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Transcript 375C — Joking About Godly Matters
HC: Good evening. Welcome to Open Forum.
CALLER: I was watching TV one night, a program which I no longer watch. But I wondered if there was something that we can do about this. It's called "All's Fair," I believe. And the man in the program was a joke writer, and he said that President Carter would use his jokes if he would accept Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. Now to me that was very offensive. I think it's a terrible thing to say about the Lord. Why do they have to put things like that on the program?
HC: Let me ask you this: Have you ever heard someone who claims to be a Christian make a joke about something in the Bible, or something about the church?
CALLER: Yes, I suppose I have.
HC: Yes. This happens very, very frequently. Even pastors will do this. I've done this in the past. Every time I ever do this, however, if I speak flippantly in any sense of the Bible, or of the church, or of this denomination or that denomination (and it's a real temptation to do that, because that's what you've become familiar with), I realize that this is a grievous sin before God, because these are holy things. The Bible is very holy, and in no way ought it to be the environment of a joke. We have the whole world to joke about. We can joke about cows or flowers or clouds, or whatever. But when we start talking about God, or start talking about anything in the Word of God, or about His body, the church, then that must not be joked about.
The reason I say this, or broaden this question, is that it's easy to look at the secular world and say, "Why do they joke about holy things?" because we become offended when we see this on a TV program, or wherever. But actually, we in the church very frequently are more guilty than they. And more than that, we ought to know better.
So I really think that the place to begin to correct this is right with me – that is, in our own life, make sure that never will we joke about holy things, and encourage those that we come in contact with also. That is a "No-No." And then I think that God will take care of the others.