IT'S NOT A MISTAKE

I’ve never been a fan of the Duggar’s reality show “19 Kids and Counting.” However, living in Arkansas it’s hard not to be aware of the show and what it is about. This week, a disturbing story emerged from the Duggar family. The eldest son, 27 year old Josh, had been involved in serious sexual misconduct when he was 14 years old. He has admitted that at the time he fondled the breasts and genitals of five underage girls while they were sleeping, some of whom were his sisters.

By itself this is disturbing enough, but the ensuing cover-up is even worse. The incidents occurred in 2003 and did not come to the knowledge of law enforcement until 2006. By that time no legal action could be taken because the statute of limitations had expired. The police reports and other information remained buried until In Touch Weekly blew up the story in an article this week.

Ironically, Josh was a part of the FRC, Family Research Council, but stepped down in light of the charges. He had been an outspoken advocate of the traditional family and the care of children in this role. According to FRC President Tony Perkins, the organization had no knowledge of Josh’s illegal actions previously.

Here’s where it gets really messed up. Father Jim Bob Duggar took Josh to the elders of the church and shared with them what happened when the incidents first occurred. Still at this point nothing was officially reported to the authorities. In the state of Arkansas, this is in and of itself an illegal act. Let me explain. Under Arkansas law certain people are “mandated reporters” which means they are required by law to immediately notify the Child Abuse Hotline when they have reasonable suspicion that a child has been abused, has died due to abuse or when they observe a child in conditions or circumstances that could reasonably result in abuse. These mandated reporters may face both criminal and civil charges if they fail to report the abuse, and this includes child care workers, day care center workers, clergy and individuals reasonably believed to be clergy.

The elders are the church leaders. Typically, the pastor himself is counted among this group. Therefore, these elders willingly and knowingly broke the law to protect one of their church members from the consequences of his illegal actions. Josh Duggar’s illegal actions were effectively hidden until the statute of limitations ran out and he could no longer face criminal charges for what he had done.

How do his parents feel about this? From their Facebook page Jim Bob and Michelle write, “When Josh was a young teenager, he made some very bad mistakes and we were shocked.” That’s how they categorize it: “mistakes.” Here’s the deal – when you are adding 2 + 2 and you get 5, that’s a mistake. When you spell a word wrong, that’s a mistake. When you take the wrong exit getting off the freeway, that’s a mistake. Molesting five underage girls is not a mistake – that’s a crime.

What bothers me most about the entire post from the Duggars on their Facebook page is that they focus on themselves and Josh. The parents say it was a tough time for their family. Josh says it almost ruined his life. What about the families and lives of the girls who were molested? They say Josh apologized and that he asked for and received forgiveness. That is wonderful. We need to forgive those who hurt us. Jesus forgives us for our sins. However, that does not exclude us from punishment under the law of the land. I know people in prison right now doing serious time for committing the same types of crime. The most difficult ministry I have in jail is dealing with sex offenders. I have 4 daughters, and it’s hard for me to look at those individuals and understand the reason they would sexually abuse another person. I’ve counseled those who have been sexually abused and it leaves mental and emotional scars for life.

My question is this – should Josh Duggar get a pass because he is a Christian? Because his parents have their own reality show? The answer is a resounding “No!” What boggles my mind is how Christian fans of the show are circling their wagons around Josh and the family and defending them from criticisms.

Imagine this – a reality TV show of a same sex couple who have adopted a dozen children and are raising them. Then, a shocking story reveals that one of their children molested some of his siblings and other children when he was a teenager. Do you think Christians would rally around this family? They’d skewer them and crucify them in the news and on social media. This is called a double standard. This is called hypocrisy. This. Is. NOT. Right!

Josh Duggar should be a registered sex offender for his actions. Josh Duggar should have had to face a judge for the crimes he committed. The elders of his church should have to face legal charges for covering up his crimes. None of that will happen. But we cannot give Josh a pass. We can forgive him, but we must make sure this is not simply swept under the rug and excused so lightly.

Christians are so quick to boycott things they find offensive. I just wonder if any will boycott “19 Kids and Counting”? How many will keep viewing and just agree, “Well, Josh was just a young boy who made a mistake.” It was not a mistake. It was a crime. It was an offense to God and to the law of our state and nation. He has forgiveness from God through the blood of Christ, but he escaped the debt he owed society for these crimes. The crimes alone were despicable, but the most inexcusable part of all is the cover up by Josh and his family. It reminds me of some of my favorite words of Jesus:

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)

Truth is an intrinsic part of being a Christ follower. Sometimes truth hurts, but as believers we must uphold it in all situations. Our failures can be forgiven, but we should never deny the implications of covering up the truth. I know many will quote to me, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). I respond with these words from the Apostle Paul:

“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people – not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. ‘Expel the wicked person from among you.’” (1 Corinthians 5:9-13 NIV)

The church is a place for the truth to be revealed, not covered up. Sometimes that means we must face the harsh realities and consequences of our actions. We can forgive others because of our citizenship in Heaven, but we must remember we are still citizens of this land as well:

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Romans 13:1 NIV)

Josh and his family skirted around the governing authorities in this circumstance. The only reason law enforcement did not pursue prosecution was because the statute of limitations prevented them. I can forgive Josh and his family, but that does not mean I have to trust them. One real lesson to learn here in our celebrity Christian culture is that people will always disappoint us. The Lord Jesus Christ will never disappoint us.

