Thanks Rosie!

Why should we be thanking Rosie O'Donnell? I’ve been thinking about what she said recently when she raised ire and drew fire resulting from her assertion that "radical Christianity" is "just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America where we have separation of church and state."

Truth be told, I’m actually glad she made those statements, and I’ll tell you why. The misnomers, misrepresentations, and misperceptions about Christianity have reached an all-time high, and Rosie’s comments are a perfect case in point. If you heard the audio of this incident, you will hear applause after her badly informed declarations, which tells me that we have an amazing opportunity to respond.

The question is, “How should we respond?” Well, our first choice might be to riot in the streets, burn effigies of Rosie or threaten her life. That could be followed by a call for an apology and boycott ABC until she is removed from television – but I don’t think that’s exactly what Jesus had in mind when He preached the Sermon on the Mount:He said, “God blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too.” (Matthew 5:10-12)

Isn’t that interesting? The choice Jesus wants us to make is to “Be happy about it” and to “be glad”. Why? Because it takes away the power of persecution and exposes the misrepresentations of Christianity for what they are. Statements like Rosie’s are designed to get a negative reaction, but imagine if we used it as an opportunity to show the world that radical Christianity is actually about loving our neighbor as ourselves and following the advice of Peter.

Peter wrote, “But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don't be afraid and don't worry. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak evil against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.” (1 Peter 3:14-16)

If you’ll remember, these words were penned when Christians were being accused- not of being as dangerous as terrorists, but of being cannibals who were also arsons trying to burn down Rome. Peter isn’t advising them to demand an apology from Nero, he is advising them to know what they believe and why they believe it, and approach opposition with gentleness and respect.Imagine if every Christian in America followed Peter’s advice…now that would be something radical indeed!