This past week the president gave Rush Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
I listened to the crass satirist up until about 15 years ago when I gave up talk radio for lent. I never picked it back up. My journey kept going.
I found myself wrestling with connecting belief and practice. Jesus’ words and example couldn’t be hyperbole that I was never meant to take seriously. I looked at the “Woes” in Matthew 23 and ”Sheep and Goats“ of Matthew 25. It was convicting, not condemning. The Spirit is taking us all on a pilgrimage.
My journey had been shifting more and more towards understanding, if only somewhat, the unconditional love of God for myself and learning that that love applies to all. Despite what a Calvinist believes.
When I was a Rush fan. My faith was fairly Calvinistic even though I didn’t know it in those terms. There were definitely those who were ‘in’ and those who were ‘out’. It conveniently matched my political views. I honestly struggled with whether a Democrat could be a Christian. I was wrong and I was careless. I am sorry.
Today, I hear it on the other side “How could a Trump supporter actually be a Christian?”
This is wrong and careless. (Let me be clear. I vehemently disagree with and find cruel much of what the president does and says. We must oppose any dehumanizing policies and nationalism.) Whether we like it or not, God loves Donald Trump. We cannot dehumanize him either.
Limbaugh is a divisive character who thrives on that divisiveness. His satire pushes the limits of decency. His careless words publicly have been at times sexist, racist, anti-environment, boastful, poor shaming and homophobic. These things are atrocious and we can hear them. Satire and ridicule only work when preaching to the choir. How serious it is is lost in the “humor” and that his fans would say folks need to “lighten up”.
He is also dying. He will most likely do good thing with his money before he dies. He used to match fundraising for childhood leukemia and probably still does. He is a human being and God still loves him.
“I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 12:36-37 NRSV
Rush’s careless words echo back in the same type of condemnation that he would level at others is coming back at him.
What about you and me? Surely you say or at least have said careless things, I have, it’s human. Are we so right in our own eyes we can’t see it? Remember your own sin before being aghast at another’s. Own it. Repent of it. Measure your own standards of mercy. Is it lacking? Is it conditional?
We can also speak words of love, kindness repentance, confession and reconciliation. We can be broad and lavish in our grace and mercy. We may very well get kicked in the teeth for it but grace has never been easy. We can temper our want to condemn.
We can be different but it is all by grace and always will be by grace.
photo from Wikipedia