Righteous Anger?

by Bobby Maddex

Here's a video that has been circulating around the office. It's about time that this kind of stuff---funny, jib-jab quality parody---starts emanating from the opposite side. We have been kicked around for too long. And by "we," I mean those of us who champion moral absolutes, human dignity, the traditional family, and a transcendent reality.

It's no secret that each of us here at Salvo hails from one of the three great Christian traditions---Catholicism, Protestantism, or Eastern Orthodoxy. Consequently, the magazine finds itself in something of a bind when responding to critical attacks from the secular culture. When Salvo condemns homosexuality, we on staff are called ignorant bigots; when it supports intelligent-design proponents, we are called radical fundamentalists; and when it challenges such things as embryonic stem-cell research and cloning, we are labeled backward religionists. Whenever the magazine turns the tables, however, and pokes fun at atheists or Darwinists or feminists or the gay lobby, we are told that such behavior is hypocritical given our Christian faith.

Well, you know what? I don't care anymore. Not only do I think that such charges are way off base, but I believe that Christians are entitled to a little righteous anger. I'm so tired of taking crap from secularists in the name of loving them, especially when to really love them means calling them on their stupid ideas and thereby freeing them from false ideologies. Christ was committed to love, yes, but he also treated sin with the derision it deserved, whether responding ironically to his disciples whenever they said something dumb or turning over the tables of the moneychangers who had desecrated his temple.

I read about the tactics of people such as Liz Craig, the public relations manager of Kansas Citizens for Science, who have made the calculated decision to portray ID supporters "in the harshest light possible, as political opportunists, evangelical activists, ignoramuses, breakers of rules, unprincipled bullies, etc." (see the full story in Salvo 1), and I just want to scream at my fellow Christians who tell me that a "kind word turneth away wrath." That may be true on a personal level, when one is attempting to forge bonds with particular individuals, but I just don't think that Christians are called to be the whipping boys of the culture when to do so means allowing ridiculous lies to permeate society. We're talking human souls here, people, and such misinformation dupes the masses into taking a path that could lead to eternal damnation. Yep, that's what we Christians believe. Deal with it.

I interviewed Hollywood screenwriter Barbara Nicolosi for Salvo 5, and she told me that the anti-Christian sentiment in Los Angeles is so fierce that people have started calling followers of Jesus "Christers" and "Christianists." And then I read about similar rhetoric coming from the mouth of one of our presidential candidates. How can we justify not fighting back?

I can assure you that Salvo will fight back. The magazine is going to continue to treat secular propaganda with disdain, and I, for one, am not going to feel bad about it for a second. We will continue to ridicule dangerous worldviews, both with our fake advertisements and our inflammatory content. The secular culture has no problem with such stratagems when shilling their deceitful perspectives, and I will not be a victim. If the magazine offends, so be it. The cross offends as well, and Jesus told us many times that we Christians would be hated by the world. I welcome such hate, even while I wish it would disappear; it's an affirmation that we are right in a world that has gone very, very wrong.    

Comments

[Unapolgetic Catholic]

Yeah, we don't want to turn the other cheek or do unto others or anything like that.

[Clifford Fischer]

Unapologetic Catholic, I understand where your coming from but I would want someone to shake me out of my misconceptions and false beliefs regardless of how rough it was. That would certainly be better than making an eternal mistake.

[JM Inc.]

I'd just like to point out briefly, that being hated does not necessarily arise from being correct on a particular issue. Emotions aren't necessarily rational things and oughtn't to be treated as being indicative of something not directly related to their own existence.

I think you probably knew that, but if anybody has read any of my other posts, they'll know I'm something of a hair-splitter.

I quite enjoyed the video, by the way. Very humorous, after an absurd fashion.

[Jerry]

The problem with turning the other cheek is that sometimes what people are really doing is acquiescing their beliefs in order to win favor or avoid conflict.

[JRM]

"I understand where your coming from but I would want someone to shake me out of my misconceptions and false beliefs regardless of how rough it was. That would certainly be better than making an eternal mistake."

Would you really?

Then let me tell you. Bobby Maddex's post is not a Christian post. It is a sin against the First Commandment. He also commits the sin of Pride.

Neither he nor Salvo can claim to speak for Christians. His arguments are dishonest and a disgrace to Christians. The reason why Christians are hated in Hollywood is that so many of us are hypocrites.

Here's Liz Craig again: ID supporters are "political opportunists, evangelical activists, ignoramuses, breakers of rules, unprincipled bullies."

