What is it with bearded fellows and controversy?

What is it with bearded fellows and controversy? The recent brouhaha concerning the suspension of Phil Robertson from A&E’s popular Duck Dynasty program over his remarks made to GQ magazine are symptomatic of the depths of our depravity as individuals and society. Consider that Robertson is typical of most 67-year-old southern white men, recounting his formative experiences growing up, and his struggles with his own proclivity to sin.

The article reports, “During Phil’s darkest days, in the early 1970s, he had to flee the state of Arkansas after he badly beat up a bar owner and the guy’s wife. Kay Robertson persuaded the bar owner not to press charges in exchange for most of the Robertsons’ life savings.” Robertson goes on to point to the reason for the change in his life, “As far as Phil is concerned, he was literally born again. Old Phil—the guy with the booze and the pills—died a long time ago, and New Phil sees no need to apologize for him: “We never, ever judge someone on who’s going to heaven, hell. That’s the Almighty’s job. We just love ’em, give ’em the good news about Jesus—whether they’re homosexuals, drunks, terrorists. We let God sort ’em out later, you see what I’m saying?”

Of course, these words as well as his other remarks,  are deemed by many to be out of bounds. Which words? The words of Robertson that calls homosexuality, along with bestiality, heterosexual sex outside of marriage, drunkenness, and terrorism, sin. Now Robertson’s wisdom in expressing his opinion in this forum, with those particular words will continue to be debated, but at the heart of the matter is this idea of sin.

The following questions come to mind.  Are there behaviors that God deems sinful, and should those who agree with God’s assessment be free to express those ideas. And how do we know what is sinful and what isn’t? And perhaps the most important question of all, what do we do about our personal sin?

I find it interesting that this current controversy is reflective of the attitude the Apostle Paul describes in Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

This suppression of truth is nothing new. There was another bearded fellow some two thousand years ago, who unlike Phil Robertson, was without sin, and whose words while no less controversial perhaps, were not tainted by guile. His name was Jesus, and He was God.  The religious leaders of His day deemed His words and works blasphemous and sentenced Him to death, a death on a cross. These debates will continue because we all live in a fallen world, but in the final analysis we all need the gospel of Christ that changes us from the inside out. And that is good news for everyone,  gay, straight, duck hunters and duck eaters alike. 

As Phil Robertson observed at the conclusion of his interview with GQ, “If you simply put your faith in Jesus coming down in flesh, through a human being, God becoming flesh living on the earth, dying on the cross for the sins of the world, being buried, and being raised from the dead—yours and mine and everybody else’s problems will be solved. And the next time we see you, we will say: ‘You are now a brother. Our brother.’ So then we look at you totally different then. See what I’m saying?”

Read More http://www.gq.com/entertainment/television/201401/duck-dynasty-phil-robertson#ixzz2nwUG7yan