caricatures will fit us. The less we act like heartless bullies on steroids, the more we will be able to help people and actually advance the Kingdom of Christ.
Acting in this fashion doesn’t justify the sin of others. It accepts that our role has nothing to do with judgment or condemnation. The task of making people aware of their sin, the righteousness of God, and judgment to come belongs to the Holy Spirit. Our impersonation of the Holy Spirit is pathetic at best, and comes off as petty and thuggish. We have none of the Holy Spirit’s deft and delicate touch. We are the spiritual equivalent of a bull in a china shop in these circumstances. We need to seek first to love and to comfort those in desperate need of the Grace of Almighty God! Anything less doesn’t measure up to the calling that has been place upon our hearts, minds, and souls.
Writer Clark D. Goble started this blog as a means to chronicle his imperfect walk with a Perfect Savior and invites you to join in on the conversation. He also invites you to check out the links to his work. Most often, Clark writes about Jesus and theology. He also enjoys writing fiction in a variety of genres.
Todd French is an information technology professional and a resident of Columbus, Ohio; where he shares a humble abode with his darling wife and beautiful daughters. His interests run the gambit from reading voraciously all forms of fiction to rooting for the Cleveland Browns.