The “vulgarization” of Christianity is even being evidenced in our evangelism. We’re repeatedly told by the experts how important it is for the church to “engage the culture.” Evangelical strategists and savvy church leaders keep telling us that Christians need to be more tuned into contemporary culture. “We need to take the message out of the bottle.” To accomplish this some pastors are resorting to vocabulary and subject matter that is at times tasteless, indecent, crude, and utterly inappropriate for a minister of Christ. Some Christian movie makers have also begun incorporating adult themes and coarse language in their work.

In defense of one such movie a brother recently explained to me that this kind of film was intended for nonbelieving audiences, to be shown outside the church, that these kinds of raw images depict real life situations that the unchurched can relate to. And after all, did Jesus really say we shouldn’t use swear words anyway? Are we even sure that people used swear words in Jesus day?

Fair enough. Though Jesus himself may not have spoken directly to the issue of swearing, here’s what Paul had to say:

Ephesians 5:4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

Colossians 3:8-10 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

The point is this. I don’t care what you think pop culture says is acceptable, because we have new life, because we have a risen life, certain things should characterize us. The Bible says we are to discard the rags of our old life and put on the righteousness of our new life in Christ. After all how can we ever possibly hope to have any kind of positive impact on this world for the sake of the kingdom if our lives are no different than anyone else? How in heaven’s name could we ever think that God would want us to draw people to Christ with communication that is displeasing to Him and so contrary to His character? That to me is a Christianity that is inauthentic and a gospel that is irrelevant. Jesus said, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” – John 12:32. Drawing people to Jesus is Christ’s job. We are merely the vessels He chooses to use. Let’s be sure we represent Him well.

“They ask me all the time, ‘What is your favorite this? What is your favorite that? What is your favorite that?’ And one time, ‘What is your favorite word?’ And I said, ‘My favorite word? That is really easy. My favorite word is the Word, is the Word. And that is everything. It says it all for us. And you know the biblical reference, you know the Gospel reference of the Word.

Fill it in with anything you want. But, of course, we know it means: ‘The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.’ And that’s the great mystery of our faith. He will come again. He will come again. So, we have to make sure we’re prepared to answer in this life, or otherwise, as to how we have measured up.”

Oh, where to begin. For someone who delights in labeling the growing opposition movement as being “artificial”, it’s so ironic, even laughable to see the speaker gushing and feigning reverence over the beauty of the word “Word”. As Michelle Malkin’s blog put it, “Kind of like watching Jack Kevorkian trying to gain the trust of attendees at an AARP convention, isn’t it?”

“Oh, the Word. It’s the Word. I love the Word. It’s so beautiful, the Word. Let’s all say it together. The Word. Ooh, it makes me all tingly inside…”

Would that Ms. Pelosi had half a clue what she was talking about. “We have to give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the values of the Word.” Oh, really. I wonder, would that include her abysmal voting record on abortion, not to mention voting against the 2003 ban on partial-birth abortion? Would that include bearing false witness against the Tea Party movement, referring to it as “AstroTurf” and “faux-grass roots” and mischaracterizing it as swastika carrying hate-mongering. Would that include not living up to her pledge to “drain the swamp”, turning this Congress into “the most honest and open Congress in history.” Would that include quoting nonexistent passages of scripture in defense of her liberal extremist environmental policies? Is that what she means?

“Fill it in with anything you want” is more like it. Speaker Pelosi did get one thing right. One day we all will have to answer for “how we have measured up” in this life. Fact is we will all have to stand before God and give an account for what we did with “The Word”. I wonder, Ms. Pelosi, have you placed your trust in The Word as savior? Have you received forgiveness of sin and cleansing from all unrighteousness? Have you received the gift of eternal life paid for by the precious blood of Jesus? Have you experienced the total transformation that faith in Jesus Christ provides? What will your answer be?

