Robin Williams & Suicide: What Should Our Response Be?

Before you read the main body of this post, let me give you some background on the worldview from which this post is written. I was placed in foster care at the age of five and for the first time in my life I felt love and security and had a special bond with my foster dad. He and my foster mom adopted me a few months later. When I was seven years old my adopted father committed suicide, which for my life topped the list of painful experiences. I'm a little late to the Robin Williams blog game, but that is because it took me a little longer to process than it may have taken the average human who hasn't been affected by parental suicide.

If you haven't heard by now, Robin Williams tragically and surprisingly took his own life a week ago. As a survivor of parental suicide the news hit me differently than it probably hit most people. Yes there was the shock and sadness over losing such a huge character in my childhood, but there was also the flood of memories from hearing the news that my dad killed himself. Along with the sadness of the loss of this iconic figure, came anger. Anger with my dad, but also anger with Robin Williams, and anger towards the way the media was handling this situation as well. Before you judge me for my anger, let me explain.

Suicide is literally the most selfish act a person can perform. Suicide is the easy, self centered, cowardly way out. It is literally the murder of one's self. You are stealing away a life from people who love you. I don't want to downplay the sadness of a great loss, but I also don't want to see suicide honored and celebrated in our society. There seemed to be an outpouring of people celebrating the fact that Robin Williams is no longer in pain. Death is a part of life, and when someone lives a great life we should celebrate their life and impact they they had on our society. But we cannot celebrate their death. The wound left with the family of someone who passed due to self-murder is something that can only be understood by the family of a person who committed suicide. Williams left behind three children. Anytime a parent is lost it is tough, however when your parent commits suicide it is a whole new level of pain and questioning. These three children, although adults, will wonder for the rest of their lives if there is something they could have done differently. They will wonder why their dad didn't see them as worthy to stay around for. As the popular meme circulating the web states, "Genie, You're Free..." but your family is not.

I understand depression and suicidal tendencies. I was moments away from committing suicide as a 17 year old high school student when a friend called me as a last ditch outcry for help before she took her life. I convinced my friend that her life was worth living, and in doing so I convinced myself that I had to make that same decision to always choose life no matter how hard it may be. At the end of the day I knew I could never do to anyone else what my dad did to me. We need to step up as a society and let the world know that suicide is not an appropriate response to depression. Regardless of how alone you think you may be, there are people who care about you and who will be severely wounded by your decision to take your own life. You have value. You have purpose. There is always a reason to choose life.  Let's celebrate the life and career of Robin Williams, but let's not pretend like his decision to take his own life was a good or acceptable one. Suicide is never the answer.

Value & Life: How Important is One Person?

It seems like almost every week a news story comes out that in some way deals with the value of one single human life. Whether it be through a gruesome murder story, a kidnapped child, an abortion argument, or some other current event that begs the question, how much is one human life worth? This past week that question has come in the form of a US Soldier whose life was traded for five big Taliban names who had been captured and detained in Guantanamo Bay. Now I know this issue has a lot of side issues, and to be honest I'd rather not dive into whether or not I think he was a traitor, or was feeding information to the Taliban, or was part of a planned scheme to get those Taliban leaders released.  What I do want to dive into is my (Biblically biased) view on the value of one human life.

In Matthew 18 we see Jesus addressing God's people, the Jews. Matthew 18:12-14 Jesus says this, "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish." I attend a weekly Bible study where we are studying the Book of Matthew and this past week we were studying Matthew 18 and my Bible study leader shared something with me that brought a whole new meaning to how I understood these verses.


The video clip posted next to this paragraph is from the movie, Schindler's List. In it we see some Jewish men and women who had been saved by Schindler. They present him with a letter, and a gift of gratitude. The ring they give him is inscribed with a passage from the Talmud that says "Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire." Judaism has always placed a huge emphasis on one life, because the potential of that one life is incredible. For them they were looking for a Messiah, and in every generation there was a potential for the Messiah. If one life is lost, there is no telling what is lost with that one life.

So as Jesus is addressing this crowd, He wanted them to know that the fact that the Messiah had come did not change the fact that one life has unlimited and infinite potential and value. There was no need to look for a Messiah anymore, but that did not change the fact that every life that God breathed was still important to us as people, but more importantly to the God who created it. So my answer to the question, "How valuable is one life?" More than you and I could ever imagine or even hope to understand. Jesus was saying that if one sheep is lost, the shepherd will do whatever it takes to get that sheep back. We at one point are all lost sheep, and Christ made the ultimate sacrifice to come for each one of us corporately, but also individually. When Christ was sent he had the whole world in mind, but in his infinite greatness, he had you specifically in mind.

Your value can't come from anything we can accomplish here on earth. Your value has to come from the fact that a perfect Creator created you, and a perfect Savior died for you. You were bought with a price, and a very high price at that. But that isn't just for you, that is for every created being that God loves and desires to be in relationship with. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not try to assign an earthly value to something that God assigned an eternal, infinite value to.

Christians & Persecution: What should our response be?

I've probably read 30 articles this week already that have Christians ranting and raving about the media embracing Michael Sam and Jason Collins for being openly gay high profile athletes all while not wanting to hear about the faith of Tim Tebow, the Robertson family, and the twin brothers who had their HGTV show taken away because they didn't support abortion and gay marriage. Although I do see the blatant hypocrisy of global entertainment conglomerates, I am not outraged by it, nor am I surprised by it. Here's why...


When we read the Bible we see over and over and over and over again that as followers of Christ we should not only expect persecution, but that we should almost welcome it.  In fact the Bible has a lot to say about persecution...

2 Timothy 3:12-13 says "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." 

John 15:18-19 says  “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."

1 Peter 4:12-14 says "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you."

Matthew 5:10 says “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Proverbs 29:27 says "An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked."

I could go on and on for paragraphs and paragraphs about persecution but I won't. Instead I'll do two things. The first thing is to encourage you to embrace the persecution that we receive here in America as Christians. The fact that we are receiving flack in the media means we are finally doing something right. The world isn't supposed to love those who stand up for righteousness in the way that they live their lives. To paraphrase the words of God, righteousness is an abomination to the unrighteous. It shouldn't surprise us, it shouldn't anger us, and it sure as heck shouldn't cause us to wine and complain and cry out for injustice.

It should cause us to rely on Christ, to have joy in our sufferings, and to rest assured knowing that according to Jesus, ours is the Kingdom of heaven! I won't ever wish pain on anyone, but I'm not going to pretend that the persecution we get here in America doesn't bring at least a little bit of a smile to my face. I've heard many preachers say, "Don't worry when you're being persecuted, worry when you aren't being persecuted."

The second thing I'll do is invite you to attend FBC Wellington on June 1st at either 9 am or 11 am where I'll be finishing our church's series on the beatitudes on persecution. I'll dive into this idea on a much deeper level and I'd love for you to be there.  

Jesus & Religion: Can they Co-Exist?

As Christians, we've all heard it said, and probably at times have been the one saying it, that "I don't have a religion, I have a relationship." I remember back a little over a decade ago that this was one of the hottest selling Christian T-Shirt expressions out there. I never took time to think about the implications of that saying until a little over a year ago when a Spoken Word by Jefferson Bethke entitled "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus" started getting millions of hits on youtube. His poem then inspired a book, which I'm going to be honest, I've only read the first chapter of.

I have, however, seen the youtube video several times. And from the first time I saw the video until when I watched it this morning for a refresher before setting out to write this blog, it has always bothered me. Let's take a look at some of the quotes from Bethke's poem that just don't sit right with me. "What if I told you Jesus came to abolish religion?" I would tell you that you're a liar. Jesus came to redeem God's people. Jesus came to fulfill the law. Jesus came to redirect religion. "Jesus hated religion, and for it he called them fools. Don’t you see it’s so much better than just following some rules?" Jesus hates sin. Jesus hates hypocrisy. Jesus hates false religion. 

Before you accuse me of not understanding what Bethke means, let me assure you I most definitely do. Jefferson Bethke, as well as most young Christians, hate what religion has become. I couldn't agree more. But the problem isn't religion. The problem is that people have taken religion and made it what it should have never become. For many, religion has become all about walking, talking, and acting like someone who is holy, as opposed to being someone holy. That isn't religion, that is an empty ritual.

James 1:27 says this, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." I agree with a lot of Bethke's ideas, however the thing I'd have to disagree with most is that Jesus does not hate religion. In fact I'd go as far as to say Jesus LOVES religion. Jesus loves it when his followers meet the needs of the least of these, and live lives that are unstained by the world. Nothing brings Him more joy than us being truly religious. The problem isn't religion, the problem is that people don't understand what religion truly is.

Athletes & Examples: A Look Into the Responsibility of Public Figures like Jameis Winston

Looking back at my childhood, most of my "heroes" or "role models" growing up were athletes. Like most (average heighted) white males in America, I (unrealistically) dreamed of one day stepping out on some sort of field or court with millions of people watching as I was awarded an MVP trophy and a National Championship. The closest I got was watching my team win a Spring football game from the bench because of a pesky injury that wouldn't go away.

The older I've gotten the more and more I've realized that most college and professional athletes aren't really the kind of men I would want my little boy (should I ever be lucky enough to have one) looking up to. You can blame this on me being a Gators fan, but recent behavior from FSU Quarterback, Jameis Winston, has got me back thinking on the topic of athletes and the roles they should or should not play as role models to young people.

In case you are unaware, Winston was suspended this week from the FSU baseball team for shoplifting from a local grocery store. He was not arrested for stealing the almost $33.00 worth of groceries, but was cited by law enforcement. His punishment is community service and an indefinite suspension from the baseball team. This article isn't about whether or not Winston should be allowed to play collegiate sports anymore, but about whether or not society needs to do something to keep our young people from looking up to men like Winston.

Charles Barkley is famously quoted as saying "I am not a role model... Just because I dunk a basketball doesn't mean I should raise your kids." Another of my favorite Barkley gems is "I don't care what people think. People are stupid." As arrogant as these remarks from Barkley come across, they should encourage us to give the issue of athlete role models a second thought. It is not Barkley's job to raise our children. He got paid millions of dollars to play basketball, and although that may be something to admire, and work towards, I think we need to leave character development up to people who aren't big name athletes.

My challenge and conclusion on the matter is this. We can't sit by and let anyone set the example for the people we have influence over. Parents need to set the best example they can for their children. When parents aren't setting the best example for their kids to follow, other people in their direct line of contact need to step up and fill that void. I thank God for "famous people" like the Robertson (Duck Dynasty) family and Tim Tebow who are great role models, but I think that their influence and inspiration to the young people around us should pale in comparison to the impact that we make in the lives of young people around us. It will take work, it will take time, and it won't always be easy. But if we step up and lead the young people around us, maybe we can influence a generation of athletes who we don't have to worry about the example they set for those whom God has granted us influence over.

Race & Free Speech: A response to the Silver/Sterling Debate

If you've been on the internet lately you've undoubtedly seen at least one post in favor of, and one post opposed to the punishment handed down from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, to Clipper's owner Donald Sterling. In addition to a $2.5 Million fine, Sterling is banned for life from the NBA. Here are Silver's exact words:

“Effective immediately, I am banning Mr. Sterling for life from any association with the Clippers organization or the NBA,” Silver said. “Mr. Sterling may not attend any NBA games or practices. He may not be present at any Clippers facility. He may not participate in any business or player personnel decisions involving the team. He will also be barred from attending NBA Board of Governors meetings or participating in any other league activity... I will urge the Board of Governors to exercise its authority to force the sale of the team, I will do everything in my power to ensure that that happens. … I fully expect to get the support I need from the other NBA owners.”

The biggest argument I've seen against the punishment is that "This is America, and we have free speech." That is true, this is America, you can legally say whatever you want to say. I actually saw someone post, "This is America. We can hate who we want and like who we want. We can even publicly speak out against the people we hate." It is true. You can talk about how much you hate people until you are blue in the face and the American government can not do anything to you.

However, this situation is completely different. Mr. Sterling represents an organization. That organization has a reputation to uphold, as well as ideals that it feels the need to stand up for. The NBA is one of the most respected sports organizations when it comes to racial equality, and the treatment of minorities in the organization. As an organization the NBA has the freedom to only associate with people who hold to their same values. Free speech does not mean you cannot get fired or punished for expressing your beliefs by your employer. It means that you cannot be thrown in jail for expressing your beliefs.

As a pastor, there are things that I could say that would most assuredly get me fired from my job. Rightfully so. I'm glad that we live in an America that sees injustice and fights it. I hope that Mr. Sterling learns from his mistakes, and really does some soul searching through this process. The whole thing is a sad day for America, for the NBA, and for equality.

Introduction

I tend to have a lot of opinions. Most of my opinions are formed through life circumstances, my understanding of Scripture, and my American upbringing. My goal is to challenge myself, and my readers to look at issues in a way that may be different from that they are used to, and to examine Scripture, current events, and historical events in a way that enlightens us, and expands our current understandings.

Hope you enjoy!