Jesus said this would happen!
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."---Matthew 5:11-12
I don't know why I'm surprised. I shouldn't be. The words of Jesus from His Sermon on the Mount are pretty clear, aren't they? Jesus told us straight up what would happen to us if we sought to follow Him as "fishers of men", and yet I am still surprised when it happens.
www.suntimes.com/sports/telander/251602,CST-SPT-rick11.article
Rick Telander is a sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, and a sometime writer for Sports Illustrated. I have read much of his work, and have found him to be pretty typical of what passes for modern "journalism." He's a little bit hip and a little bit tongue-in-cheek. He's one of those "too-cool-for-school" types that, as I get older, I find I have less and less tolerance for. Most of the the time I just let the words of the official scribes of the liberal intelligentsia roll on by, but this column trashing Tony Dungy really hit me the wrong way. It contains lies and half-truths, and it is blatantly discriminatory in a way that would never be tolerated unless the subject was a Christian. Let's deconstruct this column bit by bit, and see if we can't arrive at the truth.
Paragraph 1--Please allow me to translate for Mr. Telander. "I'm getting ready to trash a man that many people consider to be a great guy, so I'll pretend that I like him too."
Paragraph 2--This is the only truthful part of the whole column. Dungy IS a breath of fresh air in a profession that isn't known for its class and dignity.
Paragraph 3--Here's where it starts. Telander says that Dungy insists "upon making proper coaching not just a matter of good heart but of religious zeal, even dogma." Let's be clear. All Dungy has done is to publically praise God for the bounty of His blessings. He hasn't asked anyone to drink koolade, or board the Mother-Ship for the planet Zeptune--he has just praised God. Let's continue.
Paragraph 4--"God, he said, was responsible for the Colts' 29-17 victory against the Bears." No he didn't! Dungy praised God for giving him strength and for putting him in a position where he could witness for the Lord. What Telander said was an outright lie!
Paragraphs 5 and 6--Telander actually kept score of the number of times Dungy referenced his faith. Telander must have really been offended!
Paragraph 7--Telander expresses shock that Dungy wouldn't go along with the media-driven agenda (the race card) and, instead, elect to utter an independent thought. The media just hates it when people do that, and there are punishments for stepping off the secular progressive plantation.
Paragraph 11--"The troubling aspect, of course, is simply that of intolerance." Yes, Mr. Telander, I agree. I am deeply troubled by the level of intolerance you displayed towards Christianity in your column. Oh, that's not what you meant? So sorry!
Paragraphs 12 and 13--Telander explains: "To wit: Where does the sports teaching end and the proselytizing begin? Where do the religious beliefs of those in authority become standards for those underneath, and when and how does ostracism for those in disagreement kick in?
Would someone like Dungy, for example, be less or more inclined to keep a devout Christian player over, say, a devout Hindu?" This is one of the most despicable habits the drive-by media has. Telander accused Dungy of discrimination, even though no discrimination exists. The media does this kind of stuff all the time, and it is wrong!
Paragraph 14--"We are an overwhelmingly Christian nation. But that is not by design, law or decree, and it seems we sometimes forget this." Telander needs to retake high school government. America was founded as a Christian nation, which is why we are an overwhelmingly Christian nation today. We are not a Christian nation by law or decree, but we most certainly are a Christian nation by design. That is an absolute fact supported by the writings of our Founding Fathers, by the Declaration of Independence, by Supreme Court decisions, by Congressional legislation, and by the actions of the men who created this great nation. This is a fact, and it is beyond dispute!
I'll summarize the rest of what Telander said. First, he insinuates that Christians would be offended by a Muslim making the same statements. Hogwash! If the comments were made respectfully and peacefully and with class and grace (something, by the way, which hasn't happened yet in my lifetime, but I continue to hope!) Christians would have no problem. And I guarantee you that the media reaction would have been much more favorable. Muslims publically expressing their faith is "diversity" and Christians expressing their faith is "intolerance", according to the media.
Second, Telander takes the obligatory "homophobe" shot. That makes me so tired! No media report about a Christian would be complete without insinuating that the Christian was a homophobe. Oh, well!
I should not have been surprised. In retrospect, I suppose it's more surprising that there hasn't been more of this anti-Christian tripe written and broadcast, and, I confess that I have taken it personally because Dungy has always been my favorite coach in the NFL. Even when he was in Tampa, I respected and admired him, and I always wished that he could become the head coach of either the Packers or the Colts. The lesson here (which I am still struggling to learn!) is that criticism is something to be hoped for, because it means that we are fulfilling Jesus' command to be salt of the earth and a light to the world.
