Today's devotion will take you 4-6 minutes to read. But it's heavy on my heart so I hope you will read all of it carefully.
Christians are facing increased hatred and persecution, and we must be strong and refuse to be shamed by lies and slander.
Before writing Charlie Kirk Unveiled Extreme Epicaricacy in Some People, I did some research because I wasn't well-acquainted with all Kirk taught. I don't agree with every detail of his political views, and I think he sometimes said things that were easily misunderstood when taken out of context. But I believe he was a genuine Christian who deeply loved our Lord, a godly man who has been falsely accused of racism.
I found a series of evil-sounding quotes credited to Kirk, but when I checked them out, I found that each one had been taken out of context to purposely misrepresent him. In addition, there are a number of African-Americans who insist Kirk was not racist, and some of them knew him personally (e.g. Terrance K. Williams, Isaiah Robin, Kaizen Asiedu, Gothix, Rob Smith).
The demonizing of Kirk is not about race or politics, it's about Christian truth. Yes, he was heavily into politics, but his faith was always present in his discussions.
Sadly, more and more people are accepting whatever their favorite pundit writes, and they feel comfortable despising those who disagree with them. For example, this is an email I received regarding my devotion on epicaricacy which mentioned Kirk:
“Of course you would sweep things that he said under the rug. You are no different and I will be unsubscribing from your emails. This is too much and shows how when it is not something directly aimed at you, you support it. You are a hypocrite regardless if you want to cover it up or not. Please do not email me anymore of your Love Notes. I despise people that overlook cruelty as long as it is not aimed toward them.”
It's ironic that the out-of-context quotes used to discredit Kirk were not nearly as rude-sounding as this professing Christian's email. She provided a good example of hate speech.
If this woman had carefully checked out Kirk, she'd have found he wasn't racist. And as a 6 year subscriber to my blog, she should have known that I've written multiple articles against racism explaining that blacks have been badly mistreated in history and admitting that bigotry still exists in some people's hearts (e.g. I Must Speak Up).
Even though nothing in my devotion supported racism, what if Kirk had been a racist. How should a fellow believer respond to my post?
By giving me the benefit of the doubt and graciously explaining the truth about Kirk, offering proof of Kirk's racism in context, and asking me if I was aware of it.
What if I was truly racist. How should a Christian respond?
Romans 12:17-21 tells us not to return evil for evil, responding kindly to our enemies. This woman could have written me about her concerns and asked me questions graciously, pointing out how my racism grieved the Lord.
Instead, this woman feels comfortable despising me and assuming because I'm white that I have no concern for the mistreatment of black people. This shows her racial prejudice.
I didn't return this woman's hate speech. Scripture says God will judge this woman for the way she judged me (Matthew 7:1-2). And I can find comfort in 1 Peter 3:13-16.
I also posted a clip of Kirk sharing his faith (30 Seconds to Live) on my Bible Love Note's Facebook page. In the comment section, one woman left this comment (which I removed):
“It's sad when you cautiously follow so called ‘Christian’ pages and realize that they are just another cover for racist. Yall idea of Christianity is why I no longer consider myself a Christian. Yall don't follow Christ and don't serve God. I kinda wish He still gave yall leprosy. At some point there has to be some consequences.”
She judged my page as racist simply because she had bought into lies about Kirk, and she wished all Christians would get leprosy. A perfect example of epicaricacy and hate speech.
With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape. Proverbs 11:9
Her claim that Christians turned her against Christianity is a popular half-truth. Are there times Christians badly represent our faith? Sure. But those bad examples are microscopic compared to the times people use that excuse to slander us. It's actually a popular form of propaganda used by Ex-vangelicals. And the bottom line is this: if a person rejects Christianity for any reason, they are rejecting Christ.
Satan loves bigotry, hatred, and lies, and he definitely wants to discredit people who speak God's truth. He loves that millions of people have believed the out-of-context quotes about Kirk.
If you are a remnant Christian, please carefully check out things that you read and hear. And prepare your heart for increasing slander, bigotry, and lies. See God's Remnant People.
If I wanted to be popular with everyone, I wouldn't have written Jesus Calling: Are Sarah Young's Claims Biblical nor would I have written about Dallas Jenkin's false and contradictory beliefs in The Story Behind the Chosen. I'd never have addressed the relationship destruction of popular Boundaries Books. Nor would I have addressed abortion in Would You Have Justified Slavery? And I'd never have researched the Charlie Kirk quotes that so many blindly accept. None of these things increase my popularity with the majority.
But I'm not seeking to placate the majority. My desire is to encourage remnant believers to stand firm. I'll admit I don't like being hated, but I'm not going to remain silent about things which grieve the heart of my Lord.
Hate speech, slander, and rejection are not going to deter me from graciously speaking up for God's truth. Nor am I going to remain silent about politics when they violate biblical principles.
If we think we can honor God by remaining silent about things like abortion, LGBTQ lifestyles, premarital sex, bigotry, and lies, we have placed our comfort above our faith. See Can You Stand Against the Shame Game?
“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:25-26
I'm not going to return hatred to those who spew their hate speech at me. But neither am I going to remain silent. My goal is to please God, warning people of lies that will damage their souls. I hope you will join me in committing to speak up for the Lord and His truth even if you are reviled by others. Please read through the passage below and commit yourself to sharing God's truth no matter who persecutes you.
Matthew 5:10-16: Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
No comments:
Post a Comment