Slice of Laodicea

Following the news today of the nude photos and Miss Prejean’s defense of her lingerie and swimsuit modeling that produced equally pornographic photos online overnight, the official YouTube video posted by Liberty University of Miss California’s appearance in chapel has been removed. A separately posted video remains.

In a short while, I will be part of a panel discussion of this issue on a major news channel. Watching several videos of news coverage of these things today, I can say that this whole incident has brought much shame on the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Christian leaders who have promoted her and vaulted her to the status of Christian heroine and leader are now in the position of being openly ridiculed—not because of Jesus, but because of the woman they chose as their new poster girl.

It is a tragedy for Carrie. If she truly knows Christ, she is poorly taught and in real need of discipleship and mentoring by older Christian women in the faith. Instead, she was given the spotlight and a role she was not ready for. Also, just as fast as she was embraced and used by many of these groups, she risks now being dropped due to the appearance of these shameful photos, both those from the past and those she defends in her “Christian” modeling. Welcome to the evangelical celebrity circuit where souls and hearts don’t matter as much as an effective PR blitz for the “cause.” People are expendable.

Friends, as believers, our cause is the honor and glory of our Savior, King Jesus. The haste with which the present Religious Right leadership jumped on the bandwagon is resulting in unnecessary additional ridicule and mockery of Christianity. We didn’t need this. The cause of Jesus Christ did not need this.

Please pray that I will have the chance to honor the name of Christ in this interview. There are only seconds to speak in these situations. Ironically, the “other side” is a conservative talk show host.