2009 NRL grand final, Melbourne Storm versus Parramatta Eels. During the week there was a newspaper article about a famous Parramatta fan called “Parramatta Jesus”.
Basically, Parramatta Jesus was a yobbo with long hair and a beard whose mates dared him to wear a long robe and sandals to a Paramatta game in 1998. He obviously enjoyed the attention and kept going to Parramatta games dressed as Jesus for the next ten years, becoming something of a celebrity. He has since hung up his robe and will not be turning up to the grand final as Jesus for fear of jinxing his beloved Eels (they’ve done so well now that Parramatta Jesus has retired).
Perhaps it would be fitting for Parramatta Jesus to show up though, because last Wednesday 30th Sept has been declared the first ever “International Blasphemy Day” by the American Center for Inquiry. That date marks the anniversary of the publication in 2005 of some cartoons in Denmark that depicted the face of Muhammad. These sparked violent protest and huge outcry in the Muslim world.
International Blasphemy Day includes artworks mocking Jesus that are intended to provoke Christians, blasphemy contests in which entrants submit a blasphemous phrase, poem or statement and the online submission of video-blasphemies which have to contain the phrase “I deny the Holy Spirit” in defiance of Mark 3:29 (let’s not tell them that they are misinterpreting that verse!).
The Center for Inquiry is obviously not that brave. If it were, it would invite blasphemy against Allah as well as the Christian God. This raises a question: Should Christians be provoked to outrage when cowardly, immature, ignorant unbelievers seek to offend us? Should we defend the honour of the Lord Jesus Christ by taking to the streets in an angry mob, storming our enemies’ buildings and burning some cars?
Al Mohler, an American Christian writer and speaker, gives some very helpful advice.
First, take no offense. Refuse to play into the game plan of those sponsoring International Blasphemy Day. The Lord Jesus Christ was and is despised and rejected of men. Our Lord bore the scorn heaped upon him by his enemies. Christianity is not an honor religion. Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are not commanded to defend his honor, but to be willing to share in the scorn directed to him. Is the servant greater than his master?
…We must be those who take to the streets with the Gospel — not with a protest against our honor or the honor of our Lord. When Christians forget this, we lose our Gospel witness. The history of the church includes far too many instances of this loss. We dare not add another.
Second, mourn the blasphemy. The warning of Jesus is clear — blasphemy has eternal consequences. The worst form of blasphemy is the refusal to hear and believe the Gospel. For that sin there can be no forgiveness. We must mourn the blasphemy, not because honor is at stake, but because souls are at stake with eternal consequences. God will ultimately and perfectly defend his honor. On that day, there will be no escape for unrepentant blasphemers.
Third, see this observance for what it really is — an unintended testimony to the existence of God and the foolishness of those who deny Him. The sheer foolishness of a blasphemy contest with t-shirts and mugs betrays the lunacy of it all. They can do no better than this? One testimony to the power of God is the fact that his self-declared enemies come off as so childish and manic. The heathen rage and God sees the foolish grasshoppers.
International Blasphemy Day will come and go. Take note, ponder its meaning . . . and skip the t-shirt.
So let’s pray for Parramatta Jesus rather than seeking to lynch him.
Steve
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