Stephen Colbert (pronounced col-bear for those unfamiliar) is hilarious. A man who can truly laugh at himself and his own (Republicans). The back to back Daily Show/Colbert Report combo lets me laugh for about an hour. And interestingly, these two guys differ on a lot politically, but they are able to laugh at themselves and those who agree with them politically, but make idiots of themselves. If we can do that, it tends to change everything.
Colbert does a report, or “Re-poor”, called “The Word.” It is fun. April 30th’s “Word” was on the story out of Florida on the proposal of Christian license plates. Again, hilarious. The plate would have a pic of a cross and stained glass with the words “I Believe” at the bottom. Regardless of whether we think it is a good idea or not, honestly, Colbert’s take on it is hilarious.
But as I watched, he said something that made me think. At the end of the segment Colbert says this:
“What unites us is our ability to come together and say to each other, “You’re not like me.” So thank you Representative Bullard for giving us another place for us to do that.” Amazing that in ones attempt as a Christian to profess their Christianity, it really creates a wall. It doesn’t simply say, “I am a Christian.” It says, “You are different from me.”
So the challenge is this: How do we communicate the good news of a relationship with Jesus Christ in such a way that in our actual profession we don’t alienate but invite? I would say the answer is linked more to how we are perceived than how we think or wish we were perceived. Knowing that Xn license plates are seen as divisive is important. So now I have a choice, I can say, “Who cares. Jesus came to divide! I’ll get my plate.” Or I can realize what it communicates and that in the end it hurts the cause of Jesus.
You can see the clip here if you are interested. If you are offended, email Colbert.
