Last week, Alabama Republican Governor Robert Bentley apologized for declaring in a speech that he only considers Christians to be his “brothers and sisters,” and that those who know Jesus Christ are related to him in ways the general public is not.
The question I have is… are they?
It kind of cracks me up when people protest and condemn such remarks (which they did in this case), when, for the most part, this is what mainstream Christianity has historically believed. The children of God are a unique family and share Something that no other people on earth possess.
Scripture is pretty clear about this divide. For instance, the Apostle of Love (John) drew a line between two unique breeds of people, “the children of God” and “the children of the devil” (I Jn. 1:10). Jesus was no less definitive, saying that only those who “received him” were given the right “to become children of God” (John 1:12-13). It’s pretty cut-and-dried.
Most other religions have similar divides between saints and sinners, the enlightened and the unenlightened, the initiates and the uninitiated, the insiders and the outsiders. Heck, even atheists believe some are “less evolved” (i.e., me) than others (i.e., other atheists). So those who take affront at such exclusionary language are either unaware of religion in general or Christianity in particular. Or just flat-out predisposed against a biblical worldview.
In other words, those who were offended with the governor’s statements were probably not his brothers and sisters.
Listen, I’m not saying this to justify Bentley’s statement. As a politician representing a large swath of faiths, persuasions, and ethnicities, such language can indeed appear inflammatory. The issue I’m addressing here is not whether making such declarations on a political stage is smart, but whether or not the offense is phony.
It’s hypocritical for us to feign offense when a religion or religious person claims exclusivity. Why? Because that’s what religions do. They believe certain unique things. And people who believe those things share a certain unique camaraderie. It’s the same reason why world religions CANNOT coexist — their beliefs ultimately won’t allow it.
Unless, of course, their beliefs aren’t true.
Like it or not, someone, somewhere believes you are not “enlightened.” Someone believes you are an “infidel,” an “outcast,” an “outsider,” a “heathen,” or a “heretic.” Someone believes you are NOT part of their faith family. Republican Governor Robert Bentley proclaims that only Christians are his “brothers and sisters.”
And if Scripture is to be believed, he’s probably right.
However, more problematic than that someone could make such audacious claims is that, in stating the obvious, people get so darned offended.
I read a few articles on this. One writer said his remarks were because of Southern Baptist dogma. The writer apparently didn’t know anything about basic religious belief.
I guess people don’t like to hear anything divisive coming from politicians, no matter the subject.
Offended by the Obvious, or Offending the Oblivious?
Has baseball fallen so far out of the popular imagination that “taking offense” has become our national pastime?
LOL
If that is your own clever consideration, it is quite humorous and you deserve this recognition to be free of the many baseball puns that in resisting have made this comment unnecessarily verbose.’
I have become so used to hearing about how Christianity is the only religion to claim exclusivity that I had stopped thinking about it. You’re completely right. Everyone does it. Thanks for the reminder.
R.C. Sproul preached (a long time ago) that Scripture teaches the universal brotherhood of Christians (people part of the Body of Christ) and the universal neighborhood of Man, two distinct categories. There’s a host of verses which pertain only to the former, and another host of verses which pertain specifically to how we conduct ourselves with our neighbors.
The trick is not to be offensive ourselves, but to allow the words of Jesus to offend (as it were). We are called to be known for our love.
I agree with this. There is a sense, I believe, in which all humanity are related and connected. But there is a different sense in which believers are related as the adopted children of God.
Just a pet peeve of mine, so realize that going in as it has nothing to do specifically with Zoe:
Paul used the term adoption a lot, but was using it for those “grafted in” to the seed of Abraham because of Jesus. Don’t forget the phrase he uses at one point “Spirit of adoption”. Really it’s just a play on words to make a point. Much like a lot of modern preachers do every weekend from the pulpits of the world.
The thing is, we are already the children of God but are fallen away because of sin. Jesus redeems us as those children when we turn to Him. Some children are never redeemed and remain lost.
Just needed to share that.
Agreed, Mike.
I’m glad you commented on this. I thought it was so stupid for people to be offended. Did they really not know that Christians believe they are brothers and sisters in Christ?
Unfortunately there are so many people in the US today who are biblically illiterate and who have no idea what Christianity teaches. I once heard a newscaster say, “You know what the golden rule found in scripture says. ‘Do unto others as they do unto you.'”
I wonder how many college professors and newscasters could tell us what the ten commandments are. It’s not like they have to be Christians. But they should know something about the religion they hate so much.
But I guess we should start with the church. I wonder how many Christian could tell us what the ten commandments. I wonder how many can tell us what the gospel is.
We splinter into all kinds of groups. If the Governor had said he was part of the Raider nation — or the Crimson Tide Nation, I suppose, since he’s from Alabama — I don’t think people would have given it a second thought.
But I doubt if other religious followers would receive this same criticism. Would anyone expect a Buddhist to say he doesn’t have a special connection to other Buddhists?
I suppose there is the possibility that people have bought into the idea that all religions are the same and that one of the tenets they hold in common is a love for all. In that case, his statement would be offensive because it calls into question their belief that Christianity is really no different than Hinduism when it comes down to it.
Becky
It sounded to me that the people who were offended wondered if non-Christians could get equal treatment at the hands of state government when he made those comments right after his election. If a Muslim were elected governor of a state and made similar remarks afterward, how would we as Christians react?
I’m pretty certain we wouldn’t be offended. In fact, I think I can safely argue that Christians would prefer to not be included as a member of Allah’s family, nor, by extension, assumed to be an Islamic brother or sister.
I’m not sure why this is controversial.