Impossible Motion Trick – Watch more Funny Videos

Here’s how some journalists are describing the Arizona law:

“Harkens back to apartheid” – Cynthia Tucker, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Shameful” – E.J. Dionne, Washington Post

“Terrible…an invitation to abuse” – David Brooks, New York Times

Some political figures describe it as:

“Mean-spirited” – Sen. Chuck Schumer

“Un-American” – NY City Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio

“The Arizona immigration bill is an affront to the civil rights of all Americans and an attempt to legalize racial profiling.” – Rev. Al Sharpton

“Misguided…threaten[s] to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans.” – President Barack Obama

Here’s a question for all of you. Has anyone actually read the law? Anyone…? Anyone…? Bueller…? And what about Christians who are parroting these liberal journalists and politicians? How ‘bout you? Have you taken the time to read the legislation before organizing prayer vigils and protest marches on behalf of immigrants?

Critics of the law have targeted the phrase “reasonable suspicion” suggesting law enforcement would have the ability to arbitrarily pick Latin Americans out of a crowd and force them to produce immigration papers. As President Obama describes:

“Now, suddenly, if you don’t have your papers, and you took your kid out to get ice cream, you’re going to get harassed — that’s something that could potentially happen… That’s not the right way to go.”

What some people fail to note are phrases like “lawful contact” and “probable cause” which defines the circumstances by which the law may be enforced. University of Missouri Kansas City Law School professor Kris Kobach, who helped draft the measure explains:

“That means the officer is already engaged in some detention of an individual because he’s violated some other law. The most likely context where this law would come into play is a traffic stop.”

Since signing the bill into law, Gov. Jan Brewer has further clarified this in an executive order stating that “race, color, or national origin alone cannot be grounds for reasonable suspicion to believe any law has been violated.”

So why all the fuss? Why the venom? Why the vitriol? I think there are several things we can point to. One is politics as usual. Race is always an easy card for the extreme political left to play. “Those mean-spirited conservatives are nothing but a bunch of bigots,” the goal being to secure the minority vote in the next election.

I think another reason has to do with a certain polarization that exists between “social justice” and “legal justice”. We feel sorry for the downtrodden and less fortunate and rightfully so. We allow our emotions to justify overlooking the glut of illegals flooding our borders, because after all they’re just trying to provide a better life for their families and who among us could fault them for that. We deem that to be socially just. On the other hand we conveniently ignore the injustice of rampant lawlessness that is the result of the federal government’s unwillingness to secure our borders.

The state of Arizona faces a fiscal crisis caused in part by the burden to provide services such as schooling and social welfare for illegals and their families who consume far more than they contribute. Murders and kidnappings believed to be tied to Mexican drug cartels, nightly high-speed chases through neighborhoods where innocent people are at risk are all on the rise. But where are the Christians decrying this kind of social injustice I wonder?

There is a third factor that I believe is contributing to the backlash. Ignorance. Rather than taking the time to learn for themselves the actual content of the Arizona law, most people, including far too many Christians, have been content to get their information from journalists and politicians who have a CLEAR political agenda. This in my mind is a lack of discernment.

Proverbs 18:13 says, “He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him.” We need to be careful who we listen to and where we get our information from. We need to resist the urge to speak our minds before we’ve thoroughly investigated a matter. And when we do speak we need to speak the truth in love. Because when we don’t we usually wind up looking foolish.

Gravité from Renaud Hallée on Vimeo.

I’ve got two pictures commemorating the Steelers 2009 Super Bowl XLIII fourth quarter win over the Arizona Cardinals. In my office sits a picture of Big Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes in a bear hug celebration after the winning touchdown. At home I have another picture I just received as a gift last Christmas. On the left is the image of Roethlisberger rolling to his right with defenders all around. On the right Holmes is depicted going up on his toes in the back corner of the end zone and coming down with the game winning catch. Sadly, after this week I’ll be removing both pictures from any place of prominence.

