Accidental Blogger

Funny how hateful people without a sense of humor always ask those who’ve offended them to apologize. When a group of evangelical filmmakers make a film about American missionaries killed by an indigenous tribe, whose relatives later convert and befriend the tribe, other evangelicals jump for joy, right? Wrong, when the filmmakers have the temerity of casting an openly gay actor in one of the lead roles. Instead, some evangelicals have taken the filmmakers, Every Tribe Entertainment, to task for their choice. Reverend Jason Janz, a Baptist minister in Denver, Colorado, has demanded that the filmmakers apologize. Demanding apologies from those who say or do things that are allegedly blasphemous.  Sounds…familiar, no?

But, perhaps you think Christian fundamentalists are somehow inherently less militant or violent than Muslim ones? Referring to the filmmakers, Kevin T. Bauder, president of Central Baptist Seminary in Minneapolis, wrote in his weblog (Jan. 13, nossobrii.blogspot.com):

"Granted, we must not overreact. And it would probably be an overreaction to firebomb these men’s houses. But what they have done is no mistake. It is a calculated strategy."

This is no way apologizes for violent Islamic stooges (or violent Israeli ones, or violent Hindu nationalists), but let’s get real: we can’t, as a country and culture, argue against Islamic fundamentalism out of one side of our mouth, while we tiptoe around or praise these elements in non-Islamic culture.

Compare and contrast the visuals accompanying this article with those accompanying the piece on the Danish cartoon protesters. Here we have a nice, low-frontal portrait of Rev. Janz, face exposed with a look of confident seriousness, hands in pockets: Concerned Dad. Just watch your back if Dad comes upon you kissing your same sex partner in a dark alley.