The “Hot Topic” Christian
Just a few days ago, when I should have been doing my homework, I was on Facebook scrolling through my news feed endlessly like most single people do. Every now and then we get lucky and something interesting catches our eye. This particular day I noticed a trend forming between some of my friends. It was a group of Christians who had “liked” a page that spoke out against Starbucks’ support of gay marriage. My immediate reaction was to not really care. I’m still going to go to Starbucks, Stone Creek Coffee, Dunn Bros., Caribou Coffee, or wherever I end up being driven by the friend with their own car.
However, as the past week has progressed and people’s opinions have been fully demonstrated on Facebook, I decided to research this issue a little more about Christians and their willingness to speak out against things through social media and protest. Immediately my mind was drawn to last year’s overwhelming support of Chick-Fil-A, and its President/CEO Dan Cathy by mainline, conservative Christians as he spoke out against same-sex marriage.
”Let’s affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the Godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick-Fil-A on Wednesday, August 1” -Mike Huckabee
About 630,000 people on Facebook said they would go to support Chick-Fil-A on August 1st, according to the Chicago CBS News. People literally lined up and down sidewalks just to make their point. Marriage equality groups rallied together protests in response to the support of Chick-Fil-A as well by organizing a national “Kiss Day” at Chick-Fil-A restaurants. Here was a prime example where two main ideas clashed in an all-out war between nominal “Christians” and LGBTA activists. On Wednesday, March 21st, Starbucks as a company publicly supported Washington state’s new same-sex marriage law. The National Organization for Marriage, an anti-gay marriage group, began a campaign called “Dump Starbucks” in response. They urge people to give up Starbucks to support traditional marriage because “every cup of coffee purchased at a Starbucks anywhere in the world goes to fund this corporate assault on marriage.” (dumpstarbucks.com) Although not explicity Christian, this group advocates for people of “faith” and as stated in my story before, Christians are a part of that group.
So, la-di-da, there’s a bunch of passionate people of faith fighting for what they believe is right. Right? I mean, they are fighting…right?
I have a few questions then, if this is how we as Christians are going to “fight” against things. Where is your Facebook page against the Marriott, Westin, and the Hilton which offer X-rated movies in their rooms which profit more than revenue from the mini-bar? (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/porn/business/mainstream.html)
Where is your protest against AT&T and GM who originally made millions on their porn channels The Hot Network and DirecTV? They eventually sold their channels to other businesses after receiving pressure from anti-porn groups and media. However, they sold them. These channels STILL exist. The porn industry is one that destroys the lives of its performers. Check out thepinkcross.org if you don’t believe me, or “scoff” at that last comment I made. Read some of the stories of past porn stars coming out of the industry. Read them and tell me that this is okay. Whatever happened to that “fight” against human trafficking? Where is the fight against companies like Victoria’s Secret, Forever 21, Aeropostale, Urban Outfitters, and Toys R Us that have been accused of using forced child labor?
http://www.laborrights.org/stop-child-forced-labor/cotton-campaign/company-response-to-forced-child-labor-in-uzbek-cotton
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/16/143859114/report-links-victorias-secret-with-child-labor
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/26/forever-21-sweatshop-investigation_n_2025390.html
check out this site for more info on trustworthy companies:
http://www.free2work.org/
Read the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau’s report on child labor and tell me it’s not an issue: http://www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/ocft/pdf/2010TVPRA.pdf.
Surprisingly, no one’s mind was changed about gay marriage on “Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day.” Nobody’s eyes were opened when people began to “Dump Starbucks”. Why? Because, honestly, it’s lazy. This is not fighting. If I were a parent, I would call it arguing or bickering. Two little kids in the backseat fighting over the toy they both want. I give too much power to the verb “fight” to let it be slapped on a lazy argument made by Christians who simply want things their way. I am a Christian and I call us to higher standard. What is Jesus’ model of fighting?