I’ve been a Steelers fan as far back as I can remember, since I was old enough to enjoy watching football. Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, and the mighty “Steel Curtain” defense…I still get a kick out of watching old footage on the NFL Network of those guys puttin’ a whuppin’ on “America’s Team”, the Dallas Cowboys.

Through the years and six championships later one thing stands clear, the Steelers have one of the most loyal and widespread fan bases anywhere in the country. They don’t call us the “Steeler Nation” for nothing. And it’s not because they’re flashy. It’s not because of their cheerleaders or because they have a really cool move they do whenever they come to the line of scrimmage. I have always believed it’s because of the hard working, nose to the grindstone attitude that has been the hallmark of Steelers football over the years.

Whether it’s Rocky Bleier coming back from having his foot blown half off in Vietnam to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season, or Jerome Bettis, “The Bus”, coming back for one more season in the twilight of his career to bring home a Super Bowl ring, or Hines Ward, after receiving a bone jarring hit from a defender, getting up one more time still holding on to the ball, and with that winning smile pointing for the first down…that’s the blue collar, roll-up-your-sleeves-and-go-to-work type attitude that has made the Steelers one of the most respected names in the history of the National Football League. And that’s what makes the recent misconduct of some of its brightest stars so disheartening.

Santonio Holmes is coming off his best season in 2009 with 79 catches for 1,248 yards and five touchdowns in addition to being named MVP in Super Bowl XLIII. But as ESPN reports,

“He is also facing a lawsuit in Florida from a woman who claims he threw a glass at her, cutting her above the eye, in an Orlando nightclub. A witness has since taken responsibility, according to Holmes’ lawyer.

Holmes was also arrested in 2008 for possession of marijuana, and involved in a domestic violence incident in 2006; the misdemeanor charges were later dismissed. He was also recently accused of telling a fan to ‘kill urself’ on his Twitter page, but implied that his account was hacked.”

The Steelers wasted no time in trading Holmes to the New York Jets getting next to nothing for him in return, and the NFL has handed down a four game suspension.

As for Big Ben, in addition to an ongoing civil case filed by a 32-year-old woman who claims Roethlisberger sexually assaulted her at the Harrah’s Lake Tahoe resort in 2008, further allegations have been reported surrounding what happened in a small, less than 5-foot wide, single-commode bathroom between the drunken football player and a drunken 20-year-old sorority sister. And while the Milledgeville, Georgia District Attorney couldn’t find enough evidence to prove a sexual assault case “beyond a reasonable doubt”, certainly there’s been enough evidence for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to issue this statement while handing down a six game suspension:

“Your conduct raises sufficient concerns that I believe effective intervention now is the best step for your personal and professional welfare.”

So where do they go from here? Can they find redemption? Of course we know the answer is yes. In Ephesians 1:3 & 7 Paul writes:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”

Britt Hume, in reference to Tiger Woods’ indiscretions put it this way:

“I think that Jesus Christ offers Tiger Woods something that Tiger Woods badly needs. He needs something that Christianity especially provides and gives and offers, and that is redemption and forgiveness.”

Yes, it is possible for Santonio Holmes and Ben Roethlisberger to receive redemption and forgiveness and our prayer is that they will. But what of their reputations? Can that also be restored? We’ve seen what the Steelers organization thinks of these embarrassing encounters by sending Holmes decisively packing. Rumor has it that the Steelers head office has been shopping Big Ben to other teams as well.

Proverbs 22:1 says “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” Do you know why a good name is more valuable than great wealth? Because once your name has been tarnished it is nearly impossible to restore. For the rest of their lives Holmes and Roethlisberger will be remembered for their abuses and for the shame that they’ve brought to the Rooney Family and to the City of Pittsburgh. And while our hope is to see them restored, there’s no taking that away. Far better for these men to have maintained the same discipline and heroism off the field for which they’ve been praised so gloriously by so many on the field.