Robertson 'apologises'
Pat Robertson has apologised. Thank goodness for good sense to have prevailed and it looks like a potential embarassment has now been averted. Well, almost. A little careful reading of what the man has to say reveals that he hasn't made a full apology but has only managed to find some convenient words to weasel his way out of a pickle he has got into. A pickle, if I may add, he shouldn't have got into in the first place.
However, the trouble with public figures is that the idea of a full-scale apology that involves some degree of repentance and contrition seems like an alien concept. They find it hard to say, 'look, I was wrong and I blew it up royally.' Perhaps it is something to do with their 'brand image' or the fear of losing 'face' or the embarassment of appearing to have capitulated to public demand for an apology. Whatever it may be, the apologies always seem to include a 'but' as if to indicate that it wasn't altogether their fault but that circumstances or hangups made them do it.
Robertson said that his statement was a result of 'frustration' as if we should consider that to be a justification of some sort. Aren't people arrested for manslaughter if they kill someone out of frustration and anger? But no, we are expected to sympathise with Robertson's frustrations and be a little understanding. Oh yeah, of course.
And the biggest hoo haa of all was that he now claims to have been misinterpreted even though there was no ambiguity in what he spoke on the show. Once again, why do these news personalities imagine that we, the general public, are a bunch of idiots and that they can say anything they want and we are likely to lap it up?
I find it rather hard to see Robertson as a church 'leader' after he makes outrageous statements like these because anyone who endorses 'murder' and 'assassination' cannot be what he claims to be. The Bible does talk about 'false teachers' and 'false prophets' and the man looks like a prime candidate for those titles. It's a pity that he has a huge following in the US and in other parts of the world, and that there will be lots of people who could get swayed one way or the other by his utterances.
It is encouraging to see that church leaders across the denominational spectrum have been united in condemning Robertson for what he said. I liked what Jim Wallis. from Soujourner had to say and, I thought, it was quite an intelligent and theologically accurate response. Of course Rev. Jesse Jackson , also, joined in the chorus and gave a politically tinted statement.
On the other hand, the secular and liberal press seem to have gone overboard in blasting Robertson for his 'outburst' and they seem to have found in him a worthy scapegoat to blast Christianity itself. If one scans through news-reports and news comments there can be detected an underlying cynicism that borders on glee. It looks like they were waiting for something like to happen and now that it has they seem to be going to town shouting, look, there are weird fundamentalists in the Christian camp as well.
From the spoofy, tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic, to the very thoughtful and reflective.
Perhaps it was good that Robertson spoke the way he did because now that the extremist cat is out of the bag, the Gospel message can be spoken with greater clarity and the truth of the Scriptures be made that much more clearer. Robertson's irresponsible outburt enable us to declare that the gospel is not about power, might and imperialism but of servanthood, love, peace and meekness. So all is not lost because this churning will help in separating the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the chaff, the real from the fake... and the insightful people will know the difference because the Lord will make it clearer to them.
However, the trouble with public figures is that the idea of a full-scale apology that involves some degree of repentance and contrition seems like an alien concept. They find it hard to say, 'look, I was wrong and I blew it up royally.' Perhaps it is something to do with their 'brand image' or the fear of losing 'face' or the embarassment of appearing to have capitulated to public demand for an apology. Whatever it may be, the apologies always seem to include a 'but' as if to indicate that it wasn't altogether their fault but that circumstances or hangups made them do it.
Robertson said that his statement was a result of 'frustration' as if we should consider that to be a justification of some sort. Aren't people arrested for manslaughter if they kill someone out of frustration and anger? But no, we are expected to sympathise with Robertson's frustrations and be a little understanding. Oh yeah, of course.
And the biggest hoo haa of all was that he now claims to have been misinterpreted even though there was no ambiguity in what he spoke on the show. Once again, why do these news personalities imagine that we, the general public, are a bunch of idiots and that they can say anything they want and we are likely to lap it up?
I find it rather hard to see Robertson as a church 'leader' after he makes outrageous statements like these because anyone who endorses 'murder' and 'assassination' cannot be what he claims to be. The Bible does talk about 'false teachers' and 'false prophets' and the man looks like a prime candidate for those titles. It's a pity that he has a huge following in the US and in other parts of the world, and that there will be lots of people who could get swayed one way or the other by his utterances.
It is encouraging to see that church leaders across the denominational spectrum have been united in condemning Robertson for what he said. I liked what Jim Wallis. from Soujourner had to say and, I thought, it was quite an intelligent and theologically accurate response. Of course Rev. Jesse Jackson , also, joined in the chorus and gave a politically tinted statement.
On the other hand, the secular and liberal press seem to have gone overboard in blasting Robertson for his 'outburst' and they seem to have found in him a worthy scapegoat to blast Christianity itself. If one scans through news-reports and news comments there can be detected an underlying cynicism that borders on glee. It looks like they were waiting for something like to happen and now that it has they seem to be going to town shouting, look, there are weird fundamentalists in the Christian camp as well.
From the spoofy, tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic, to the very thoughtful and reflective.
Perhaps it was good that Robertson spoke the way he did because now that the extremist cat is out of the bag, the Gospel message can be spoken with greater clarity and the truth of the Scriptures be made that much more clearer. Robertson's irresponsible outburt enable us to declare that the gospel is not about power, might and imperialism but of servanthood, love, peace and meekness. So all is not lost because this churning will help in separating the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the chaff, the real from the fake... and the insightful people will know the difference because the Lord will make it clearer to them.
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