The advertisement I put on Marketplace attracted much interest.  I was selling off some equipment I’d used some years ago to do some home renovations.  The man who came to pick up the last item appeared to be in his early thirties.  As he paid me he asked what I had done before I retired.  I told him I had served as a pastor; a minister of religion.  He responded by telling me a crude joke about Jesus.  He thought he was being funny.  When I made clear that I was not amused he couldn’t get away fast enough.  Sad!  It left me wondering how much he really knew about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Most Christians have at times struggled to cope with workmates and colleagues who use the Lord’s name as an expletive.  That never fails to make me cringe.  We know that using the name of Jesus as a swear-word is contrary to the fourth commandment – “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”  And it is, of course, also deeply offensive for those who love the Lord.  But all of that is doubly true when people make crude jokes about God or about the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the same week that I was told this offensive joke I read an item in the newspaper about Australian comedian Reuben Kaye.  He had appeared on the ABC’s Q&A program.  He had been invited onto that program because earlier in the year he achieved notoriety on another program: the Ten Networks’ ‘The Project’.  On that occasion he had said that he didn’t understand why Christians had such a problem with him.  He then proceeded to tell a gag that mocked the Son of God.  It seems that being funny at the expense of Jesus is quite acceptable – except that the host of ‘The Project’ later felt he needed to apologise to Muslims and Christians for any offence caused.  Yes, Muslims too for they do regard Jesus as a prophet.

Brendan O’Neill, writing in The Australian, pointed out that today old orthodoxies have been replaced by new ones.  In our culture, he said, “it’s no longer considered blasphemy to make fun of Christ, but try saying, ‘trans women are not women.’  You’ll be branded a bigot, a witch, the utterer of abominable words.”

If that seems like an exaggeration then just consider Victorian politician, Moira Deering.  Moira was suspended from the Victorian Liberal Party for attending a ‘Let Women Speak’ conference that was gate-crashed by a group of Neo Nazis.  The gathering had been held to express concern about the safety of women when increasingly men claim to be trans-women.  When things later got ugly and she talked about legal action against the Liberal Party leader, the party expelled her.  Moira Deering is a Christian and a member of the Presbyterian Church.  It seems that both Christ and Christians are fair game in our society.

All of this has been put into the framework of free-speech.  That was the big issue for the ABC’s Q&A program.  But if we want free speech to be able to mock God and religion then why doesn’t the same rule apply across the board.  Just trying saying in public that gender is binary and see how far you get with free speech.  I made that comment once and was accused of being a Trans-Phobic.  J.K. Rowlings, author of the Harry Potter books, was ‘cancelled’ for her questioning of trans-gender philosophies.

Brendan O’Neil ended his article, “I wonder if Kaye would ever go on The Project and blaspheme against the trans (gender!) idea.  Or, indeed, make a joke about Mohammed.  I dare you Reuben!  Go back on that program and say something witty about The Prophet.  You’ll soon find out what cancellation really means.”

The challenge for us as Christians is to take a firm stand for truth but to do that with all the grace and charity we can muster.  The words of the apostle Peter are relevant, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...!”

John Westendorp