It is pretty rare that one remark from a celebrity lights
up both the mainstream media and the Christian blogosphere, but Angus T. Jones
managed to pull it off, when in a youtube video he said if you watch his show 2
and a Half Men (he is the ½) that you should stop, and stop filling your mind
with filth.
I couldn’t agree with him more on that point. A couple of
years ago, while visiting a relative’s home over Christmas, I saw about 4
minutes of the show and was literally stunned at how raunchy it was. The sexual innuendos and hearty thumbs up to
sexual immorality that were packed into those few minutes were shocking and
saddening to me. Shocking that something
like that could be broadcast during prime time (or any time for that matter) by
a major network and saddening because I was aware that at the time it was the
most popular show on television. I agree
with young Angus, if you are watching that show you need to stop, and repent and stop filling your mind
with that kind of filth.
Predictably scores of Christian blogger types have
applauded Angus’ stance (he even rated a brief and highly qualified mention on Al Mohler’s The Briefing) and the secular media has lit into him for criticizing
the show. One Fox News piece called his statement a Charlie Sheen style rant, although there was no brandishing of
machetes or porn stars, mentioning of tiger blood or being a warlock or banging
8 gram rocks (of cocaine) because that’s how he rolls. (Given that Fox News’ parent corporation
counts both Christian publishing and the distribution of pornography as major
revenue streams the moral ambiguity and equivalence is hardly surprising, but
that is a whole other topic.)
Lost in all of this is what Mr. Jones actually said. In two youtube videos published a episodes of
a series called the Forerunner Chronicles, Jones gives his “testimony.” I have to admit that I was interested and
kind of excited to watch the video, although thirty minutes seemed like an
awful long time to relate a conversion experience, especially for a new
Christian. I was curious as to what I
would actually see.
And what I saw was 30 minutes of slickly edited and
produced rambling conversation that was sadder than any filthy sitcom could
ever be. What was so sad was that his “testimony”
contained no testimony of conversion.
None of the sinful behaviors he describes as characterizing his (very
recent) past are ever identified as sin or spoke of in any way that indicates
he understands them to be morally wrong.
Nor is the word or concept of repentance ever touched upon, much less
emphasized as essential for true saving faith.
In fact nothing in the entire 29+ minutes of testimony indicates an
understanding of man’s sinfulness, God’s holiness or the atoning work of Christ
on the cross. There is one point in the
testimony where Jones describes when he thinks he might have first “invited
Jesus into his heart.” He describes a
moment when he felt as if he was “being hugged by your most favorite person
ever.” That hardly sounds like being
broken over your sins before a holy God does it?
As the video wound on, it became clear that what Angus
was being taught was not consistent with the teaching of scripture. Which to be honest wasn’t that surprising,
after all many “evangelical” churches refuse to teach the content of the bible
for fear of offending sinners. Late in
the video he begins speaking about the changes in his life since his “conversion”
and the reason for the lack of talk of sin, repentance and the atonement became
crystal clear. He describes one of the
key changes in his life as him now taking the Sabbath seriously. From sundown Friday till sundown Saturday he
doesn’t fool around. Jones hasn’t become
a Christian, he has become a Seventh Day Adventist.
Now let me be clear I do not know the condition of Angus
Jones’ heart and my sincere prayer is that he would come to saving faith in
Christ is he hasn’t. And I also believe that
there are genuinely saved people in the SDA church. They are exposed to the living and active Word of God and through that God may choose to save some. But they are saved in spite of the teaching
of the church not because of it. You see
the SDA church does not teach the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. They teach a Gospel+ approach to salvation
that negates the grace of the Gospel.
They teach that the way to salvation is the gospel +
keeping the Old Testament Law, especially the observance of the Sabbath and the
dietary laws. This is an approach to
Salvation that the Apostle Paul addressed directly in the Epistle to the Galatians.
Paul wrote His epistle to the Galatians to combat the
influence of the Judaizers, a sect that taught that in order to become a
Christian, a gentile convert must first become a Jewish proselyte and undergo circumcision
(which was an outward sign of being part of the covenant community of Israel). Paul didn’t see this as a minor doctrinal
difference to be tolerated in the “big tent” of Christianity. This is the opening salvo of his inspired and
inerrant letter to a group of churches that had adopted a Gospel+ approach to
salvation.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who
called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is
another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel
of Christ. But
even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to
the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said
before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to
the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-9)
That doesn’t sound like adding a minor requirement in
addition to faith in Christ for salvation is acceptable to the Holy Spirit
writing through the pen of Paul does it?
In chapter 5 of Galatians Paul bottom lines it for them:
Look:
I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no
advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he
is obligated to keep the whole law. You
are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen
away from grace.
And you could substitute keeping the Sabbath, or
observing the dietary laws, or wearing clothing of mixed fibers or any other
aspect of the Old Testament Law for circumcision in that passage. Paul is saying that if you think any of it is
required, then all of it is required for you, because only someone separated from
Christ would think that attempting to keep the Law would justify them, or add
anything to their justification or establish conditions that would make their
justification possible.
That is not to say that there are no standards of
behavior and conduct for Christians.
Those however are found in the New Testament and flow out of a
transformed heart that seeks to live a life pleasing to God out of gratitude for
what He has done for you.
And Angus is right, a truly god fearing person cannot be
on a show like 2 ½ Men and should not
watch it either. One of those New
Testament commands says “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” That
would kind of rule out watching Two and a Half men, wouldn’t it? I agree with young Mr. Jones, if you are
watching it, stop, and stop filling your head with filth.
But more importantly than that, if you are going to a “church”
where you are taught that keeping the Sabbath and the dietary laws are
essential, or any other kind of Gospel+ road to salvation is promoted. Stop going, because that kind of a gospel,
is really no Gospel at all and that is the real filth.
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