[Appendix 5-23-15:
I know some people who read my blog about Josh Duggar think I was harsh. I've read it again, and it certainly captured my anger at the situation. I do want to clarify this. As Christians we must forgive Josh and his family. That is our calling. We must love them - they are part of our family through the blood of Christ. Forgiveness is something I struggle with a lot. Especially when it comes to sexual crime and particularly those involving children. I have to take a really deep breath, pray hard, and put my Jesus glasses on to minister to sexual offenders in jail. But this is what I have found. Ultimately, they are broken people, just like me and just like you. Broken in another way, maybe, but equally loved and forgiven by a great and mighty savior. I wish I could be as unconditionally forgiving as Jesus. He is still working on me with that. I wish I didn't have a hair trigger with anger on certain issues - he is still working with me on that too. Reconciliation and Restoration are two integral parts of the Gospel. That is how we should treat those caught in sin. Trust though always has to be earned, and once it's wounded, it can be very slow to heal. We live in a society with punitive justice. That means we punish people for crimes by incarcerating them for certain periods of time, and in extreme cases by executing them. I believe we need to focus more on restorative justice, because that is the Jesus way, the New Testament way. That means restoring broken lives and broken relationships through a process of restoration and reparation. I am glad that in our new County Jail we will have facilities to do more of that. I am glad that it sounds like the Duggars have tried to pursue this route. I am still angered and outraged by what happened, but I love them and accept them as my extended family in Christ. I hope that adds more balance to my response. I'm going to add this as an appendix to my blog as well. Thank you all who have commented and spoken with me about this issue. That dialogue can lead to great growth in our spiritual life and our church life.]

Range Review: The Charter Arms Bulldog .44

When I started up this blog I wanted to focus on a bigger variety of things than just religious topics. The Deep End is about things I deeply love and feel deeply passionate about. Faith issues just happen to be one of the biggies. But today I want to take a break from that and look at one of my other passions: guns. When the zombie apocalypse hits, the two things I’m grabbing off my shelf as I run to the hills from the hordes of undead are my Bible and my Bulldog .44. Those two things are keys to survival for me – if I have the canon and the cannon I can make it.

Barry and the Bulldog

My brother-in-law Barry and I loaded up and headed out to The Gun Cave Indoor Firing Range with my Charter Arms Bulldog .44 along with a box of Winchester .44 Special 240 grain flat nose and a box of Hornady Cirtical Defense 165 grain FTX. I want to start with a review of the Gun Cave since it was our first visit there.

The Gun Cave is owned by Jan Morgan who is an ardent 2^nd Amendment supporter and highly educated critic of Islam. She made national headlines by banning Muslims from her shooting range last year. Although the mainstream media wants us to believe Morgan is some sort of nutty right-wing extremist Islamophobe full of hate and intolerance, I’d like to clarify that she is nothing like that. It was cool to actually meet her and her husband and get to visit with them at the range. Jan is just someone with a passion for America and the fundamental freedoms found in our Constitution. Nothing nutty at all. Barry and I were actually a little star-struck after getting to meet her and talk briefly with her.

The service at The Gun Cave was excellent. They have seven shooting lanes and you can rent eye and ear protection cheaply and they also have an assortment of inexpensive targets for shooting. The atmosphere is laid back, and they even have a nice lounge area if you want to just hang out. One thing we did not check out on this visit was their virtual firing range which sounded really good, especially for some tactical training for personal defense. Membership is a requirement but it is only a $15 charge and requires a minimal amount of paperwork (one page) to fill out. Within 15 minutes of arriving, we were on the range.

The Gun Cave range runs out to 25 yards and you can fire anything up to a .50 caliber there. The Bulldog is not so much a target pistol as a defense weapon, so we set our target up at seven yards which is the distance used to qualify for a concealed carry license. We started with the 240 grain Winchester rounds.

Charter Arms Model 74420 Stainless Standard .44 Special

The Bulldog is a lightweight revolver for such a big bore. It comes in just around 20 ounces empty. It has a good balanced feel in the hand, with a comfortable set of grips. I have the model 74420 StainlessStandard which has an exposed hammer so you can fire double action or single action. In my hand the revolver feels well balanced and just the right size for me. I did have some concerns about recoil, but after burning through a cylinder of the Winchester rounds I found it totally manageable. With a tight, two handed grip I experienced only a minor amount of muzzle flip that made it quick and easy to re-acquire the target between shots. At 7 yards it was easy to maintain tight shot groups.

