Ok I know I am late to the table because of Holiday events.
One must be stuck on a Ship in Antarctica not to hear the recent blow up between the Robertson Family and A & E and how it ends by A &E backing down is a testament to the free market system, still I feel the show is doomed; the Robertson family leaning firsthand the hazards of a too close business relationship with the world and for A & E the problem of jumping the gun too soon.
Still I found Phil Robertson’s comments troubling because of misquoting scripture and typical American Evangelical doctrinal errors.
“What does repentance entail? Well, in Robertson’s worldview, America was a country founded upon Christian values (Thou shalt not kill, etc.), and he believes that the gradual removal of Christian symbolism from public spaces has diluted those founding principles. (He and Si take turns going on about why the Ten Commandments ought to be displayed outside courthouses.) He sees the popularity of Duck Dynasty as a small corrective to all that we have lost.
“Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong,” he says. “Sin becomes fine.”
What, in your mind, is sinful?
“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men,” he says. Then he paraphrases Corinthians: “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.””
In paraphrasing Corinthians Phil leaves out some very important phrases. I the correctly quote as follows starting with verse 1 Cor 6: 1-11:
1 Corinthians 6
English Standard Version (ESV)
6 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
While Mr. Robertson is right by calling out sin, he is wrong by missing V11 “. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” In looking at a few good reformed commentaries, the focus is not on the browbeating the world but on The Christian. Paul condemns the Corinthian church for taking trivial matters to the secular court. Paul’s response was chastisement and to remind the Corinthians of the Gospel in V 9-11.
We to need to look a V9-11 not as condemning the world but as us in the mirror, we can point to each verse and finds us sinners in word thought and deed; by what we had done and not done; yet, God is merciful sanctifying and justifying us through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
Furthermore, Phil shares in the typical error of confusing law and gospel with American exceptionalism. America cannot be a country founded on Christian values because we all are sinners. The Ten Commandments are good but it is part of the Mosaic covenant given to show we are sinners. We cannot even follow Ten Simple Rules and a need for our savior, see Romans 3: 19-20. We all are dean in sin and trespasses Romans 3: 16-32 unable to understand the things of god. 1 Corinthians 2: 14-16; therefore, and attempt to bring back bible reading and posting the Ten Commandments will be at best vain. Only through Christ, making a person a new creation through the preaching of the Gospel can man be moral and understand the thigh of God.
Between A&E jumping the gun and Mr. Robertson mangling scripture, there is no winners but only the wrong who needs the Gospel.