Matthew 5:38-48
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Jesus calls us to love people. This does NOT mean supporting their lifestyle or telling them what they want to hear all of the time. But it DOES mean that to love them, it requires sacrifice. Maybe that means putting time in to build a personal relationship with someone. Am I really exerting any effort by clicking on the “petition” on dumpstarbucks.com to give up Starbucks because of their marriage policy? Am I loving people (gay, straight, blue, or purple) by lining up outside of a Chick-Fil-A to somehow “fight” for marriage? No. This is what I would call a “Hot Topic” Christian. This is someone who easily gets passionate about a social issue (gay marriage for instance) and does everything within their own desire to let the world know their opinion about it. This passion eventually fades away as the issue becomes more distant, or the passion burns more and more as the person realizes people are not listening to their opinion anymore, surprisingly.
In regards to this issue, two verse come to mind:
Ephesians 6:12-20
and John 4:1-26
Read through them and discover what they have to say about this issue. Remember that this fight is not between people, but spiritual forces. Remember how it is that we should fight. And remember how Jesus values the person, the individual, despite their “side”. He offered living water to a promiscuous Samaritan woman. How did Jesus fight for those that he loves?
sonofthefatheroflights:
Hey Christian Tumblr People (and other people who are interested in this sort of thing)!
I’m RJ, and I run a little Christian blog called, Son of The Father of Lights. I ran into a bit of money recently, and decided that I wanted to bless some people, SO I have decided to do this TUMBLR GIVEAWAY!!!!!
I am giving out the following:
- Francis Chan’s Crazy Love and Forgotten God
- Bethel Live’s The Loft Sessions
- Jesus Culture & Martin Smith’s Live From New York
- Bethel Church’s For the Sake of the World
- A “True Love Waits” Purity Ring
- An ESV Study Bible
The rules are simple:
1. Like or Reblog this post to be considered.
2. You don’t have to follow me, BUT if you do, I will count every time you like or reblog this as a separate entry!
I am giving away ONE of the above prizes, the winner will be chosen by random. The others will be given away at some later point until none remain. Also, I can only promise to ship within the USA, because I’ve never shipped nationally before, and am not sure if I can do it.
Ok! With that being said, Good Luck! And I hope to become great friends with all of you, so don’t hesitate to stop by my ask and say hi!
Fly With Christ,
RJ
Baptism and marriage.
I got baptized today! I’m so excited for what that means, let me explain my view on it. Praying the prayer is like a proposal, it indicates a desire to commit in a relationship. Yes Jesus, I would like a relationship. Baptism is like a wedding. It’s a declaration of the commitment in a relationship. If I was engaged for twenty years… I avoid commitment as well as a deeper, stronger relationship. We are called to be baptized cause God wants us to know Him in a deeper and stronger way.
This is a pastel drawing for my drawing class based on the true story of the little mermaid. Instead of marrying the prince, he falls in love with another girl and the little mermaid’s sisters go to the sea witch to se their hair for a dagger to kill the prince. If he doesn’t fall in love with her, she will be turned into sea foam so her sisters arrive, heads cleanly shaven and offer her this dagger as a way out. Their love is sacrificial and the little mermaid loves the prince so much that she throws the dagger into the sea. She ends up being turned into a daughter of the air for her love.
Conversations
So, lately my sister and I have been having conversations in the car after youth group on Wednesdays…one time I got to explain to her the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s a really great opportunity to share what I have learned.
She was talking about insecurities this week, and making friends in middle school. I really dealt with these things in middle school.
She really opened up and I didn’t know what to say. After a few minutes of silence, all I said was “It sucks. I had no friends from fifth to eighth grade and it sucked. All you can do is pray.”
And I’m glad I didn’t try to say anything else.
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
College is so expensive and I don’t know where I’m supposed to get all of this money from. And to top it off I think I am supposed to go on a mission trip this summer back to the orphanage and I will have no money for that either.
