“So too the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it has great pretensions. Think how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze. And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence - and is set on fire by hell. For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature is subdued and has been subdued by humankind. But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in Godʼs image. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters.” (James 3:5-10)
I normally do not post political centered reflections, however this morning I am compelled to as this issue has stirred strong conversations with my daughters and wife, friends, and was on my heart when I opened my Bibel this morning.
At a Trump rally at Madison Square Gardens, in the lead-up to Trump, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who goes by Kill Tony, referred to Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage," made crude birth control jokes about Hispanics not “pulling out”, “cumming”, and not being welcomed. He inferred that Jews are cheap and Palestinians are "rock-throwers" and made a racist comment about a black man in the audience eating watermelon.
I listened to the full set of Hinchclife a couple times and each time afterwards I felt sick and saddened inside and asked myself “Why?” Why would Trump invite, include and allow such a divisive, racist comedian to speak at his rally? Now, I am not a “politically correct extremist.” I have in the past gone to and listened to comedians like George Carlin, Robert Downey Jr, Rodney Dangerfield, Chris Rock, and others. I know if I chose go to one of their shows and sit in the front rows I have a good chance of being ridiculed, made fun of, and negatively commented on as part of their set. I know what the subject is going to be about, I would not take my children, and know what I am getting into. However, this was a public event for the president of the US.
I am a Republican and I voted for Trump in the past two elections. I have two daughters in their mid-twenties I have been talking to about the issues and candidates. And after these last comments from this rally they are done with anything Trump, and sadly, I can’t blame them.
My family and I just three weeks ago took a trip to the Dominican Republic. And if you know your geography Puerto Rico is it’s next door neighbor island. We spent a week there loving, interacting, ministering, laughing with, learning from and embracing the beautiful Hispanic local people. And we were loved, ministered to, and embraced by them in return. My daughters were both so impacted by the trip, they are both taking Spanish lessons on line from a UAB professor and are planning on returning next month. My wife and I are planning on returning again in the future. I have served on mission trips to Costa Rica. I served for 3 years on the UMC task force for the poor and I serve and lead weekly at Manna House and House of the Harvest that ministers to, interacts with, and learns from the Hispanic and Latino community. As pastor at Toney UMC, leaders of my praise band were Hispanic and I worked to connect and worship together with local Hispanic churches. When I owned and operated my construction company I had Hispanic employees who were honest, hardworking, family oriented, men of faith.
So after the rally and my daughter’s heard the comedians speech my phone was lit up from texts from my daughters who know I am a Republican, and they also know my heart and love for all people I try to instill in them and others. They asked me if I had heard it, shared their disgust, they stated how wrong it was, and asked me for my honest thoughts. And I had to agree with them.
And I could not come back to them with “well Trump did not actually say those things.” It was his rally, he is responsible. If I’m pastoring a church and I invite someone to speak at a service that shares crude, divisive, racist comments, It is myself who is responsible and will be called to answer and my judgement questioned. Same if a teacher or principal invites some to share in a classroom or a school rally a person to speak that shares the same hate. It is the teacher or principal the parents are going to hold responsible. Same is a business person invites someone to speak at a conference or training. If a person stood up during our prayer time in church and spoke those hateful, divisive comments I would personally walk them out of the church and apologize for them. And Trump was there. He heard the comedians whole set. If he was appalled and disagreed with Hinchcliffe, the time to claim and state he made a mistake inviting him, and that the remarks the comedian made are not those he agrees with, was as soon he came to the microphone to speak. Yet he was in silent agreement.
I am sick and saddened by the hate, divisiveness, and attacks that are now commonplace and acceptable on both sides of the political aisle. This latest instance crossed a line.
The reflections above flow out of my personal experience and understanding of people and God and my understanding of His command for me to ‘love my neighbor.
One thing I am sure of, and I not based on my personal understanding, is that there are no “garbage people” that God created. There is no one on this earth that Jesus Christ out of complete love for them did not also die for them. There is no country or nationality that God claims but He has a world view of salvation, “God so loved the world. ”There is no language spoken that God prioritizes or prefers to hear prayers and praises. And there is no place or situation where it is acceptable for those who claim to be followers of Jesus and Christians to use their tongue, open their mouth, and “with the same tongue they bless the Lord and Father, use it to curse people made in Godʼs image. These things should not be so my brothers and sisters.”
My family, I pray this morning we all reflect on our tongues, the way we talk about, and especially post on line things about other people. I pray we would be reminded we are not to say anything about anyone unless we would say it if they were standing in front of us, and Jesus was standing beside us, in Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.
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