I feel sorry for A&E. I really do. Phil Robertson expresses some deeply held beliefs in public, they suspend him, and the Christian right becomes unhinged. I really don’t understand it, and there is no way A&E could have seen it coming.

“But he was quoting the Bible!” you say. Well yes, yes he was, but what has that got to do with it? Would it surprise you if I said that A&E did the entirely appropriate and logical thing if I also told you that I’m probably one of the most conservative Christians you’re going to find? In fact, I am a member of the conservative Church of Christ, of which Robertson and clan are a part and I agree with everything he said.

I was born and raised in the Church of Christ, memorized scripture from the time I was an infant, worked hard to serve God in the best way I knew (know) how, and to this day hold the teachings of Jesus close to my heart. Sure I make mistakes and ask for forgiveness, but I do try hard to live my life by the Bible. Robertson’s quotation of scripture was accurate, his assessment of the active homosexual lifestyle was entirely Biblical, and A&E still made the most logical choice.

I mean, why wouldn’t they suspend him? Christians never fight for what they believe. Prayer gets yanked out of school and Christians just stop praying at school. The Ten Commandments are removed from public buildings and Christians sob and yell and then walk away. Movies, books, television, and media of all kinds show all manner of depravity and Christians not only do nothing, they pay money to go see it! Or smoke it. Or drink it. Or screw it. I’m sure A&E is scratching their collective head right now trying to figure out what is happening. Either that, or they’re saying to themselves, “Give it a week or two, it’ll die down. These Christians like to bark but they don’t bite.”

And you know what? They’re probably right. If you’re a Christian and are reading this, let me ask you, “What have you been watching?” Besides Duck Dynasty, what other media do you consume? Breaking Bad? But you say, “That’s good drama! The acting is awesome!” Well, yeah. But are you going to sit on the couch with Jesus and watch it? Because if you are a Christian he’s sitting there next to you. Or worse, for him, trying to live in your heart. You think Jesus is going to sit in your heart while you watch Breaking Bad? Or Walking Dead? Or How I Met Your Mother? Or listen to music with vile lyrics? What else are you doing? What movies are you seeing? What video games do you play? How do you treat people? How do you drive? What do you do with your money? What do you do with your spare time?

You know, I’m not perfect, and all this just shines a light on my own sinful nature. I watch movies I shouldn’t and enjoy them. I read stuff I shouldn’t read. I’ve even been to websites I have no business visiting. And if my observations are even the least bit accurate, I’m pretty sure the majority of Christians are doing the same things I am. Some might be a little better, some maybe a little worse, but very few of us are sacrificing for our Lord and Savior who sacrificed his very life for our redemption.

So I have to say, I feel sorry for A&E. Given the information they had, Christians appear to be spineless, whining saps who make a lot of noise publicly but in their private lives they aren’t quite so prudish. Non-Christians generally know what’s in the Bible and they know we aren’t following it – at least not in ways that are inconvenient to us. Or that cause us to miss out on fun. Or that keep us from indulging in our hard-earned materialistic rewards. Or that might put us in the spotlight. We’ve bought their products, we’ve voted for their candidates, we’ve turned our back on our Christian brothers and sisters, we’ve embraced the materialistic lifestyle, we drink the Kool-Aid and we like it!

Question is: what are we going to do about it? It is within our power to change this nation. We Christians could change this nation in one year. We could get Miley Cyrus and her tongue out of our faces, drive the production of vile products back underground where it belongs, begin to reinstate the sanctity of marriage and the family, and our world would be a better place. Opportunity would return along with decency and we would remember that ‘love’ isn’t two men doing each other, but two people working together for the common good. To make this happen, we only have to do two basic things, neither of which even requires us to say anything to anybody.

First, don’t support wickedness. “Wicked” is a word that’s fallen out of vogue but I think it’s time to bring it back. Whether movies, books, TV, news, internet sites, games, drugs, activities, candidates, materialism… whatever, if you pull your time and money from these wicked things they will shrink. Yes, you will have to actually read your Bible so you will know what these things are, but it really isn’t hard and if you’re a Christian, you’re supposed to be reading it anyway.

Second, support wholesome things. Whether they are products, ideas, businesses, activities, or just people, if someone’s product reflects decency, and you are in a position to do so, support them. If you put your time and money into these things they will grow. If even ten percent of Christians made these changes the ripple effect would fundamentally alter our economy. You don’t even have to tell anyone what you are doing, the effect would be unmistakable… if enough people did it.

And don’t forget, as you contemplate the main stream media’s reaction to what Phil Robertson said, the World has a long history of reacting violently to those who speak truth.  Jesus’ enemies didn’t murder Him because of who he was, they murdered Him because of what He said.