It’s the greatest evil that has ever plagued our country. It’s voice must be silenced! Listening to it will bring chaos and death!
What is this voice, you may ask? I’ll tell you.
Charlie Brown!
You heard me correctly. CHARLIE BROWN. The guy with the dog who sits on top of his doghouse and the friend who carries a blanket. That Charlie Brown.
What? He’s evil? At least that’s what a couple of elderly women discovered. Their grandchildren came to visit them in the senior housing where they lived. The ladies tried to read, A Charlie Brown Christmas to them. Luckily, a facility official stopped them. Wow! A catastrophe averted. What?!
People’s reactions to this story will be mixed.
Some will say, “Are you kidding? Look how evil our country has become, banning this story, simply because Linus reads scripture.” But, I have to tell you, back in the sixties when this tv special first aired, Charles Schulz got hate mail. So it’s not a new thing. I think the new thing is that people are giving voice to these complainers instead of ignoring them.
Others will nod and agree with what the official did, quoting something about separation of church and state.
To me, the troubling point is this—Many Christians sit back, sigh, and say, “Oh well, there’s nothing we can do.” We accept it, and somehow believe this is what the founding fathers wanted.
May I share a couple points about this?
1. We have nurtured a society which believes voicing one’s Christian convictions is tantamount to witchcraft. It can’t be tolerated. “Burn them at the stake!” Actually, witchcraft is more tolerated today than strong Christian beliefs.
It’s amazing that in a country which harps on tolerance, granting free speech to Christians is unheard of. This is insanity. I’m not asking for permission to clonk someone over the head with a Bible, or to corner someone and not let them go until they’ve confessed their sins. I simply want the right to voice my beliefs.
“You don’t understand, Jeremiah! If those old ladies read that book, they might have quoted the Bible. Other people might have been sitting there who would have been offended!” … Honestly, do you hear how silly that sounds? Actually, if you think like that, do you realize how brainwashed you are? The notion that hearing a bit of the Bible read is going to cause Traumatic Bible Syndrome for some people is kookie. Plus, how many of you have sat in a classroom or been at the mall or in any number of public places where you’ve been bombarded by foul language that has offended you and been told you have to allow it because of freedom of speech?
2. Here’s a point for Christians. If we’re to follow God’s word, we must ask ourselves, “Who will I listen to, the government or God?” The government says, “Shhhh!”
What does God’s word say?
Matthew 10:32-33 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”
Psalm 96:2-4 “Sing to the LORD; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.”
Mark 16:15 “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.’”
Sharing our faith is not an optional thing, but a direct command of God.
3. Our society needs more of A Charlie Brown Christmas. That is to say, we need more of the Bible. We need more Christians sharing God’s love, sharing God’s word. Most importantly, we need more Christian LIVING God’s word. Don’t let society silence you. Speak God’s message with love!