This night at work I thought about it, and maybe I’m supposed to go on this trip and learn about God’s provision in my life. The trip will boost up my faith for college and then we’ll see from there.
God cares about us so much more than birds or pigs….why do we worry then?
Why I love youth group…*ministry.
Tonight we talked about the point of the Holy Spirit and the importance of using Him as a power source….etc.
This past week I’ve been dealing with a lot of emotions, mainly this feeling of inadequacy but also just general hopelessness. How can God actually change me? But He has a plan and I’m so excited..
I just need to do what I have been convicted to do. I pray for people about this all the time and I pray about it for myself…..
I just need to do it. Like swallowing medicine…but discovering it’s the most refreshing drink of water I’ve ever had. I need to jump out onto the waves and start following Jesus.
I think people can tell when I don’t really have my life together during worship…I’m nervous…insecure….and not very worshipful. I need to learn to put my confidence in God and not in my own abilities…because sadly they are limited.
I got to have a conversation with my sister about the power of the Holy Spirit and how that can change her life….super awesome :)
Everybody there knows everybody else for the most part. I need to get those fringe people and then I’m good.
also…
I had a dream last night
that I was going back to the orphanage this summer, and my dad was coming with me!
is this a sign?
we shall see…
Predestination vs. Freewill
not to open up a can of worms………(martin luther joke is hidden there) but…
The best way I can understand this concept is through my own testimony.
I was made fun of in middle school and picked on.
WHY would God allow that to happen to me? If He is a God of love, why would He allow that to happen? I wrestled with this a lot. I don’t agree that God loves us so much that He “surrendered” power to us to make our own choices….if I hadn’t been made fun of or teased…how would I be a Christian right now? What would I have to say about God if I was cool or popular?
God “allowed” those thing to happen to me, because he had something bigger in mind. He wants to use me. And I want to be used.
I’m going to blog till I die.
Such a great weekend! I had my church’s youth conference this weekend and I was convicted of some things…
I need to allow the people with authority in my life to have authority and stop being lead by the people who are not in control.
My sophomore year made so much more sense….long story short, at one of the Seminars a man was speaking about John 21, when Jesus comes back to the disciples and they are fishing. He a little more than 3 years with them, teaching them, discipling them. He found them while they were fishing, and more than 3 years later they are back to fishing again. This story totally made sense to me. He calls Peter back to him by making him make a choice. He even asks him if he loves Jesus more than the fish. The application is…Jesus found me and I was in a musical in 8th grade. After that….2 years later, I didn’t make it into the musical in high school. It sucked. But I’m picturing God coming up to me asking, Do you love me? x3. Do you love me more than the benefits of this world, more than friends, more than attention, more than superiority do you love me? And God kind of forced me out of that whole situation. Someone also talked about what you put your identity in. If you find your identity in success…what’s going to happen when you fail?
If you find your identity in music, or art or books or sports or whatever, what happens when you mess up or fail or loose or stop being relevant? I need to find my identity in Christ. Because then certain things can come and go, but I won’t be troubled by my failures but encrouaged by Christ’s work in me.
2, He also convicted me to pick up the cross and follow Him. To do what He has convicted me to do. Wish me luck.
3. I need to care about others more…and not in an approval seeking kind of way but in a way that makes me persecuted. I want people to make fun of who I find my identity in, because that’s how it’s supposed to be.
4. I want to share my raw testimony with a huge crowd….baptism anyone?
I’ve been set free and I can’t keep quiet!
Only God knows where I’ve been and how far away I’ve gone from Him but I am free. I have no more chains! There is nothing to he me back anymore, and it’s not a denial of reality but and acceptance of forgiveness and denial of my past! God loves all of you so much and has so many plans for your life, He wants so many good things for you, he’s got something better planned! I am free indeed! And not because I am good enough or because anything I have done or haven’t done. The bible is clear, I am free.
Amen
That awkward moment…
When someone posts a notecard testimony on YouTube and I’m too distracted by their bad grammar to realize what they’re talking about
