How Christians Should Respond to the Olympic Opening Ceremony

We live in the age of outrage. The source of the ire this week? The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, which included a modern recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting of The Last Supper - featuring drag queen performers.

Or did it? Yes! No! Blah, blah, blah.

As you can imagine, this controversy is anything but straightforward. No one seems to agree on exactly what the scene in question was attempting to convey.

I wasted far too much time yesterday trying to “prove” that they did in fact intend to depict and ultimately mock the Last Supper.

I’m done trying.

What’s more fruitful is to examine what this event says about culture, and more importantly, how followers of Jesus should conduct themselves in a world that is increasingly hostile to its values.

This will not be the last time Christianity is a target of criticism, parody, or outright persecution.

In light of that, I wanted to offer three thoughts for how we can be ready and Christ-honoring when it happens.
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1. Don’t be shocked; we were warned.

‍Happiness equals expectations minus reality. This is a very useful cliche. The best of life requires a sober assessment of its inherent difficulty. Nothing good is easy. If this is true of climbing mountains, marriage, and frankly just being a human being, then of course this is true for Christ-followers.

In fact, following Jesus is the most difficult, narrowest road - the path of greatest resistance.

Jesus warned us it would be. He said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

We are foreigners in this world, and our values will always clash with the non-believing world around us. Of course we get mocked, criticized, and persecuted. We were told this would happen. Knowing this should properly calibrate our expectations. We can take a step back, lower our blood pressure, and ask, “How does Jesus want me to respond?” 

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2. Be the right kind of angry.

‍Whenever Christians are outraged en masse, there are always the eye-rollers among us who deride the response as petulant and unsophisticated.

In condescending tones, they’ll quip, “Calm down. You must not understand art.”

Others appeal to the tender sides of Jesus to promote a more passive response to criticism. They emphasize the need to “turn the other cheek” and focus instead on being loving and merciful.

I reject either extreme.

When Jesus is mocked or when our faith is attacked and maligned, we should be angry.

If you mock or criticize someone in my family or a close friend, I’m coming for you. You will get the full weight of my anger - and I’ll ask for forgiveness later. But for some reason, when it comes to God - the one to whom I owe my very life - I am supposed to just dismiss derision as “art”? Nope.

When God is mocked, I should be angry - but not all anger is equal.

James 1:19 says, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

Notice James does not say, “Don’t become angry.” He says, “Be slow in becoming angry.” Apathy is a sin, godly anger is not. Attacks against God should make us mad, but our response should be slow, love-fueled, and properly focused - on the sin, not the people.

This is everything that social media fights are not. 
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3. Don’t forget the goal.

‍Ultimately, our goal is to share the love and light of Jesus with a broken and dying world. We do this not as finished products, but as unworthy recipients of grace, sharing the good news of this gift with others.

Under no circumstances are we permitted to be unloving, unkind, and self-righteous.

Period.

Nothing angered Jesus more than the Pharisees, so it’s safer to not model ourselves after them.

We don’t fight fire with fire. We allow God to break our hearts, we respond with desperate prayer, and we devote ourselves to boldly sharing the truth.

Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin posted to 1.1 million Instagram followers the following statement:

“What I have in Christ is far greater than what I have or don’t have in life. I pray my journey may be a clear depiction of submission and obedience to God. Even when it doesn’t make sense, even when it doesn’t seem possible. He will make a way out of no way. Not for my own gratification, but for His glory.”

Let’s not get distracted by impulsive anger and useless internet fights. Let’s focus on what matters, and like Sydney, use the platforms we’ve been given to tell the truth.

The world is dark, and we need to respond, but as the Apostle Paul instructs, “Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.”

If we do this, we'll make a real difference.