ThinkChristian.net writes about the recent Mel Gibson scandal. I have to admit, the response here is a bit troubling to me. Sin disqualifies one from being a Christian or being "one of our own" when there is no repentance. Repentance is the issue here, not deeds. Certainly deeds have consequences but being case aside from Christian community should never be one of them if repentance is genuine. I have no idea if Mel Gibson has repented or not, but it seems to be this should be the starting point for a discussion on how to deal with Mel. If he has repented and God has forgiven him in light of Christ's life and death on his behalf then by all means we should as well and accept and enfold him as one of our own.
You can read their piece in full below.
If you’re not a follower of celebrity scandals, you may not have heard of Mel Gibson’s latest debacle.
The actor and director’s ex-girlfriend, who is in a custody battle with him over their infant daughter, recently released audio tapes on which Gibson is allegedly hurling vicious racial invectives at her. She has also accused him of punching and threatening her, charges that are being investigated by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. This after his 2006 DUI arrest, during which he launched into an anti-Semitic tirade.
Clearly this is a troubled guy, at best. The trouble for Christians is that as of 2004, many of us were hailing him as a Hollywood hero.
That was the year of “The Passion of the Christ,” the Gibson-directed account of Jesus’ final hours. Against all odds, the picture conquered the box office and made movie going a religious event. Here was a Christian loudly proclaiming his faith – in Hollywood of all places! – and being vindicated for his spiritual bravery.
No one claimed that Gibson was a saint (indeed, some believers, including myself, had trouble with the obsession with violence in his film). Yet he became, by virtue of the movie’s success, a spokesperson for the Christian faith. Then the arrest of 2006, and now this.
So is Mel Gibson still “ours?”
The question isn’t unique to his situation, of course. What happens when any prominent figure of faith trips and falls? I suppose you could ask the same of a pastor involved in an extramarital affair, or possibly even a priest accused of sexual abuse. These are touchy, painful instances where questions of Christian identity, morality and forgiveness uncomfortably mix.
When something like this happens, should Christians follow that old adage of “hating the sin but not the sinner?” Or should believers create more of a distance between “us” and “them”?
5 comments:
When was Mel Gibson "ours"? When did he ever proclaim (loudly or otherwise) the evangelical gospel? Unless the Reformation is moot (I've had you in my feed long enough to know you won't say that), I don't see what "his faith" has to do with mine.
"What should Christians do with Mel Gibson?" If I think of him at all, it will be to occasionally enjoy his work, and to pray for his salvation. Current scandals really don't change that.
I think the lesson for Christians is not to attach themselves to celebrities, or try to use celebrity as religious leverage on the culture. If that lesson was learned, there would be no asking questions like, "What should Christians do with Mel Gibson?"
Z,
You wrote: "Sin disqualifies one from being a Christian or being 'one of our own' when there is no repentance. Repentance is the issue here, not deeds. Certainly deeds have consequences but being case aside from Christian community should never be one of them if repentance is genuine. If he has repented and God has forgiven him in light of Christ's life and death on his behalf then by all means we should as well and accept and enfold him as one of our own."
When you say sin disqualifies one from being a Christian when there is no repentance, what do you mean? Am I no longer a Christian if I fail to repent for a sin? What if I sin but before I get a chance to repent, I am hit by a bus. Am I disqualified from salvation?
I think (hope) I know how you will answer this, but I think the clarification is an important one.
Simul Justus et Peccator--Martin Luther.
Jason,
Great question. The issue here is that we need be pursuing repentance from sin. If we are not repenting of sin then we probably are not looking to the Savior. If I am not looking to the Savior to save me then I can't be a Christian.
Zach
Love your blog man. I've been thinking about the whole Mel thing the last few days. Like DKjos said, we don't even know if Mel is a Christian. With Media/Hollywood I don't think you can trust much of anything anyways. Everyone is ready to throw the next person under the bus in that world. Heck there's not much difference in the church. It's hard for me to believe anything I hear on TV and most of me doesn't care what the media says about that whole thing. It's not my part of the story God has me in right now. I don't know Mel Gibson. Won't ever know him more than likely. I just don't think there is an "Ours" thing at all for us to think about. Unless we know him personally and are close to him. He's Gods regardless. I have more a desire to pray for Mel, & his family that God continues to do his work in their lives. The whole thing looks bad to us and might be just that bad, but it could be God beginning His cleansing process in the lives of Mel and those involved. And that is never pretty for anyone. That's how I look at it at least :)
"Christians", please read this article about your beloved Passion of the Gore director. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2004/04/16/notes041604.DTL
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