Thats exactly what they are and Christians shoud not associate with them.

[Jerry]

I don't really see how this post is a sin against the first commandment, and pride is not the same as making a stand for something you believe to be right.

[Bobby Maddex]

First Commandment: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Yeah, I don't get it; how am I breaking the first commandment?

[Ken Brown]

At least we're not the first to face this dilemma:

"Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself./
Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes." (Proverbs 26:4-5)

I think it takes a great deal of discernment to know when one should turn the other cheek, and when a person needs to be slapped back for their own good. Jesus did some of both, by the way, though he usually reserved his sharpest retorts for the self-righteous.

[Bobby Maddex]

I agree, which is why Salvo targets ideas rather than individuals.

[Bobby Maddex]

I agree with Ken, that is.

[John E. Usalis]

There is a difference in turning the other cheek and allowing yourself to become a punching bag. When Jesus saw the money-changers in the Temple, He didn't turn the other cheek when it came to defending God's House. He was also very abrupt with the pharisees, calling them whitewashed sepulchers. Many times you have to stand up and speak the truth. It has to be done in charity, but allowing error to go unchallenged is surrendering to error. That is certainly not Christian.

[Clifford Fischer]

Christians are generally not hypocrites, they are just viewed that way. Christians know and admit that they stuggle with sin, that they are not perfect, they just don't forget about morality and they continue to try and improve themselves despite continued failure.

Often non-Christians will realize their not perfect but instead of struggling with their flaws they lax their standards of morality to fit their lifestyle so they feel that they are doing nothing wrong.

Salvo may not be perfect but it certaintly seems like an incredibly, if not the most, persuasive way that I have seen of getting people who were not interested before interested in Christian truth.

[Mo]

Unapolgetic Catholic -
Jesus was not some pansy who walked around afraid to say anything that would hurt someone's feelings. I don't know where we get this idea, but it sure is a popular one. It makes me want to pull my hair out.

Look at the Scriptures. Jesus called people a brood of vipers and whitewashed tombs - and those were the religious leaders!

I am not talking about being nasty with people and calling names just for the sake of being obnoxious. That is not what Jesus did.

Jesus pointed out sin - whether in the religious crowd or in the worldly crowd - and both sides hated Him for it.

Speaking truth is like that.

[Mo]

JRM -

What in the world are you talking about? I really have no patience for such utter nonsense.

See my response to Unapolgetic Catholic. I have no time to waste with such foolishness.

[Mo]

Bobby -

I am late to this post. I have so many online places I keep up with, but I need to make Salvo #1!

I am not sure if this is coming from Christians or non Christians:

"Whenever the magazine turns the tables... we are told that such behavior is hypocritical given our Christian faith."

If from non Christians, that is expected. The world hated Jesus. It will hate us. If from Christians, do not pay them any mind.

As I said in a previous response, Jesus was not a pansy who walked around being 'nice' to everyone. This image is so popular even among Christians. It makes me sick. The Jesus I see in Scripture called religious leaders hypocrites, vipers and whitewashed tombs. He pointed out coming judgment when that was appropriate. He got angry at sin.

We need that kind of passion. We are in the middle of a war. It is not a war against people, but against ideas. We are not to be obnoxious just for the sake of it. Nor are we to be hateful and vindictive toward people themselves. We are not to take pride in our own righteousness, because we don't have any. But we can be confident in Jesus' righteousness and in the rock-solid truth of the Word of God.

We can be angry at ideas. We are supposed to be angry at sin, at the lies of our culture, at the way the enemy destroys people by keeping them enslaved to misconceptions and outright lies that are pumped into our brains 24/7. This is the very heart of God. This is why Jesus came.

Keep pointing out the lies. Do it forcefully. Do it with passion and love. Speaking out the truth is what will help set people free.

Y'all are awesome. Keep following Jesus' example, and don't pay any mind to those who would stand in the way.

[JAB]

Mo, your response was awesome. Too many times Christians get caught up in this weird false image that Christ was some pot-smoking hippy who sat around camp-fires singing koombayah, hugged trees, and calmed down his enemies by saying things like, "peace, bro. Why all the hate?" Umn, no. Although "God is Love" for sure, Christ's message was revolutionary: Love God, give everything to Him, turn away from sin, stop being hypocrites who just follow the letter of the law, stop being lukewarm, and do all this at the expense of your life, of losing your family, and losing all respect from your fellow men.

We live in a fairly pagan society where, "anything goes." Looks like a few money-changing-tables need to be turned over.

[Mo]

JAB -

Amen!