Jesus and Hunting - He Wentz There

Carson Wentz, the injured quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, is an avid hunter. He recently posted a photo of his favorite hunting dog, five year-old Henley. As you can expect, his post drew some criticism from folks cautioning him against posting on such a controversial topic. Wentz’ response was priceless.

“Appreciate that, but offensive and controversial? Two of the main things I tweet about are Jesus and hunting. That’s what I’m passionate about and that won’t ever change. When you love something, you talk about it! Stay convicted about it and don’t worry what others think!” (@cj_wentz on Twitter)

Is that awesome or what?

Ok, so I don’t follow the NFL anymore. Since Daytona is still over a month away and college football is all but over, you can find me on any given Sunday rooting for one of six NFL teams: Cowboys, Cardinals, Bears, Vikings, Bengals and Jets, not in that order, and not because any of them are any good. These are the six teams which to date have not supported the inappropriately focused player protests of the National Anthem. But I do have a few players and personalities, like Jerry Jones, Alejandro Villanueva, and JJ Watt, I like regardless of team affiliation. Carson Wentz has been on that list since joining the league in 2016.

But today, it’s hard to gauge just how “Christian” to be in public. I mean, life itself is hard and living by God’s precepts in general is pretty tough. We have the choice to “be” Christian, but living the life, while self-satisfying, seems ineffective in today’s age of mass media and sensory bombardment. We also have the choice to “show” Christian, by wearing the right t-shirt and necklace or writing a blog about a Christian world view. But at what point are we just sounding brass? Can there be a happy medium? Can we both live and espouse a good volume of Christianity without crossing some line into fanaticism or extremism – or God forbid hypocrisy!

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” (Matt 6:5, NIV)

I’m like Carson in that when I love something I “talk about it!” And when you know the truth, you can’t stand to hide it even to make your own life easier or to avoid the critics.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matt 5:14-16, NIV)

But if you are like me, you ask yourself constantly how much is too much? Am I doing more harm to God’s kingdom than good by posting so frequently, wearing the “God” t-shirt, or choosing “church” language during conversation? We all have to ask how many in our circle of influence (that includes our extended social media circle) really want to hear us brag on Christ or preach about Christian tenets? At what point are we just beating people over the head with our take on Christianity?

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” (Matt 7:6, NKJV)

(Hmm. It appears today’s blog post is all from Matthew.) I think it’s safe to say that unless you’re reading this blog for the first time you shouldn’t be surprised about the content. Similarly Carson Wentz isn’t worried about the people, critic or friend, reading his tweets.

Unlike most blog posts where I challenge you, my reader, to some sort of Christian tenet, today’s post is more introspective and full of questions. I’m not Carson Wentz. I don’t have a national platform from which to shine my light. But I do so love Christ and His teachings. So I’ll keep talking about it and hoping that it benefits God’s kingdom more than it hurts.

Thank you, Carson, for being such a great example.

(Photo courtesy of FoxNEWS)