Truth and Abuse

I spent part of today sitting on a commercial shoot as my youngest son participated in the filming. It was for the Oklahoma Education Fund....if I was not a Baptist Pastor (actually I hesitate calling myself that as much as the Baptists cringe at the thought of me having that affiliation) I would most likely call it the Lottery. "Lottery" is actually what it said on the little "action" clapboard. It was an ironic day, a Baptist Pastor's son was involved in a Lottery Commercial being filmed at a Presbyterian Church. That should give critics enough to talk and write about for a long time.

It was not our first involvement with the Education Fund. Daughter Hannah spent a couple of years on Education Fund billboards around the state a couple of years ago. We have, however, turned down many auditions that include films where the topic was men that eat children, men that abuse little children, and men that behave like little children. We do have some standards.

Baptists are bigtime anti-gambling campaigners. I remember as a staff member at a Baptist church in Colorado when that state was deciding if it would permit gambling in some of the mountain towns. On the Sunday prior to the election our education minister stood up and said that everyone needed to vote "no" since gambling was clearly a violation of scripture. There were many "Amens" from around the auditorium but I sat silently. I was not sure that I could identify the specific, clear, anti-gambling commandments in scripture.

Now, don't get me wrong, I had no problem identifying gambling as being a destructive force for many individuals and families. I also agree completely that the abuse of gambling violates many Biblical principles. I cannot agree, however, that it is clearly forbidden in scripture. The debate always reminded me of the stories my dad would tell about how he was looked down upon because he liked to play pool when he was growing up (he thought it was hilarious when my youth pastor put a pool table in our church youth room when I was a teen).

What did get my attention was a couple of years ago when I ran into a high school, non-Christian, friend who I had not seen for many years. She, and her husband, work in film and advertising. As we shared and caught up on our lives I shared that my kids had been involved in filming some movies and commercials. She wanted to know what projects and in the list I shared that we had been a part of the Education (Lottery) Fund. I was then surprised to hear a long, long, lecture about the evils of the lottery and of this easy and available type of gambling.

Her argument was the first to actually catch my attention. It caught my attention because it did not incorrectly use and abuse scripture but instead attempted to present truth.

I have to wonder how many non-healthy and possibly abusive things could be better approached with truth rather than abuse.

"You will know the truth and the truth will set you free!" John 8:32

Here I Dwell,
Rick

P.S. So.....Rick....why did you participate in the commercial? Good question!