Thank you ACLU!

“It’s not hard to make decisions once you know what your values are.”

 Roy E. Disney

  I never thought that I would ever be thankful for the ACLU, but I am. It was one of those, “what in the world were they thinking?” situations.

  Recently, the ACLU sent a letter to the Kenosha Unified School District demanding action after the district allegedly failed to adequately act against sexual harassment of cheerleaders at Tremper High School. The ACLU got involved after parents raised concerns regarding an annual cheerleader awards banquet in March 2018 during which coaches reportedly gave out awards “naming” girls. The names were so repugnant, I’ll just share one, “Big Booty Judy.” The awards were given for being more sexually endowed than their peers. I found myself agreeing with the statement made by the ACLU Wisconsin staff attorney, Asma Kadri-Keeler: “Gender stereotypes and objectification of women and girls start from an early age and follow girls and women throughout their entire lives.”

  Fortunately, the Kenosha School District, after the situation was brought to their attention, quickly remedied it, issuing this statement: “A clear expectation has been set that awards of this nature are not acceptable and are not to be given at Tremper cheerleading banquets going forward.”

  There’s a message though for the Church – you produce what you honor and cultivate. In a world enamored with temporal values, Christians must be different and focus on those traits which have lasting and eternal value.

  When the nation of Israel was looking for a new king, the Prophet Samuel was impressed with temporal qualities. The Lord checked him with this powerful, yet profound warning, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Our world is enamored with that which is given and temporal, not eternal and cultivated. For example…

  Our world is enamored with appearance. In American culture, those who are considered beautiful or handsome, are considered more valuable. Think of who we place on magazine covers or on media screens. Add to that, our culture is overly sexualized and eroticized. Our obsession with appearance often results in eating disorders on those who feel they don’t measure up.

  Please understand, I’m not suggesting we ignore our physical appearance. There’s no value in being unkempt or appearing dowdy. We must though realize that physical appearance is given by our Creator. It’s also culturally subjective and continually fluctuates. For example, a generation ago a man with a shaved head was repugnant to most. Yet, today male shaved heads are in style. Proverbs 31 warns us that beauty is transitory. In spite of our best efforts, all of us age and begin to fall apart. While physical appearance always fades, often vanity always stays. God is the Master Designer of each one of us (Psalms 139:13-16). When we disdain someone because of their appearance, we’re disdaining the Creator who designed that person.  

  Our world is enamored with talent. Personally, I’m appalled when professional athletes, actors or musicians are paid exorbitantly simply because they can throw a ball, act or sing. I wouldn’t pay $300 for a Taylor Swift concert (I’m not sure that I’d pay $3, but I’m cheap). I don’t believe Aaron Rodgers is worth $33 million a year or Ryan Braun is worth $21 million. Yes, they have ability and have developed that ability. But again, it is a God-given ability…and God can take it away as easily as He gave it.

    Our world is enamored with IQ. Have you ever heard a parent bragging that their child is a C+ student? No, yet what if that’s all the intellectual ability that their child has. Put a Doctor in front of someone’s name or garb them in a white coat, and we somehow reason that they have more value simply because they have “this world” intelligence. Richard Dawkins may be a genius, yet Scripture teaches that he’s fool (Ps. 14:1). He even suggests that parents who know that their unborn child has special needs, take “the survival of the fittest into their own hands.” History has demonstrated that one can be a genius and also be a moral monster.

  God’s people must value what God values. While there is nothing wrong with telling your child that they look “pretty” or “handsome,” we’d be wiser to affirm then when they are selfless or kind. In a “Me Too” world, we must be cautious about commenting on someone’s, particularly someone of the opposite gender’s, appearance. We’re wiser in the Church to commend and encourage the fruits of the Spirit and the application of biblical truth in one’s life, rather than physical and temporal attributes.

  Even outside of our Christian subculture, God has commanded us to be salt and light. We fulfill that when we commend thoughtfulness, generosity, work ethic, integrity and character. And think about how much our belligerent public discourse might change if just professing Christians were more guarded in their words and habitually encouraged civility. It’s true that there are times when we must speak out against evil, yet we can do that without using words that are also wrong or evil. 2 Corinthians 10:4 reminds us that “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” 

  It’s humbling when the ACLU has to correct an evil. Surely, there were Christians parents and churches in Kenosha who could have made this an issue and resolved it before the ACLU was ever enlisted. We, too, can make a difference if we will value and loudly applaud what our Heavenly Father values – that which is godly and has eternal merit.  

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