I don't know why I'm surprised. I shouldn't be. The words of Jesus from His Sermon on the Mount are pretty clear, aren't they? Jesus told us straight up what would happen to us if we sought to follow Him as "fishers of men", and yet I am still surprised when it happens.
www.suntimes.com/sports/telander/251602,CST-SPT-rick11.article
Rick Telander is a sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, and a sometime writer for Sports Illustrated. I have read much of his work, and have found him to be pretty typical of what passes for modern "journalism." He's a little bit hip and a little bit tongue-in-cheek. He's one of those "too-cool-for-school" types that, as I get older, I find I have less and less tolerance for. Most of the the time I just let the words of the official scribes of the liberal intelligentsia roll on by, but this column trashing Tony Dungy really hit me the wrong way. It contains lies and half-truths, and it is blatantly discriminatory in a way that would never be tolerated unless the subject was a Christian. Let's deconstruct this column bit by bit, and see if we can't arrive at the truth.
Paragraph 1--Please allow me to translate for Mr. Telander. "I'm getting ready to trash a man that many people consider to be a great guy, so I'll pretend that I like him too."
Paragraph 2--This is the only truthful part of the whole column. Dungy IS a breath of fresh air in a profession that isn't known for its class and dignity.
Paragraph 3--Here's where it starts. Telander says that Dungy insists "upon making proper coaching not just a matter of good heart but of religious zeal, even dogma." Let's be clear. All Dungy has done is to publically praise God for the bounty of His blessings. He hasn't asked anyone to drink koolade, or board the Mother-Ship for the planet Zeptune--he has just praised God. Let's continue.
Paragraph 4--"God, he said, was responsible for the Colts' 29-17 victory against the Bears." No he didn't! Dungy praised God for giving him strength and for putting him in a position where he could witness for the Lord. What Telander said was an outright lie!
Paragraphs 5 and 6--Telander actually kept score of the number of times Dungy referenced his faith. Telander must have really been offended!
Paragraph 7--Telander expresses shock that Dungy wouldn't go along with the media-driven agenda (the race card) and, instead, elect to utter an independent thought. The media just hates it when people do that, and there are punishments for stepping off the secular progressive plantation.
Paragraph 11--"The troubling aspect, of course, is simply that of intolerance." Yes, Mr. Telander, I agree. I am deeply troubled by the level of intolerance you displayed towards Christianity in your column. Oh, that's not what you meant? So sorry!
Paragraphs 12 and 13--Telander explains: "To wit: Where does the sports teaching end and the proselytizing begin? Where do the religious beliefs of those in authority become standards for those underneath, and when and how does ostracism for those in disagreement kick in?
Would someone like Dungy, for example, be less or more inclined to keep a devout Christian player over, say, a devout Hindu?" This is one of the most despicable habits the drive-by media has. Telander accused Dungy of discrimination, even though no discrimination exists. The media does this kind of stuff all the time, and it is wrong!
Paragraph 14--"We are an overwhelmingly Christian nation. But that is not by design, law or decree, and it seems we sometimes forget this." Telander needs to retake high school government. America was founded as a Christian nation, which is why we are an overwhelmingly Christian nation today. We are not a Christian nation by law or decree, but we most certainly are a Christian nation by design. That is an absolute fact supported by the writings of our Founding Fathers, by the Declaration of Independence, by Supreme Court decisions, by Congressional legislation, and by the actions of the men who created this great nation. This is a fact, and it is beyond dispute!
I'll summarize the rest of what Telander said. First, he insinuates that Christians would be offended by a Muslim making the same statements. Hogwash! If the comments were made respectfully and peacefully and with class and grace (something, by the way, which hasn't happened yet in my lifetime, but I continue to hope!) Christians would have no problem. And I guarantee you that the media reaction would have been much more favorable. Muslims publically expressing their faith is "diversity" and Christians expressing their faith is "intolerance", according to the media.
Second, Telander takes the obligatory "homophobe" shot. That makes me so tired! No media report about a Christian would be complete without insinuating that the Christian was a homophobe. Oh, well!
I should not have been surprised. In retrospect, I suppose it's more surprising that there hasn't been more of this anti-Christian tripe written and broadcast, and, I confess that I have taken it personally because Dungy has always been my favorite coach in the NFL. Even when he was in Tampa, I respected and admired him, and I always wished that he could become the head coach of either the Packers or the Colts. The lesson here (which I am still struggling to learn!) is that criticism is something to be hoped for, because it means that we are fulfilling Jesus' command to be salt of the earth and a light to the world.
posted by hondo at 11:21 PM
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