I am sure that most of the readers of this blog have heard about the media controversy Drew Brees, the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints got into recently. In a short video, Brees encouraged students to participate in Focus on the Family’s ‘Bring Your Bible to School’ emphasis. In his comments he never once mentioned sexual orientation or gender identity.
In the 22-second video titled “Shout Out From Drew Brees” the 12-time pro-bowler encouraged students to “celebrate religious freedom and share God’s love with friends.” He referred to II Cor. 5:7 as his favorite verse in Scripture. “So I want to encourage you to live out your faith on ‘Bring your Bible to School Day'” Brees said, “and share God’s love with friends.”
But because the video was sponsored by Focus on the Family, which endorses traditional Christian teaching on marriage and sexuality, the liberal media characterized Brees as being anti-gay. Brees later tweeted, “Love, respect, and accept ALL. I encourage you not to believe the negativity….I do not support any groups that discriminate or that have their own agendas that are trying to promote inequality.”
Focus on the Family’s Jim Daly posted a video on You Tube. “Our goal is to say, ‘Jesus loves you, cares for you, no matter who you are – your race, your creed, your sexual orientation. Jesus died for every one of us’ That’s the message we want to get out.”
I really appreciate what John Stonestreet over at Breakpoint had to say about this controversy. Referring N.T. Wright who asks “What time is it?” in the redemptive history from the creation to the new creation, Stonestreet asks, “What time is it?” in regard to the cultural moment we live in? “What is being asked and expected of people of faith now, in this time and in this place.
“The gatekeepers of the LGBTQ movement have moved on, and are now demanding that everything….from football to business to education to politics has to be about this [sex].” So what time is it? “It’s a post-sexual revolution, a time in history in which nearly everyyhing about life and our life together, from our understanding of right and wrong, to our understanding of what it means to be human, has been reimaged along the lines of sexuality.”
That sure is the lesson from the “Bring your Bible to School.” It had nothing to do with sex, but the liberal media made it out to be a matter of sexuality. So don’t believe that falsehood that Christian are obsessed with sex. But also be aware of how you speak about theultural issues, such as sexuality, in a time such as this.
Here are a some things to consider from this “dust up” over Drew Brees and a plain, straightforward encouraging word to teens that so desperately need hope and how it was turned around to be about sex by the liberal media. First, keep you comments and focus on the love of God. I am learning this with the young people I meet in my college class. Secondly, don’t get caught up in negativity. What helps me is to say to those I am in dialogue with, “I am a humble, simple follower of Jesus. He loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.”
Thirdly, above all else don’ get defensive when confronted with charges of hatred and bigotry. We must all get used to the fact that sharing the Good News” of Jesus’ love is more like being on a mission field were we would expect opposition and ever hostility. Jesus never said it would be comfortable. He said we would be hated.
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