Eugene Volokh is calling on Christians to publically condemn Jimmy Swaggart for saying:
I'm trying to find the correct name for it . . . this utter absolute, asinine, idiotic stupidity of men marrying men. . . . I've never seen a man in my life I wanted to marry. And I'm gonna be blunt and plain; if one ever looks at me like that, I'm gonna kill him and tell God he died.So yeah, killing or hurting a person because he's gay is wrong, and Jimmy Swaggart is hideously depraved for suggesting it. He's totally and completely wrong, and I'm sad that I even have to say so, because it should be blindingly obvious.
For my complete view on the matter, please see my earlier post titled "Homosexuality and the Church". Mr. Swaggart is old enough and supposedly mature enough that he should have attained a certain level of humility -- God says that we're all evil and that the punishment we earn for our evil is death. No homosexual is any more evil than I am, and no saint is any less evil. Humility is realizing that we're all fallen, and that only God's grace can save us. We can't earn it and we don't deserve it, but he gives it to us freely when we ask for it because he loves us.
Good Lord. I thought Jimmy Swaggart was long forgotten after having gotten busted for a sin that was somewhat less egregious than advocating murder. I do agree with R.I.L.'s response, however; Swaggart's comment was so far out of the norms of Christian teachings that Christians who don't say anything should not be presumed guilty by association. Swaggart speaks for himself and, I hope, just about nobody else.
I wonder about myself (and I don't like doing that) when I read someone who (rightly so) believes Christians should "renounce" this kind of evil-inspired speech.
I wonder to myself, "What exactly are we (Christians) supposed to actively do to renounce his statements? Go on a talk show? Take out an ad in the paper? Start an ant-Swaggert blog? Send out a press release? Stand on the street corner? Write a letter to the editor? Hire a skywriter?"
And I say to myself, "How do you know we're not all talking about it among ourselves? Why do we have to make a "public" renunciation of this to prove to ourselves we're true Christians?"
Then, myself says back to me, "Hey - isn't that the same thing you keep saying to the American Muslim community? That they should "renounce" radical fundamentalist Islam? That they should publicly condemn the actions of their so-called brothers who use terror and murder to spread the word of Allah?
"Isn't that a bit hypocritical to condemn American Muslims for not renouncing Al Qaeda, but to offer excuses for American Christians to not renounce Jimmy Swaggert? Sure, the degree of crime is different, but isn't the thought the same?"
I hate talking to myself...
These way out of line comments made by Mr. Swaggert go a long way towards explaining why Christians are viewed as holier than thou among those we are trying to reach.
This is sad.
So then, in light of my tongue-in-cheek suggestions above, what can the average non-wacko Christian do to "renounce" him and others like him publicly?
I don't know Barry. Part of the problem is the bad habbit people have in putting others on a pedestal. I could make a press release and say Jimmy Swaggert is wrong. The public's reaction would be, "Who the heck is Jim Price?"
The only thing we can do is have a little faith and pray for this guy, that God would work in his heart, and that he would publicly retract his comments and ask for forgiveness. Beyond that, I don't think there is anything else plausible.
I think George Carlin hit it head-on when he said:
"I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death."
OK, I've condemned Jimmy Swaggart as a hateful, anti-Catholic, whore-mongering, homophobic bigot.
Now, as long as we're engaging in stereotypes, smears by association and red-herrings, can we hear the left denounce the abortion policy in Communist China, which seems about as logical as linking Christians to the syphilitic ramblings of a hateful, anti-Catholic, whore-mongering, homophobic bigot.
But I repeat myself.