The Duck Commander and the Book of Leviticus: A History Lesson for the People at GLAAD

“That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.Is there anything of which one might say, ‘See this, it is new’? Already it has existed for ages. Which were before us. There is no remembrance of earlier things; And also of the later things which will occur, There will be for them no remembrance
Among those who will come later still.” Ecclesiastes 1:9-11

 In my recent post on the Duck Dynasty flap, I discussed the Christian reaction to the controversy that has engulfed social media in the wake of Phil Robertson’s comments about sin and the gospel as recorded in a recent GQ magazine interview. Lost people, particularly people at GLAAD, are incredibly indignant with Robertson over his remarks. Specifically, there has been quite the outcry over the following statement made by Robertson:

 “Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men…”

 Does homosexuality have any association with bestiality or indiscriminately sleeping around? GLAAD spokesman Wilson Cruz is “shocked and appalled” by Robertson’s “comparison”. According to GLAAD, there is no such association. This claim is not consistent with scripture. (If you are a Christian, ask yourself if you already knew this.) In Leviticus 18 and Leviticus 20, homosexual acts are mentioned in the same breath with bestiality, human sacrifice, and incest. The acts listed in Leviticus 18 and Leviticus 20 were not arbitrarily placed together in the same passage of scripture; there is a reason they are listed together. There is some relation between these acts. It is outside the scope of this post to discuss that relation in any depth, but it is clear that the relation is there…it is clear that these acts are not good in nature or even morally neutral. Since this scripture is thousands of years old, it is also apparent that such acts are nothing new. If people were not engaging in these acts in societies that accepted them as normative, there would have been no need to negatively address these acts in scripture. There was such a need. These acts are addressed. Despite the fact that these acts were accepted as normative for thousands of years, GLAAD representative Wilson Cruz made the following comment:

 “And here’s the other thing. There was a time in our history when we couldn’t actually speak up and say something about how we were being characterized. That is no longer today. When someone speaks about us in these ways, we will rise up. We will speak out. And the problem with some of these people on the other side is that they don’t like that anymore. They want us to stay quiet. But we won’t stay quiet when someone makes misogynists statements, when they make racist statements the way that Mr. Robertson did. That’s not American. That’s not Christian.”

 Mr. Cruz demonstrates an incredibly myopic and short-spanned understanding of history. The very reason that there was a time when these acts were characterized as evil is because of the Christian influence on society that Cruz denies. Paul’s epistle to the Romans makes it clear that homosexuals have been “rising up” (to use Cruz’s language) in defiance of God almost from the beginning of creation. Quite frankly, men like Cruz are given over to a depraved mind to do those things which are not proper.

Christians need to understand this and be ready to express their beliefs when men like Cruz use the Bully Pulpit to deny the clear teachings of scripture. This does not involve shunning any involvement with homosexuals or other unrepentant sinners. Such people are in need of firm but gentle correction through the sharing of the redemptive message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

As I close, let me add a personal note. Today, I received a holiday (not Christmas) card from a homosexual loved one, the loved ones homosexual lover, and the little girl which they parent together. This was a first for me. I appreciate the warm greeting from my loved one. At the same time, I am saddened by the horrible evil this person and this person’s partner are visiting upon themselves and the young girl that they are raising. Some might feel the proper place for this card is the garbage can. I would disagree. The proper place for this card is taped to my closet door where the other Christmas cards from friends and family are displayed. Whenever I see this card, I will be reminded of two things: (1) that my loved one remembered me at Christmas time and (2) to pray for the salvation of this loved one, this loved one’s homosexual lover, and the young girl they parent.

I pray that everyone who reads this post, no matter how his or her sin manifests itself, will accept Jesus Christ as Lord and savior, thereby being saved from sin and a eternity of separation from God.