Mockery and Outrage

I've received emails like this before, but this petition got me thinking. What I'm supposed to feel is outrage, or perhaps righteous indignation, but I'm not righteous enough to be indignant, so that wasn't working. Anyway, here's what the fuss is all about...

The Comedy Central network has a long history of denigrating Jesus Christ and the Christian faith. Now, they are developing a new series called "JC" that will openly mock Jesus and give Comedy Central even more time and latitude to increase their attacks on a religion practiced by 80 percent of Americans.

Just weeks ago, Comedy Central censored a depiction of the prophet Mohammad after intense Muslim protest. But Christians are fair game!

I am outraged by this unabashed double standard, and I'm protesting against Comedy Central and its parent company Viacom and their plans to air this show mocking Christians.

I have just added my name to a Media Research Center petition, and I'm urging you to do the same by clicking here now.

We cannot allow the Hollywood Elite and the left-wing media to continue to savage Christians. That's why I'm taking action and I hope you will do the same. Thanks for joining with me.

First, I am bewildered by how wimpy we've become, that a TV show now counts as persecution. Did the letter really say the left-wing media "savage(s) Christians"? That's embarrassing, really. I don't know how we'll explain this to the martyrs who were beheaded, burned, dismembered, blinded, scalded and fed to ravenous beasts. This very day, there are Christians on the other side of the world who are imprisoned and executed for proclaiming the Truth. We suffer a little public teasing and demand an apology.

"Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you."

There is indeed a double standard. A Muslim is rewarded for killing the infidel, and we're rewarded for turning the other cheek. Someone offends Allah and somewhere a bomb goes off at a street cafe. Someone offends a Christian and the perpetrator is either loved or flipped off, depending on the quality of the Christian. No death threats, no street riots. I believe it was Jesus who arranged for this double standard by telling us to love our enemies, to bless those that curse you, pray for those that persecute you. And I'm personally grateful, because I'd rather forgive my enemy than shoot him. Most of the time, anyway...

So, what am I do with an email like this? Let's suppose that my choices are to...

1. Do nothing. Hit delete. Go on with my life.
   
2. Tell my friends to get angry and demand that Christ gets the respect He deserves (or that Christians get the respect they deserve, which actually sounds pretty silly).
3. Say a prayer for the people who write trash for TV and the people who watch it, or...
4. Find a way to tell people who watch this junk that this isn't the real Jesus and see if they'll listen and learn who He really is.

In our modern American culture, #2 feels like evangelism, but it isn't. When Paul writes about defending the faith, he was talking about #4.

The world will never have an ounce of respect for Christ, or for Christians, because of our demands. They will know Christ by our love for one another. Our outrage is better directed elsewhere.