Of the World
This is one I meant to blog yesterday, but I did not get to, so here it goes...
I read in the paper (front page, "Sentinel Exclusive" news) the headline, Bishop nixes Trinity Prep play. Well, that intrigued me, so I read on. Turns out the Bishop that they are referring to is our Bishop from our former denomination, and the play he nixed was...are you ready for this..."La Cage aux Folles".
Are you kidding me???
I'm as liberal as you can get and be a Christian at the same time, but you must be kidding me. La Cage aux Folles? Let me give those of you who are not familiar with La Cage, as it is referred to, it's brief synopsis, as printed in the Sentinel. The show is about a homosexual couple. "In the show, one partner runs a French nightclub and the other performs there as a drag queen. Their life is upended when one man's son brings home his fiancee and her ultra-conservative parents." It is the show that the movie "The Birdcage" is based on.
I'm not even sure where to start on this one. Trinity Prep is just that, a Preparatory school (that people pay a LOT of money for). It is one of the best schools in our area. It is decidedly Christian, as evidenced by the name "Trinity" and is part of the Episcopal diocese of Central FL. It is meant to prepare kids for their future, yes, and that future is going to involve showing love for people of all different backgrounds and persuasions, BUT it is also meant to prepare them for being "in the world, not OF the world". It is NOT meant to prepare them to play the role of drag queen or his nightclub owning lover or to prepare them to think that there is something wrong with being "ultra-conservative" as the world defines it as long as those conservative views come from Biblical truths.
Let's looks at those truths for a moment, shall we? In creation, God ended each day with "and it was good" until He got to man. Then He said for the first time, "It is NOT good that man should be alone, so I will create for him a help-meet." A help-meet; one who is PERFECTLY suited to meet the needs of the other to bring completeness to both. And that's when He created Eve, NOT Steve. God created woman for man. That is the bottom line. To engage in activity contrary to that truth is sin, plain and simple. And now we have a group of impressionable high schoolers portraying people living in a sinful lifestyle without repentance, while simultaneously others are portraying the ultra-conservative in-laws who are painted as bigots for thinking the gay lifestyle is wrong. And what message are these youngsters to take away from that? What statement is Trinity Prep trying to make to the people from the community who will come to see this production?
It is appalling to me that ANY high school would consider producing Le Cage given it's open sexual overtones. And even more disgusting that teens would actually be cast to play these roles. But to hear that at CHRISTIAN high school was planning on doing this? Something is seriously wrong there.
The director of the show, Janine Papin, deserves to be fired. Here are her comments about choosing La Cage. She chose the show "to push the limits so that there are very few shows that are off-limits for kids because of sexual orientation or because of religious differences or whatever it is." And she has a job at a CHRISTIAN school? Sometimes apostasy doesn't have to creep in, we give it the key. For high schoolers in general, and Christian high schoolers in particular, there certainly should be a plethora of shows off limits because of sexual orientation and religious differences. Jesus is crystal clear. He is the way, the Truth, and the life, and NO ONE will come to the Father but through him. He says to repent and turn away from your sin, not debate how big a sin it is, question whether it's really a sin if you are "born that way", or worry that calling a sin a sin might offend others. Plainly speaking, it should offend them. Sin occurs literally when we miss the mark, and missing the mark should not be acceptable. We should LOVE THE SINNER, but HATE THE SIN, not celebrate it and seek for people to be more accepting of it. What's next at this school? A viewing of Nicholas Cage in "Leaving Las Vegas"? A production of "Mrs. Robinson"? Maybe a "Faces of Death" video marathon. What other sins can we celebrate? Does a hooker come to career day? A drug dealer? We must TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY THEY SHOULD GO, not teach them to accept sin to save someone's feelings. When we teach acceptance, we gain a friend in the world, but lose a soul for our Creator.
Applause to the Bishop, who only found out about the show by reading about it in the newspaper. He did what is difficult to do, but what needed to be done. He gets a bad rap in the diocese for being excessively conservative, but he is "spot on" with this one.
And a nod to the headmaster, whose grievous err in judgement allowed the production to move forward (with a PG 13 label on the advertising posters) but who did what was right in the end by halting the production days before it opened.
Total disbelief at the mother who said that her child was "absolutely furious" about the cancellation, and she (the mother) says, "I would like to see the show go on. It has absolutely nothing to do with the Bishop. I don't think it has anything to do with the church". Hopefully her child will end up with a better spiritual education than she has. To spend the money on a Christian school and then think a play about unrepentant sin has nothing to do with the church...well, that's why I homeschool.
As a follow up, I saw today that several local theatres have stepped in and offered a venue if the school board decides that the show cannot be performed in the school's auditorium. Good for them to be so civic-minded. Horrible for the director to even consider taking them up in it. This is not about freedom of speech. As Americans we have that in spades, and I certainly think that the play, performed by an adult theatre troop should be allowed in our country. But the Bible also tells us that this in NOT our home. We are citizens of a different realm entirely. We are temples of a holy God. We are entitled as Americans to all our "rights" but called as Christians to give up those rights so that we don't cause others to stumble. All is permissible, but all is NOT profitable. We are called to be "little Christs" and I just don't see Him in "drag". The thought is ludicrous. So is the idea that a Christian school would even consider staging Le Cage aux Folles.
until tomorrow,
obm
I read in the paper (front page, "Sentinel Exclusive" news) the headline, Bishop nixes Trinity Prep play. Well, that intrigued me, so I read on. Turns out the Bishop that they are referring to is our Bishop from our former denomination, and the play he nixed was...are you ready for this..."La Cage aux Folles".
