The Real Issue and Duck Dynasty

I don’t watch Duck Dynasty. My daughter is an avid watcher, as is my mother-in-law. Both of them say that the show is clean with regard to language and sexual innuendo and portrays people who work hard, love their families, and express their love and fear of God. Needless to say, it doesn’t sound like Two and A Half Men or Two Broke Girls, or Modern Family. As a matter of fact it doesn’t sound like anything you normally see or hear on our airwaves or television screens.

And what we normally see or hear in our daily life is the real issue.  Would this show have a unique standing in the 1955-1965 era? Probably not. It would have fit in quite nicely with almost all of the situation comedies of that era. The reason that it is even on the air now is because it is considered reality television programming that portrays something out of the ordinary. American culture has moved on down the road since 1965. Nationalreview.com had two separate columns on the forcing out of Phil Robertson, the show and the family’s patriarch. Both of the columns opined that it was within the A&E purview to take that action, both writers lamented the fact that roughly 2% of the population is acting as the “thought police” on matters of homosexuality, and most interestingly, both writers quickly offered that Robertson’s comments were not in line with their thoughts on homosexuality. (here and here)

The real issue is that Christian values are being portrayed as reality television, a glimpse into the lives of odd people, the hoarders of ancient and obsolete beliefs that are not applicable in mainstream activities. God has not moved on down the road. What God declared as important to Abraham is important today. What Paul says in Corinthians regarding homosexual offenders over 2,000 years ago is still applicable. Just because we change has no bearing on God.

Christians are supposed to hate the sin but love the sinner. But this does not mean we should keep the Biblical admonitions to ourselves. Homosexuality as a sin is no worse than other sins. Homosexuals can and will go to Heaven as long as they have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior. What Phil Robertson said should not brand him as an extremist but as a Believer.