Why So Serious?

It is a poor sermon that gives no offence; that neither makes the hearer displeased with himself nor with the preacher."- George Whitefield

In these fragile times in which we live, it is painfully easy to bruise one's identity on the words and actions of others regardless of intentions. So “trigger warnings” and “safe spaces” are constantly provided to try and ease a discomfort that we can never hide from in this fallen world.    

But, why is it so easy for people to become offended?

Investigating this mystery leads to the interrogation of every experience that causes an awareness of hurt, harm, and/or danger that leaves a person with uncomfortable feelings. We become uncomfortable when our existence is challenged and when we are caused to doubt the legitimacy of our reality. We begin to question who we are and who others are based on the negotiated meanings that we desire to be known/defined by. It is hard to find peace of mind amidst such certain instability; with the constant threat of offence, insult, and injury around every word written and uttered and every action taken. Our identities seem to become constantly haunted by people, places, and things that embody feelings of guilt and shame.

As a believer that Jesus Christ is my Lord and savior, I find offence to be constantly present in the same way, in the form of sin and evil. Sins are acts of offence against God and are examples of people despising God's person and His word.  Evil encompasses all the bad qualities of a natural or moral kind leading to the production of mischief, perversion, and corruption. In this light, let us begin to consider how physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual elements work together to create offences that show us how far we’ve come and how far we need to go in regard to rights and freedoms in such fickle times. 

We find our comfort within this country aggravated when we encounter such headlines as:

Prince George’s police officer indicted after giving confidential case info to prostitute he was paying, prosecutors say.

Unidentified human remains have been discovered in the search for a soldier who disappeared from her Texas base in April, according to the US Army.

 or within the world as we read:

Italian police seize over $1 billion of 'ISIS-made' Captagon amphetamines.

A Black man was killed in Denmark by men with Nazi tattoos, but authorities say the incident wasn't race related.

European Union Bans Pak International Airlines Over Fake Pilot Licences.

Ethiopia protests spark Internet shutdown and fears of high death toll after popular singer killed.

The discomfort begins to set in as we consciously and unconsciously negotiate the rights and freedoms or the dignity awarded to the people involved in and influenced by the stories. In other words, we weigh-in on what we feel is deserving of the perpetrators as well as the victims. Specifically, dignity has become a central idea in contemporary thinking both about what rights persons have and why they are entitled to those rights (Lovin, 2019). How we choose to handle the dignity of others appears to also determine when we choose to take offence.

Looking at dignity from a biblical perspective let us consider 1 Peter 2: 13-20. Within these verses we see dignity in action, providing hope in the midst of suffering. Specifically, Peter is addressing the question of how to live as a Christian in the face of such distressing issues as death, ridicule, persecution, and violence. Christians were seen as revolutionary--religious innovators yet disturbers of the peace. Within this context, Peter lets believers know the value of submission and the role it plays in the development of Christian character. Submission is when one allows themselves to be subject to the authority of another; you place yourself in the hands of someone else. Confronted with subjects like police brutality, racism, and senseless violence we tend to debate the dignity of those in authoritative positions on the stigmas associated with their positions and not on the content of their character. Perceptions of submission and authority set the broader stage of offence through questioning our comfort with sin and evil in our own lives and the lives of others and forcing us to acknowledge and process the answers we discover and what they say about who we are.

All authority is put in place by God. However, it is hard for people to see racists, accused rapists, or any other perpetrators of immoral acts as having any sort of authority over them. But God gives understanding in this regard, as He constantly makes us aware of the dangers of sin and evil in our lives. God helps us to understand that apart from Him, none of us are of any good to anyone, even ourselves, as we turn aside to chase after our pleasures (Romans 3: 10-12; Psalms 14: 1-3; Psalms 53: 1-3). But we still tend to view authority as earned not just conceded due to a title/position/office held. As believers in Jesus we are led past the human acceptance of what authority is, we come to know that there is no authority except from God and that all authority exists because of God. So submission to authority is an extension of a believer’s submission to God. We give glory and honor to God as we put to silence the ignorance of foolish men through following in the steps of Jesus in word and deed. By willingly placing ourselves in the never-failing hands of Jesus we are set free. Into a freedom that makes room for the meaning and purpose found within the dignity bestowed upon us by God.

When we choose not to recognize a person’s worth and dignity through not acknowledging the God-given value placed in them we subject them to our unrelenting assumptions that determine what they are deserving of in any given situation. So, again, we toy with the dignity of others as blame is attached to people, places, and things that are felt to usher in guilt and shame into a person’s life. When looking at the issue of police brutality, do we villainize the police or the victim? What scales do we use to determine the dignity allotted to either side? Do we always consider a person’s gender, sexuality, family, upbringing, financial status, education, age, race, and ethnicity? If we feel that they are lacking in any of these areas do we disparage them? What do we feel gives us the right to do this?

When we are made aware of such situations as this:

In one sense, Julie Moya fits the stereotype that many Americans have of why and how women become prostitutes. She ran away from a difficult home life in her teens and began selling sex to survive. She was also repeatedly molested by a relative at the age of ten. The perpetrator was an uncle (by marriage) who gave Julie the attention she craved as a child. “I would sit on his lap, and he would feel me up and want me to touch his, you know . . . ” she recalls. “It was just hands. It happened for months. But I liked it — the attention and stuff.” (Bass, 2015, p. 61)​

Do we find ourselves offended? How do we process this? How do we handle blame and dignity? When we allow ourselves to be offended do we see it as an opportunity to reclaim or conquer more territory for our injured sense of self-righteousness or do we view it as a chance to bestow and restore the grace of God on another life made in His image. 1 Corinthians 12: 23 gives us all something very important to consider in this regard. A believer in Jesus is called to view a person with spiritual eyes, not with fleshly human eyes. We are not to let a person’s shortcomings define them. We are to let the love of God cover them, presenting them in a marvelous light that conceals their blemishes for God’s glory. We should not so eagerly seek out moral distinctions that seem to either elevate or condemn but pursue experiences and opportunities to advance love and community for our God’s sake.

If we do not find ourselves offended by how God is dishonored in the world and by how His image is tainted through the mischief, perversion, and corruption found in the lives of us all, what real place is there for true dignity and honor? Without God and His truth, we would not be able to identify misguided beliefs and values and the effects they have on one's experiences with the allowing and denying of dignity. Without taking offence, we would find no need to address and reconcile our conflicting/confusing beliefs and values in ways that honor God as well as restore the God-given dignity due all people that we try to manipulate by imposing our prerogatives on others.

Darnell Sheffield

Image Courtesy of rationalskepticism.org

References




Bass, A. (2015). Getting screwed : Sex workers and the law. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org​

Lovin, R. W. (2019). Human Dignity and Public Reason. Political Theology, 20(5), 437–445. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/1462317x.2019.1632529