Transcription
Uh, okay. So, uh, this was something I read on Fox News, and I'm going to read it as it was written, not the way Fox News posted it. Fox News posted an article titled, "Country singer goes viral for enraged reaction to ICE raids, calling out Christians supporting deportations. Brian Andrews is a is a country music uh musician and apparently he's on Spotify, so you can check him out on Spotify.
Uh this article goes on to say that Brian Andrews accused ICE of separating families without warrants in video with over 1 million views. So there's a video that he posted and let me bring him up. There he is there. Um damn good day. Anyway, there's a video that he posted. I think it's in his car or his truck where he goes off. He goes absolutely off in particular on Christians. And and and here's what he here's what he has to say.
He says, "And the worst part is I got to watch some of y'all cheering it on like you were watching a [ __ ] football game. And then the cherry on top of it all, I gotta sit here and listen to y'all call yourselves Christians. [ __ ] You don't get to call yourself a Christian and advocate and [ __ ] laugh when families are torn apart outside of courouses uh outside of courouses of people trying to get here the right ways. He goes on, "You don't get to call yourself a Christian and think it's okay that the highest court in the [ __ ] land just gave the green light to ICE agents to be able to [ __ ] target people just because they are brown and speak or speak Spanish."
Now I want to say uh later on he goes on the article talks about him going back and and reconsidering his words where he says u after a long day of receiving unimaginable direct messages, comments, etc. I have since reflected on things quite a bit and I have prepared an official statement that I would like to issue at this time. I stand by every word I said.
Now, I've given this a little bit of thought. Uh I've given this a little bit of thought because again, he did he a million views. That's pretty impressive, right? That's good for him. He went off because not because not just because of what ICE was doing, but he went off and not just because Christians were were happy about what ICE was doing. what because Christians who were happy about what ICE was doing were hiding behind their Christianity, holding their Christianity up uh like it was um an excuse, like it was a rationale that that this is what they're supposed to do. And he's saying, "No, no, no, no. This is absolutely absolutely un unacceptable. How do you call yourself a Christian and yet laugh and cheer and carry on and support something that Jesus would be mortified by? How do you do it? How do you how do you as a Christian support, cheer, encourage, defend something that Jesus would find absolutely reprehensible."
Now, he does say you don't get to call yourself a Christian. I I'm going to I disagree with him there. No, they do get to call themselves Christians because being a Christian, being a Christian is about trying to follow Jesus. And in their way, I believe that they are they do believe that they are following Jesus. I believe that they believe they are doing the things that are necessary for them to be Christians. I just don't believe they've ever been taught what it truly means to be a Christian. I don't believe they've been taught what it mean the depth of what it means to be a Christian.
I I think maybe for them they have been taught they've been raised in in a situation. They've been raised in a context where being a Christian means going to church on Sunday and maybe a Bible study on Wednesday, playing for the church softball team. Uh going to the barbecue every once a year. Uh maybe volunteering in the Sunday school or or acting as an usher, as a greeter at the door. that that's they believe being a Christian happens. I I would believe I would bet that they believe being a Christian means that that they vote conservative Republican that they uh see the world through that particular lens and that they are in church on Sunday mornings that their butts are parked in the pews on Sunday mornings and that they they give a little bit of their time to their co to their church to their congregation and for them that's what it means to be a Christian.
For the rest of the world, it looks like they are a Christian by profession speaking, right? We believe in Jesus Christ, son of God. They may, you know, they might even be able to say, I I believe everything of the of the apostles creed, right? I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontious Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. I believe in the Holy Spirit. Holy. They probably wouldn't say Catholic Church. The communion of saints. The They might not say that one either. Let's skip that last part. But you get what I'm saying. I believe that they believe. I believe that they believe they are Christians because they profess Jesus to be Lord and Savior. But the fruits of the spirit are not evident in their life. Right? the the the the signs that they are following Christ uh are not are not easily visibly evident but for the for the rest of the world in their words in their actions in their behaviors outside of outside of the church for us to see and this is I think ultimately the thing that he's most angry with these people stand up and claim to have a superior morality because they're Christians, that they hold the the moral high ground when in fact they do not.
They they claim to they claim to hold a a moral high ground by virtue of the fact that they profess Jesus as Lord, but exhibit no uh show no indication to us that they are living as though Jesus is Lord. You know, many many are taught that that being a Christian is is simply a matter of the profession of your faith. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God? Do you believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins? And and yes, I was taught that, right? I was taught that. Believing that Jesus is Lord should, I hate that word, but it should. It should translate to us living as though Jesus is Lord. It should translate to us living as though the things that Jesus said mattered. that it it should translate that the things that Jesus called us to are things that we are aspiring to. It it should translate if I'm going to stand here and say Jesus is Lord of my life, savior of my life, Jesus is the son of God, then that should translate into very visible behaviors, words, actions, sentiments. It should translate into changed understandings, uh changed viewpoint. I should see everybody as my brother and sister. And you should be able to see that in me. And I I should have a special place in my heart for the poor. And you should see that in my behavior. And and I should believe that I'm supposed to take care of everyone, including strangers. And you should see that in my behavior. I should believe that I'm supposed to live a sacrificial life and you should see that in my behavior. Yes, being a Christian, part of being a Christian is about professing Jesus to be Lord. But if I say he is Lord of my life, then by God I should be acting like it.
those laughing because people's families are being torn apart, happy that people's lives are being shattered. That's not a That's not a Christian understanding. That's not a That's not one of Jesus's ways. I hope they understand and I hope we all understand that if we're going to call ourselves Christian, then the world has an expectation that they see Christ in us because the world's getting really, really, really sick and tired of people professing to be Christians who are showing no signs that Jesus as Lord has caused any change in their lives. They they they are getting really really sick of people who are hiding behind the cross, who are using their faith as an excuse for their behaviors while at the exact same time that that the Lord Jesus is having no impact on their attitudes and their actions and their words. We profess Jesus as Lord. But again, that's supposed to mean something. And it should it should in time lead to the world being able to see changes in our behavior and changes in our ways. The world should see evidence that the spirit of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit of God is at work within us. They should see the fruit being produced. They should see us growing ever more loving, ever more gentle, ever more merciful, ever more compassionate, ever more patient, ever more forgiving. ever more persistent. They should see us becoming ever more desirous to help those around us, ever more willing to give of ourselves.
I think what we see in Mr. Brian's rant in his in his viral expletativefilled rant. I think I think we hear the world saying we're tired of you. We're tired of hearing you claim to be a follower of this great man while at the exact same time doing absolutely nothing to exhibit his life to be him in this world to be like him in this world. Apart from the preaching thing, most Christians have the preaching thing. We are happy happy to preach to everyone everywhere all the time about what we think and about how they should live. Yeah, we've got that part down. But now the world wants to see us in action, too. They want to see Jesus's love being poured out. Amen.