One of the many hilarious comedic routines from the incredibly funny Steve Martin was notable for this line: “Well, excuuuuuusssse me!” I’ll start there.
Truth be told, not all of our actions should be excused. In fact many should be called out. And when this happens properly, we should applaud.
This past week, Rhonda and I went to see the latest movie starring Tom Hanks — A Man Called Otto. There were many praiseworthy things about this film. Showing a change of heart and character would be a couple. Enduring love for a spouse would be another.
The film was marred, in my opinion, by what most movie-goers would find as a great example of “acceptance.” It involved a former student of Otto’s wife (she had passed a few months earlier.) This student was delivering papers of some kind to the neighborhood. This being one of three jobs he/she held.
Note that last line. The character, named Malcolm, was transgender. Otto put up no barriers to conversation. Nor should he have. Otto did acts of kindness to help this person. As he should.
The painful part of Malcolm’s life included his being thrown out of his house by his disapproving father. (Otto tells him that his father is “an idiot.”) Malcolm is then welcomed into Otto’s home. A kind gesture. Malcolm seems to have adjusted well to his/her new “identity.”
This is Hollywood’s way of suckering people into thinking that transgenderism is full of stories like Malcolm’s. A deep dive into the significant emotional conflicts people suffer in attempting such a change is much closer to reality. Rather than confront the conflict in a caring, yet challenging, way we perpetuate a great crime on God’s design for humanity.
Another example. Well known recording artist Amy Grant was recently honored for her significant musical accomplishments. It was notable in that this was the first time the top cultural distinction at the Kennedy Center Honors was given to a contemporary Christian musician. She received a lot of press for this award.
More recently, she received press for another distinctive event. People Magazine reported that Grant is standing by her decision to host her niece's same-sex wedding back in November. She’s tried to avoid “social media criticism.”
In her own words, Grant told People: “I love my family. I love those brides. They're wonderful, our family is better, and you should be able to be who you are with your family and be loved by them.” And then added, "What a gift to our whole family to just widen the experience of our whole family.”
Contrast this with the recent decision by hockey player Ivan Provorov. He recently elected to sit out the warm-ups with his Philadelphia Flyers team rather than to celebrate their Pride Night event. In his words, “I had to stay true to myself and my religion." He’s Russian Orthodox.
Here’s my view.
First, “love” means accepting others' behavior/choices or you are not accepting THEM. No it doesn’t! (Murder, rape, larceny are the most obvious examples.) Less obvious are the personal choices on gender manipulation and sexual preference. The character Otto and singer Amy Grant did no favors, and left righteousness hidden by mere “acceptance.”
Second, “love = tolerance.” No, it doesn’t. When we fail to speak or live by the truths we’ve been blessed to have by God, accepting falsehoods weakens truth at its core.
Thirdly, “love means we must forgive.” Yes, if the offense is against us. We do not have the right nor the power to clear someone else’s account of wrongdoing. Excusing them is a possibility but rarely wise. And God never excuses sin. He covers it with His blood. His choice. His forgiveness.
Our call as followers of Jesus is to be bold witnesses in holding to Truth. As the apostle John explained, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:2-3 (ESV)
Before God, we are all accountable. And there are no acceptable excuses.
That’s Forward Thinking.
You can find a number of YouTube episodes and podcasts of Mark’s program, Moving People Forward at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCosyuBzdSh1mXIas_kGY2Aw?
For more information on the Elfstrand Group, please visit www.elfstrandgroup.com
Articles of interest:
1. https://www.movieguide.org/reviews/a-man-called-otto.html
2. https://www.ncronline.org/culture/amy-grant-queen-christian-pop-feted-kennedy-center-honors
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