Christians in Cars Going Nowhere?

I’ve been a little stuck on Jerry Seinfeld’s show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.  He has had some really good interviews with some very funny people, not to mention some very interesting cars.

What happens when you routinely watch a show like that, is that you begin to get a sense of what people are really like.  The more I watch “Jerry,” the more I notice that, although he is naturally funny, he seems to have an innate ability to look at—and judge—details in the world around him.

It is truly a gift to be able to see the world uniquely, close up, but this gift must be used very carefully. 

In Jerry’s case, I have noticed that it is sometimes misused.  I have seen him mock waitresses, quadriplegics, homosexuals and the homeless, all in attempting a joke.

But there is another side of him that respects people.  He doesn’t mind people taking pictures of him in public and he shakes hands and talks and makes friendly with people who wish to engage him.  He has acknowledged that he thinks cursing in a stand-up act is uncalled for and he believes it diminishes the act itself.

Now I would guess he does not even realize he is going down a slippery slope when he mocks people; he probably doesn’t know that he has crossed a line, a line that needs to be held firm lest its’ crossing results in debasing the dignity of others.

It could be he is simply out of touch with us regular people who live in regular neighborhoods and have regular jobs with regular kids who go to regular schools when he gives his offhanded, shameful commentary directed at the way people dress or where they live.  Or, maybe in the world of comedians, if the joke works—even if it is cringe worthy—that is what matters.  I don’t know.

What I do know is that the dignity of every human being does matter and should always be upheld. Our dignity comes from God.  Jesus, born of his human mother Mary, took on 100% of our human nature, while remaining 100% divine.  In fact, he raised up our humanity through his *incarnation, thus elevating our humanity.  

Because every person is made in the image of God, we must always be careful to respect the dignity of others.  While the church (rightly) does not waiver in its moral teaching in regards to God’s plan for his creation, and we whom he created and loves, anything less than a patient and loving response to those who disagree, or who live or act in opposition to it, is in itself, immoral.

The reason the Church stands so firmly and upholds its' teaching in these matters (such as homosexuality, gender confusion and abortion, just to name a few) is simple—it must.  

This honestly cannot be said enough: 

The Church is at the service of the gospel and it does not have the liberty to change it.  

Is this easy?  No, of course not.  But what God has revealed is what the Church must teach.  Usually the way of the gospel is not easy.  We know this because we have witnessed the suffering of Christ.

But standing firm on truth is not a license to be mean.  A priest told me once that when we are dealing with such matters of morality, the problem is that the conversation too often quickly spirals into judgment and bias.

This is not a recipe for healthy discussions, and without healthy dialogue, you might say we are simply Christians in Cars going nowhere.

Janet Cassidy

janetcassidy.com

* Incarnation