From Beliefs to Convictions

Recently there was a huge uproar when Phil Robertson, one of the stars of The Arts and Entertainment (A&E) Network’s mega-hit shows Duck Dynasty made some negative comments about homosexuality in an interview with GQ Magazine. Pressure from The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) pressured the A&E network to take action. The network suspended Robertson from the show. In a related story, the restaurant and county store, Cracker Barrel announced they were removing Duck Dynasty items from their stores as a show of outrage for Robertson’s comments. Then, only 2 days later, reversed their decision. Robertson himself had his suspension from Duck Dynasty lifted after only 9 days following an outpouring of support for both him personally, and for the concept of free speech. During this time, the network aired a marathon of episodes all including Phil Robertson which garnered them a tremendous windfall.

Not many people have the courage of their convictions anymore. Not many are willing to stand alone, purely on principle. Not many can look beyond the “bottom line.” Not many will stand against the tide of political correctness. Not many will stand for the truth they “believe” unless it is relatively simple, easy, and convenient to do so. In other words, they show signs of lacking true “conviction.” All people should regularly ask themselves “What is important to me, and what price am I willing to pay for it?”
Regardless of the specifics of the situation with Phil Robertson, the responses of both A&E and Cracker Barrel demonstrate a lack of conviction. In times past a person who had the “courage of his/her convictions” was applauded and revered. But now networks and corporations, etc. are trying to maneuver their way through the treacherous waters of political correctness. Don’t be fooled by the neat and tidy sounding term either – political correctness is anything but neat and far from tidy. It is a muddled and mangled mess of confusion, contradictions, and rank hypocrisy.
The Cracker Barrel brand has come to represent something of a throwback to yesteryear. The food served in their restaurants is wholesome home cooking. Their country store is full of old-time candy, music, toys, and other nostalgic paraphernalia. They have not shied away from capitalizing on the concept of “America as it once was.” When the story broke last month they quickly took decisive action that was unnecessary then realized their mistake when their customer complaints skyrocketed. Sadly, an “exposure” took place at Cracker Barrel. What was exposed was their list of concerns. It turns out they are money, political correctness, and their customers – in that order. As one who has often eaten at Cracker Barrel and often browsed their stores, I felt kind of like I had been used.
No one expects A&E to stand against homosexuality. But I do think everyone still expects people to be true to their word and hold to their convictions. If A&E wants to take a stand, they should take a stand. In fact, they did take a stand. Their stand was taken for money. They did not want to offend GLAAD and were, no doubt, sympathetic to GLAAD’s outrage. However they were not principled enough to fire Robertson, cancel the show, or even cancel plans for the marathon weekend of shows! Furthermore, Robertson’s views on homosexuality were anything but a secret (and those of the rest of the family also for that matter). Robertson had been very vocal in the past denouncing homosexuality and I don’t think anyone believes the executives at A&E were unaware of this fact. All that was proven in this was what most of us already knew; that is that money talks. In fact, it speaks more loudly than just about anything else to a large number of people. Quite honestly, it controls many lives.
Scripture teaches us “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (1 Tim. 6:10) When people surrender to the screeching sounds of the “squeaky wheel” needing to be greased we are in a bad place. When the lust for money overrides the moral decisions we make, we have a huge problem on our hands. We may believe a lot of things, but the more important question for us as Christians, and as citizens, becomes – “What are my convictions?”

In Christ,

Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor