You Can’t Say That On Television

Growing up I always liked going to my grandmother’s house because she had cable and they had a show on Nickelodeon called “You Can’t Do That On Television.”  The primary gags were someone saying “I don’t know,” in which that person would get covered in slime, and “Water” which would get you covered in water.

Right now, those kinds of gags seem desirable to the media firestorm surrounding Brit Hume’s suggestion that Tiger Woods could find redemption through Christianity.

Is Hume Right?

I’m not a scholar on Buddhism, but I do know a lot about Christianity.  I know that the core tenant of Christianity is that man has sinned and needs a Savior.  God provided His Son to come take the penalty for that sin so that there can be redemption.  Regardless of what other beliefs that are attached¹ to this foundational truth, this is the Christian message.

Also key to the Christian message is the idea that the salvation that you have received you should share—so that others may as well.

So here we have a man who has a faith that has helped him who is asked what could be done about another man in a problem.  Hume would have been a mean or a hypocrite if he believed he had an answer and did not share it.  In part, that’s what these commentators are supposed to do—share what they think about different topics.

Was It The Wrong Place?

A lot of secular and even some religious pundits have suggested that it was wrong for Hume to state what he believed—that the news is somehow bigger than personal religious beliefs, or that they must be secular.  Many of those that oppose Fox News as an opinion outlet instead of a new outlet focus on his comments as a way to cast more dispersion on them.

I start to wonder just what has caused all these people to be up in arms about this statement—especially those that claim to share his beliefs.  Could it be…

1. Shame

Many Christians like to hide their faith—choosing not to talk about it, and so when Brit Hume takes the opportunity and has no fear it makes other Christians feel like they should have said something.  It points the finger at them and asks them if they are hypocrites.

2. Un-Genuine

Why is this the first time that I have heard of his faith?  I know that Fred Barnes (part of the Fox All-Stars that is on his show) is known to be a believer, and in my watching of his show I didn’t know that he shared Fred’s faith.  Could it be that people cannot process what they thought about the man and what he said?

3. Shock

Because we do not hear public media figures talking like this, is it possible that because he was willing to say something (and perhaps others would but are fearful for their job) that it’s cast the profession into something less than what is was.

4. Christianity is Passé

It’s popular to trash Christianity.  It’s seen as a mark of intelligence not to believe in God and to be secular.  Christians are unintelligent, backward, and certainly not our leaders.  So when someone that is a respected newsman comes out as a Christian—it’s worse than coming out as a homosexual.  It’s almost a “how dare he?”

Whatever the case, it’s brought forward some very interesting articles about the topic and it has caused me to think about my faith and my witness.  Would we feel just as free to talk about our faith as this man did on national television?  How would we take the criticism?

I think this man needs our prayer.

1. I believe that there are others that are important, but not for the sake of this discussion. [↩]