We are more than just creatures of habit, we are creatures of social interaction. This may perhaps be a season where people lack social skills face to face versus phone to phone, but the interactions are still the same. And with the current controversy with Phil Robertson, our desire to interact has heightened brother against brother, straights against homosexuals, republicans against democrats, the World against Christians. Most of my Facebook friends fall into a demographic of Christian Republicans, so you could imagine my news feed being littered is atrocious. Being so enamored with pop culture as I am, I even committed the crime of sticking my nose into other peoples business, because, truth be told, we are sticking our nose into the Robertson family business.
Now I won’t lie, I am a huge Duck Dynasty fan, but I have to determine where the line is drawn on someone’s sense of privacy. When we find ourselves in an uproar because of opinions said, we feel it’s our civil right to stand up and voice our opinions as well… on Facebook. Let’s sober up with this idea: we will never leave a mark in history updating a Facebook status, and we definitely won’t make an impact in 140 characters on Twitter. If we have this thought that we do, which some have taken it upon themselves to think so, we have ultimately failed as humans. We have lost our minds.
Of coarse, I, myself, am sitting behind a keyboard as the proverbial pot calling the kettle black, but it also comes down to the expression “practice what you preach.” If you want to raise awareness of your opinions you better have an outlet where you can walk it out. What’s the point in saying, “Like my post if you think there should be more water wells in Africa,” and not actually making an effort to contribute to the cause.
Earlier today I decided to bow out of the social issue debacle when I came across a friends Facebook post on the most recent massacre of Christians in Syria and how the media ignored it. You can read about the post here (Voice of the Persecuted). Everyday our family in Christ in other countries all over the world are being beaten, tortured, and killed for their beliefs. Who are we to complain about what another celebrity said? When will we act for those who need our help the most?If we’re Christians, then we go to church. If we go to church, then we’ve heard about the persecuted. So if we know about the persecuted, doesn’t that make us responsible? If we are responsible, then what does standing on the side lines tell other people? Our concerns about losing a favorite show are first world problems.
Phil Robertson is being chastised, sure, but not persecuted. He’s life is not in danger, and is still maintaining his net worth. And if you have ever watched a Duck Dynasty show, you’ll learn quickly that he doesn’t care about what other people think about him. He is only concerned about his family and his walk with God and he isn’t going to lose business, the demographic already proves that point.
Anchor and Grace 