Jimmy Swaggart apologized for his comments the other day about, should a gay man look upon him romantically/lustfully, he’d “kill him and tell God he died.” Or so I read.
Then I read the apology.
On Wednesday, Swaggart said he has jokingly used the expression “killing someone and telling God he died” thousands of times, about all sorts of people. He said the expression is figurative and not meant to harm.
“It’s a humorous statement that doesn’t mean anything. You can’t lie to God — it’s ridiculous,” Swaggart told The Associated Press. “If it’s an insult, I certainly didn’t think it was, but if they are offended, then I certainly offer an apology.”
Hey, way to go on the Sincere-o-Meter, Jimmy. How humble and humility-filled, how concerned over how others might be hurt or threatened by your words. If it’s an insult, if they’re offended … nicely said.
You mean you actually joke all the time about killing people, then nudge-and-winking God about about it? How Christ-like, again!
How …
… wait. I ought not attack someone’s motives, but give them the benefit of the doubt, right? Consider their actions, not debate or presume about their good will. So …
Jimmy, your words belie the Christian concept of “hate the sin, love the sinner.” They provide, even if not intended, both fodder for those who consider Christians to be intolerant bigots, and for those who are prone to un-Christian violence against gays. They were ill-considered to start with, and your “aw, shucks, I was just kidding, don’t take it so seriously” response is not an apology, but a dismissal, not a reaching out but a pushing away. That would be difficult to accept in anyone who considers themselves a Christian, but coming from someone who leads a public ministry in Christ’s name it seems particularly difficult to reconcile with Jesus’ ministry — as well as being difficult to reconcile with the stated mission of your Jimmy Swaggart Ministries — “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15) — or the intent of your World Evangelism Fellowship –“The call of God to win the lost is clear.” I do not understand how even such “jokes” can serve as such preaching, nor dismissal of feelings “win the lost.”
Or, put more bluntly, Jimmy, get your head out of your ass and stop being a scandal to the faith and cause you claim to profess. Yeesh.
Funny…
Again, it’s the lie that he apologized for, not the threat of killing gay people.
On the other hand, if a gay man did look upon Jimmy Swaggart with lust (due to bad lighting, mass quantities of tequila, etc.) he’d probably kill himself.
Swaggart is a real Christian the same way Stalin was a real Marxist.
What an utter embarassment. There is a verse that applies here:
Proverbs 26
18 Like a madman shooting
firebrands or deadly arrows
19 is a man who deceives his neighbor
and says, “I was only joking!”
Christianity Today’s blog had the following comments on this:
Homophobia might be a word thrown about too carelessly by the left, but remarks like Swaggart’s are why the word exists in the first place.
That’s spot on .