I fear we need to gain a little perspective on the subject of Phil Robertson vs. the entire homosexual community. I’ve heard a lot of people clarify their stance on the subject with phrases along the lines of, “it’s not what he said, it’s how he said it.”

Perhaps we need to have a little reality check. Phil Robertson is an uncouth, backwoods redneck (self-proclaimed). His beard is longer than my hair. His idea of comfortable clothes includes camouflage pants and a camouflage shirt. His idea of Sunday fancies includes camouflage pants and a black shirt. His idea of interior design includes a camouflage recliner to match his camouflage pants. If we were all expecting eloquent prose from the man, then perhaps we all need a gentle little “love slap” in our proverbial faces. Admittedly, his comments were uncouth and graphic. But his comments were also a paraphrasing of the Bible. So let’s all get honest here. We can hide behind the excuse of not liking how he said what he said, but reality is obviously that we just didn’t like what he said.

It has been God’s M.O. from day one to use the unexpected messenger.

And unfortunately, if you don’t like what he said, then you don’t like the Bible. That’s something you need to take up with God Almighty, not Phil Robertson. Or A&E. Or the whole of Christendom.

Yes, Phil Robertson is rough around the edges, to put it nicely. But if I don’t like that style, I don’t have to listen. I don’t have to watch. No one is forcing me to turn on A&E on Wednesday nights with my head in a vice turned towards the television, forcing the crudeness of Duck Dynasty into my sweet, innocent head. I can go watch Here Comes Honey Boo Boo just as easily, and feel great about my much more sensible cable television choice.

But if you think that God can’t use someone like Phil because he’s uncouth and outlandish, you’re sadly mistaken. It has been God’s M.O. from day one to use the unexpected messenger. I don’t have the time to list out all of them (read the Bible for all the details), but I’ll use the example of John the Baptist, for the sake of this argument. (It is Christmastime, after all. And John’s mission was to herald the coming of the Promised One.)

John the Baptist. If you don’t know much about him, you probably at least know that he was dirty. And kind of gross. And lived in the desert eating locusts and honey. He was loud and kind of obnoxious in the face of the status quo. He probably, for all intents and purposes, looked and acted a LOT like Phil Robertson. (Consequently, Phil himself pointed out in his I Am Second† video that he doesn’t look nearly as rough as John the Baptist did. Funny, really.) But God used him nonetheless as a powerful herald to the world of that time that the Kingdom of Heaven was near! His message shook the world from the ground up, so much so, that the king himself (Herod) had him beheaded just to shut him up. (Oh the irony, A&E! Oh the irony!)

If God chose a vagabond like John the Baptist to herald the coming of His Son (you know, the Messiah, SAVIOR OF THE ENTIRE WORLD), why wouldn’t God use Phil Robertson to remind the world that we need him? He uses all kinds of people to spread His message. We are all different, after all. And different styles speak to different people. If you want a squeaky clean, feel good Gospel, tune into Joel Osteen. If you want a passionate, challenging Gospel, tune into T. D. Jakes. If you want a meaty and deep combing through of the Gospel, tune into Robert Morris. If you want a down-to-earth, rough around the edges version of the Gospel, tune into Phil Robertson. God’s in the business of being all things to all people, after all. He meets us where we are; He doesn’t expect us to become something we’re not in order to meet Him.

No, it’s not really Phil the world has a problem with these days. It’s his message. And his message is the Bible. So let’s all stop beating around the bush and be honest – people don’t like to hear that their way of life is a sin. People don’t like to hear that there is only ONE WAY to Heaven through Jesus Christ. People don’t like to hear that “good people” don’t get into heaven. People don’t like to hear that things are an abomination in God’s eyes. People don’t like to hear anything these days that might challenge their comfortable little zone of the world.

No, my friends, it’s not Phil Roberson you have a problem with. It’s God.

Take it up with Him. He can take it, let me assure you. And He would absolutely love to have the conversation with you.

†As an inconsequential side note, it was this I Am Second video that got me started watching Duck Dynasty. Before I saw it, I didn’t have a care in the world to watch the show because I’m not really into uncouth, pointless reality television. Just like you, I have a choice NOT to watch. But once I saw this video, I knew I wanted to know more about this family that would stand so boldly for faith on an otherwise grossly secular network. And God bless them for it!