Is there Biblical justification for Christians protesting “anti-Christian” behavior?
I ask because of the reaction by some about the poster affiliated with the Folslom Street Fair. “Folsom” as it is known, is described by organizers as “the world’s largest leather event,” where organizers “hope to see the fairgrounds filled with people in their most outrageous leather/rubber/fetish attire enjoying the worlds largest and best loved Leather fair.”
Wikipedia describes it as, “As one of the few occasions when sadomasochistic activities are performed in public, in broad daylight…”
This year they are promoting the event with this poster:
Not surprisingly, the poster has been met with protest. The conservative advocacy group Concerned Women for America has this reaction to the poster:
“A picture’s worth a thousand words,” said Matt Barber, Policy Director for Cultural Issues with Concerned Women for America (CWA). “Scripture says that God is not mocked, yet it doesn’t stop people from trying. As evidenced by this latest stunt, open ridicule of Christianity is unfortunately very common within much of the homosexual community.
It is clear what the poster is. And it is offensive. Frankly it is most offensive to art lovers but it is also offensive to Christians who look at Da Vinci’s rendering of The Last Supper and view as far more than a piece of art.
Is it really necessary for a fair of any sort to mock art and faith like that? The answer, of course, is no. But the gay community has been on the receiving end of much hate from parts of the Christian community and so the poster is also not thoroughly unexpected.
What I’m curious about, however, is this – is there any Biblical justification for Christians to stand up and whine about being mocked? Did Paul whine about being beaten and lashed and tossed in prison? Did Jesus whine? Did the disciples whine after Jesus’ resurrection when so many of them met brutal deaths?
Perhaps “whining” isn’t the right word. Perhaps it is just complaining. But is complaining about how we are being treated something that is Biblically justifiable? Isn’t the Biblical approach to just keep on loving? Isn’t that what characterized the early, revolutionary church? They were being killed and yet they loved.
People often dismiss this kind of talk as babble about “just a lovey-dovey Jesus” but it is the very opposite. The hardest, most challenging thing for anyone to do is to love someone they want to hate. I find it easy to let myself get angry and go after people who I feel have wronged me. That isn’t a challenge. What is a challenge is to love. So isn’t the right reaction to something like that Folsom poster not to complain about it but to go out to the fair and show Jesus’ love to the people who believe Christians deserve nothing more than to be mocked?