Are you kidding me???
I'm as liberal as you can get and be a Christian at the same time, but you must be kidding me. La Cage aux Folles? Let me give those of you who are not familiar with La Cage, as it is referred to, it's brief synopsis, as printed in the Sentinel. The show is about a homosexual couple. "In the show, one partner runs a French nightclub and the other performs there as a drag queen. Their life is upended when one man's son brings home his fiancee and her ultra-conservative parents." It is the show that the movie "The Birdcage" is based on.
I'm not even sure where to start on this one. Trinity Prep is just that, a Preparatory school (that people pay a LOT of money for). It is one of the best schools in our area. It is decidedly Christian, as evidenced by the name "Trinity" and is part of the Episcopal diocese of Central FL. It is meant to prepare kids for their future, yes, and that future is going to involve showing love for people of all different backgrounds and persuasions, BUT it is also meant to prepare them for being "in the world, not OF the world". It is NOT meant to prepare them to play the role of drag queen or his nightclub owning lover or to prepare them to think that there is something wrong with being "ultra-conservative" as the world defines it as long as those conservative views come from Biblical truths.
Let's looks at those truths for a moment, shall we? In creation, God ended each day with "and it was good" until He got to man. Then He said for the first time, "It is NOT good that man should be alone, so I will create for him a help-meet." A help-meet; one who is PERFECTLY suited to meet the needs of the other to bring completeness to both. And that's when He created Eve, NOT Steve. God created woman for man. That is the bottom line. To engage in activity contrary to that truth is sin, plain and simple. And now we have a group of impressionable high schoolers portraying people living in a sinful lifestyle without repentance, while simultaneously others are portraying the ultra-conservative in-laws who are painted as bigots for thinking the gay lifestyle is wrong. And what message are these youngsters to take away from that? What statement is Trinity Prep trying to make to the people from the community who will come to see this production?
It is appalling to me that ANY high school would consider producing Le Cage given it's open sexual overtones. And even more disgusting that teens would actually be cast to play these roles. But to hear that at CHRISTIAN high school was planning on doing this? Something is seriously wrong there.
The director of the show, Janine Papin, deserves to be fired. Here are her comments about choosing La Cage. She chose the show "to push the limits so that there are very few shows that are off-limits for kids because of sexual orientation or because of religious differences or whatever it is." And she has a job at a CHRISTIAN school? Sometimes apostasy doesn't have to creep in, we give it the key. For high schoolers in general, and Christian high schoolers in particular, there certainly should be a plethora of shows off limits because of sexual orientation and religious differences. Jesus is crystal clear. He is the way, the Truth, and the life, and NO ONE will come to the Father but through him. He says to repent and turn away from your sin, not debate how big a sin it is, question whether it's really a sin if you are "born that way", or worry that calling a sin a sin might offend others. Plainly speaking, it should offend them. Sin occurs literally when we miss the mark, and missing the mark should not be acceptable. We should LOVE THE SINNER, but HATE THE SIN, not celebrate it and seek for people to be more accepting of it. What's next at this school? A viewing of Nicholas Cage in "Leaving Las Vegas"? A production of "Mrs. Robinson"? Maybe a "Faces of Death" video marathon. What other sins can we celebrate? Does a hooker come to career day? A drug dealer? We must TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY THEY SHOULD GO, not teach them to accept sin to save someone's feelings. When we teach acceptance, we gain a friend in the world, but lose a soul for our Creator.
Applause to the Bishop, who only found out about the show by reading about it in the newspaper. He did what is difficult to do, but what needed to be done. He gets a bad rap in the diocese for being excessively conservative, but he is "spot on" with this one.
And a nod to the headmaster, whose grievous err in judgement allowed the production to move forward (with a PG 13 label on the advertising posters) but who did what was right in the end by halting the production days before it opened.
Total disbelief at the mother who said that her child was "absolutely furious" about the cancellation, and she (the mother) says, "I would like to see the show go on. It has absolutely nothing to do with the Bishop. I don't think it has anything to do with the church". Hopefully her child will end up with a better spiritual education than she has. To spend the money on a Christian school and then think a play about unrepentant sin has nothing to do with the church...well, that's why I homeschool.
As a follow up, I saw today that several local theatres have stepped in and offered a venue if the school board decides that the show cannot be performed in the school's auditorium. Good for them to be so civic-minded. Horrible for the director to even consider taking them up in it. This is not about freedom of speech. As Americans we have that in spades, and I certainly think that the play, performed by an adult theatre troop should be allowed in our country. But the Bible also tells us that this in NOT our home. We are citizens of a different realm entirely. We are temples of a holy God. We are entitled as Americans to all our "rights" but called as Christians to give up those rights so that we don't cause others to stumble. All is permissible, but all is NOT profitable. We are called to be "little Christs" and I just don't see Him in "drag". The thought is ludicrous. So is the idea that a Christian school would even consider staging Le Cage aux Folles.
until tomorrow,
obm
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