This week has seen the Facebook world alive with reports that A&E network, which televises the hard to describe but amazingly fun to watch reality show Duck Dynasty, is fussing and fighting with its television show's stars.
The program is about the Phil Robertson family of West Monroe, La. If you don't know the show at all, let's just say there is nothing like it on television; heck, there might never have been.
Recently 9.6 persons watched the Season 3 Finale, meaning more folks watched it than American Idol that Wednesday night. In cable-programming, it's those dead guys over at The Walking Dead on top, followed closely by those gun toteing, Jesus loving Robertson folk.
Typically, the show concludes each week with the family praying for thankfulness over what God has given them as they prepare to eat dinner together. Recently Phil's son Willie, who runs the multi-millionaire operation Duck Commander (which makes duck calls, among other things), tweeted that the show had been renewed for a fourth season.
On Facebook this week, however, one would have thought it was all but over, and one would have seen clearly the reason. Phil Robertson stood up for Jesus.
If you’ve checked your Facebook or email this week, you might have been treated to a surprising story of how Robertson has been fighting the network that airs his show. Mainly, the story says that Phil has taken a stand against A&E in order to keep the two topics in the show. Supposedly A&E wanted to tone down the topics, and Phil said that was what the family does and it wouldn't change for anything. One report even had the network cancelling the show rather than continue to show the clan praying to God together.
Problem is, none of that was true. None.
To have a show’s star speak out against his own network is a big deal. Take Charlie Sheen for example. No, really. Take Charlie Sheen. Get him off TV. Really.
But especially when it comes to faith and guns, two hot-button issues, sure networks would like to steer clear.
Gators? Check.
Ducks? Check.
Beaver dams? Check.
NASCAR? Check.
Family issues? Check.
Beards the length of a basketball court? Check (to see if there's any remnant of food remaining that one might snack on).
Happy, happy, happy? Check, check, check.
But guns and Jesus?
Uh, no. Not if A&E could help it. Or so we were told.
It's understandable how this would be cringe-worthy for those "yuppy" types, as Phil and his brother Si are prone to say.
But Jack, that's the program. That's always been the program. If one doesn't care for it, doesn't want to laugh out loud, then one need not watch. I'm not sure Phil would mind a whole bucketful of crawfish if there was no show in the first place.
So, the whole thing sounded sideways to me, though one person on Facebook even said he had heard it on Fox News.
So what’s the truth? There’s nothing to it, family member and Phil’s oldest (and non-bearded ) son Alan Robertson said recently.
“The rumor that A&E told the Robertsons to tone down guns and prayer is not true,” Alan said in an email to TheBlaze, adding the description of “false” to the chatter. “We continue to partner with A&E to make a great tv show that reflects our family’s values.”
So, good story that was lapped up like milk for a kitten by the "religious right" turned out to be false.
Upon a quick look at this, there seems to be no harm at all in these types of things. The rumor certainly did nothing but help the standing of the Robertson family among its demographics.
So there's no harm, no foul, right?
Well, it could be. It’s a “boy who cried wolf” situation. There is real persecution happening all around the globe today, persecution for Christians, even death to Christians for simply believing. There's plenty of truth that shows Christians being able to do less, say less today in this country without someone, somewhere making things up. When things like this happen, it dampens the discussion later when persecution really happens. Non-believers then simply turn a deaf ear to the cries.
Anytime a rumor like the Duck one takes flight, it takes away the focus on real, live, painful persecution.
Christians have been persecuted since Jesus ascended. Don't be fooled. It's going on right now in some part of the world, and though the left would argue, it's going on in some forms in this country.
Not long ago Western Christians used to read about the horrible persecution of the church in Communist countries such as the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. We read about the great exploits and sufferings of Richard Wurmbrand (Tortured for Christ), Haralan Popov (Tortured for his Faith), Brother Andrew (God’s Smuggler) and others who ministered amidst great hardship and opposition in Communist lands. Phil ain't one of them, folks.
Sure, the US does not yet have its own Gulag for those troublesome Christians. But the way things are heading, it may not be all that far off. Increasingly it is becoming very risky indeed to publicly proclaim your Christian faith in the secular post-Christian West. There is no getting around this. In the light of all this, every one of us must start asking ourselves some very hard questions.
Are we willing to pay the price for following Christ publicly and boldly? Are we committed to our Lord so fully, that we would be willing to lose our jobs, be heavily fined, or spend time in prison for the sake of Christ? Are we willing to give our very life away for the sake of the gospel?
But remember, it is always easier to say we will die for our Lord. It is much harder to actually live for our Lord right now. Will we walk with him along the road less travelled? Will we join him on the Via Dolorosa? Will we take up our cross and follow him as he has called us to do?
And will we fact-check each rumor that heads toward us so that the truth is what sets people free, not a made-up story that someone wants us to pass along or say we don't love Christ.
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