I did most of my firing with double action and found the trigger pull lighter than expected. It was comfortable to cycle and didn’t leave my trigger finger feeling wore out at all. In single action mode I found accuracy a little better but felt the trigger to be almost too light of a pull for my comfort level. We burned through a 50 round box of the Winchester flat nose and found the Bulldog nothing but fun to shoot.

Next we moved onto the Hornady Critical Defense rounds. I had a little trepidation about how these would impact the shooting of the Bulldog. The Winchester rounds leave the muzzle at about 750 fps whereas the 165 grain Hornady round kicks out at 900 fps. I found my concern unnecessary as the felt recoil with the Hornady rounds differed extremely little from the Winchester rounds. The sound and muzzle flash were definitely greater, and a “wump” of pressure from the Bulldog was more noticeable. It still was comfortable to fire. We went through 4 cylinders (20 rounds) of the Hornady and then called it a day.

Overall I loved the Bulldog. It was everything I hoped it would be. I am a revolver person and it exceeded all of my expectations. My goal was to find a weapon that would be easy to carry, have an intimidating profile and offer excellent stopping power at short range. The Bulldog definitely fills all of these criteria perfectly. If the Bulldog has any shortcomings it is the capacity of only 5 rounds. However, I prefer the reliability and safety of a revolver, and if I ever need more than 5 rounds for self-defense I am in big trouble anyway.

Me (Randy) on the left and my range buddy/bro-in-law Barry

My three recommendations from this experience (plus one bonus):

1. The Charter Arms Bulldog is a great revolver. Chambered in .44 special it presents an intimidating muzzle and is easy to handle and has great stopping power. The only disadvantage is the five round capacity.
2. The Hornady Critical Defense rounds offer a great design for personal defense. The only disadvantage here is price – I don’t want to burn through too many of them at the range but do it enough to be familiar with how they handle.
3.  The Gun Cave Indoor Firing Range is a great place to go to spend some time with your firearms and fellow shooters. No disadvantages here at all.
4. I also wanted to give props to the crew at Arego's Guns where I purchased my Bulldog. They gave me a great price on a great firearm with great service.

THE GUTLESS GOSPEL: Part 1 - Introduction

Something’s always bothered me about Jesus and the Gospel. Well, not the REAL Jesus and not the REAL Gospel. It’s the Jesus and the Gospel you find in the modern church, in the media, in movies and paintings and little statues and songs. It’s the long haired hippy looking metrosexual Jesus wearing a perfectly pressed white robe cuddling a lamb in one arm, flashing a peace sign with his other hand while spouting comforting, politically correct platitudes with just the hint of an aristocratic British accent. It’s a gutless Gospel failing to confront and offering only comfort – an “I’m okay, you’re okay” self-help, self-aggrandizing, selfish Gospel more about me than HIM. It’s Dr. Phil and a comfy couch with a lot of positive affirmation psycho-babble instead of a tough as nails Savior getting nailed on a cross and bleeding out in brutal agony to atone for sins I committed. It’s a “Bobby McFerrin” Jesus skipping along singing “Don’t worry, be happy” instead of a fiery eyed iconoclast shouting, “You snakes! You brood of vipers!” at the religious leaders of his day.

In all of this we have lost a key element of the narrative –

Jesus. Had. GUTS.

He was a man. Not just any man, but the God-man. Fully God. Fully man. Crazy right? He left the pain free, tear free, glorious, magnificent perfection of heaven to step foot into the painful, tear stained, horrific, grimy, fallen world we call home. Why? “No pain, no gain.” He chose to suffer in my place, in your place, for my sin and your sin so that we might gain salvation, mercy, grace, eternal life and one day experience the glory of his home. You know what that takes? GUTS!

Think about it. When he took the journey from heaven to earth he knew his destination was the cross. He knew he would experience the most incredibly sadistic form of execution ever devised by man. It was so devastating and painful that the etymology of the word “excruciating” traces its origins back to the Latin word the Romans coined to describe its overwhelming intensity. He volunteered for it! He manned up and said, “I’ll take the cross. I’ll take the nails. I’ll suffer incredible agony willingly.” And get this, why did he do it? Well that’s the most manly, gutsy, macho reason of all. Because he loves ME. Because he loves YOU. It takes a REAL man to show REAL love.

We get it wrong all the time. We think “real men” don’t go around talking about love and forgiveness and other “sissy” stuff. It takes a real man to look somebody in the eye and say, “I love you.” It takes a real man to fix an unblinking stare on his most vile enemy and say, “I love you. I forgive you.” You know what that is? Guts. It’s a Savior and Messiah and King with guts preaching a Gospel full of guts to a bunch of gutless people blinded to the truth by their own self-righteousness. That’s why the Gutless Gospel offends me so much – it is the absolute antithesis of what Jesus taught and preached.

I want to take a journey with you through the pages of Scripture and look at some of the gutsiest things the Lord Jesus Christ ever did. I want to shred the pages of the Gutless Gospel and burn them until only ashes remain. I want to explore the true Gospel of the gutsy Jesus and find hope, inspiration and courage from its timeless narrative. Will you join me?