“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8 NKJV

From mid-elementary school through high school, gym class was always a harrowing time for me. Being overweight made me an easy target in dodge ball. Relay races on the four-wheeled carts challenged my already awkward coordination skills. Chin-ups were impossible, and I was almost always in last place when it came to the mile run. But the one sport I did like, despite not being skilled at the parallel bars or balance beam, was gymnastics. And this love for gymnastics skyrocketed when I watched Mary Lou Retton, the Simone Biles of the 1980s, clinch the gold at the 1984 Olympics. Her flips on the vault and her landings on the balance beam were mesmerizing. But my all-time favorite event was watching her choreograph her tumbling, somersaults, and flips to music in the floor exercises.

In my high school gym class, we were challenged to create and perform a floor exercise as part of our grade. I may not have been able to do a cartwheel, and I certainly could not do a back flip, but I could do a mean front and back somersault, even if I wobbled a bit to the side. Despite never being able to qualify for the Olympics, or probably for any team, this opportunity thrilled me. It was a chance for me to choreograph my own movement to music and, for a moment, act like an Olympian. We had to plan our movements, pick a song, and practice. I don’t remember what song I picked, but it was probably my favorite boy band, Duran Duran, singing “Is There Something I Should Know” (don’t judge me, I had my walls covered with posters of them). Even though I don’t remember the song, I did practice often. And when my performance was done, and I threw my arms up in the air, I was proud of what I had done.

There is something about the Olympics that hooks its audience, including me. The stories of people realizing life-long dreams after many setbacks inspire me. Seeing different nations compete with one another, despite the differences and conflicts going on in the world, gives me hope that peace can be achieved. Seeing the utter joy of winners with their medals around their necks, while their nation’s anthem is being played, reminds me of my own moments of joy. Finally, the gratitude of losers, who realize just being able to compete was an elite opportunity, helps position me in a place of humility.

This year, rain drenched Paris during the highly anticipated Olympics opening ceremony. The artistic director put a lot of time and thought into portraying a unique Parisian history for the world to see. He incorporated works of literature, art, music, and landmarks to tell a story, along with recognizing the importance of the key contributions of Paris to society, including fashion, food, and history. Like Paris has always been, some of the story elements were a bit racy. The director decided to demonstrate the French belief that all are welcomed to the runway, despite your gender identification, your size, your disabilities, or your age. Overall, the story was enchanting, and the highlight of the evening was hearing Celine Dion sing “L’Hymne a l’amour” (“Hymn to Love”) after struggling with a rare debilitating illness. Her soprano voice evoked the triumphant feeling of the Olympics.

Immediately, social media was flooded with clips of various images from the ceremony as well as people expressing outrage over them. Screenshots of the runway scene were compared to Da Vinci’s Last Supper, believing it was the intent of the artist to mock Christians. People angrily called the French derogatory names and declared they would boycott the Olympics. Others said this was blasphemous and were outraged. Soon, other images were posted with people declaring that this was the sign of the Antichrist, pointing out possible Biblical references.

I intended to post a lighter blog this week. I’ll tease you a little bit, it has to do with Pickleball. I was almost done with the piece, but the angry, divisive posts about the Olympics provoked me to write another hard piece. It was reinforced when I was reminded by Pastor Mike Kemper in a message that following Sunday morning that EVERYONE is created in the image of God!

I have heard that the artistic director declared that the scene on the runway was supposed to depict a feast with Dionysus, based on another piece of artwork. They also had explanations about the artistic interpretations about the other imagery that some Christians found so offensive. Christians pushed back, declaring they had proof to the contrary. Some of their proof seems to have some validity. Various actors in the scene posted on social media that they were indeed mocking Christians. Either way, social media posts continued with vicious comments and suppositions.

I waited to hear some balanced reporting on the issue before formulating a complete opinion. I read a few articles and the response by the Catholic Church, who may have been the object of the mocking, not the American evangelical church. One such post came from a pastor I am unfamiliar with. Jacob Whitehead, on Facebook, said, “Christians that get online and spew hate towards unbelievers anger me much more than nonbelievers spewing hate towards my religion.” He went on to remind us that Jesus spent time with nonbelievers, people who were marginalized and despised by society. This Jesus asked the religious elite to cast a stone at the adulterous woman if they were without sin. The hypocrites threw their stones aside and walked away. This Jesus told parable after parable illustrating that He came to save that which was lost. Jesus went boldly to the houses of sinners, having dinner with them. The only time that Jesus expressed anger was when the religious elite acted like hypocrites.

I wonder where all the outrage is when some church leaders support sexual predators while blaming victims. I wonder where all the outrage is when children in our cities struggle with food insecurity, while some Christians leave cheap tips (or no tips!) after indulging in an expensive meal. I wonder where all the outrage is when credible research indicates that over 50% of the people in our church pews are addicted to porn while we focus all our energy on calling out how corrupt nonbeliever society is becoming.

Whitehead went on to say, “Jesus doesn’t need me to shout about sinners sinning. He wants me to shout about the hope and love they are missing out on.” I agree with Whitehead that shouting about sinners sinning is fruitless, but I don’t agree with his conclusion. I don’t think I should shout about anything. Instead, I need to quietly live my live for Jesus. This doesn’t mean I can’t be bold about sharing the gospel. It just means that living with integrity, hope, and compassion for others should result in others seeing a difference in my life, prompting questions that open the door for me to share my testimony. If I stay humble, I should have fruits in my life that exemplify the true nature of Jesus. Finally, if I am challenged, I hope my response doesn’t exercise religious hypocrisy.

I shouldn’t be surprised when Christians are mocked; Jesus himself was mocked and warned us to expect persecution. What should concern me more is when I mock others by minimizing their struggles, ignoring their feelings, and believing my interpretation of the world is the right one. I also need to be careful that I don’t align myself with those who mock others. Do I find myself in company with those that mock “childless cat ladies” or people of certain ethnic backgrounds? Or do I model Jesus’ life by being in fellowship with those who believe and act differently than me?

It’s been almost two weeks since the Olympic opening ceremony, and the fervor has died down, only to be replaced by new offenses and social media responses. With multiple ways to instantaneously respond to the latest hot button issue, it’s easy to get caught up in the drama. Paul reminds us in Philippians to focus our attention on things that are true, noble, pure, lovely, and of good report. This doesn’t mean we don’t speak out against injustice. Instead, it means we pause before responding, and then respond like true Christians. For me, that means I am not boycotting the Olympics. Instead, I rejoiced at the news when Simone Biles became the most decorated American Olympic gymnast ever!