Cowardice, Courage and Pure Religion

All the evidence that I needed to be convinced about man's depravity, my own depravity, was to listen to the news for five minutes this week.

In one week, there's been the Herman Cain allegations and press conferences while entire European economies falling apart. There was a local news report in the last 10 minutes about a dad who repeatedly beat his little girl on the head because she was having a hard time recognizing letters in the alphabet.

But, of course, the dominant story has been the Penn State child sex abuse cover-up scandal.

I honestly haven't been able to stop thinking about the implications that this story brings along to it. You know there's an overwhelming amount to think about when a grown man raping young boys is only the tip of the iceberg to a story.

The incredible, widespread cover-up and enablement afforded to a child rapist--ranging well beyond the university coaches and president, all the way into the local police department and public school district--is staggering, repulsive and literally sickening.

As far back as 1995, police knew that Jerry Sandusky showered with little boys and made physical contact with them, but when he apologized to one of the boy's parents during a police-organized sting operation, the case was closed.

"Sorry I raped and molested your son." Oh, okay, as long as you're sorry... If you weren't sorry, I was really going to be upset... Case closed.

And, when a 28-year-old man walked in on Sandusky raping another boy in 2002, he not only failed to immediately intervene and protect the child, his reaction was to call his dad and wait for the next morning to tell Coach Paterno about the scene.

Lest we give a hall-pass to Mike McQueary, may I remind you that Meriwether Lewis was 28 when he was commissioned to lead the journey to discover the Northwest Passage. Twenty-eight years ought to be enough time to figure out what you're going to do when you walk into that kind of situation.

When I was a kid, my dad told us about a startling, reoccurring dream that he had had. There was a home invasion, and there he was, a man defending his family. What would he do? His response in the dream was to vomit and--in a girly motion--to launch a coffee cup with his left hand toward his attacker.

Now that I have a little family, I understand that scary feeling of being put into my dad's situation and thinking through his scenario. How will I act? Will I wimp out and flail, unleashing the unbridled fury of my Care Bears coffee cup toward my assailant? I don't know.

For that matter, I honestly can't say what I would do if I were in McQuery's shoes. What I can say for certain, though, is that vomiting and throwing a coffee cup like a girl would've been an utterly courageous act in comparison with how he did handle the situation.

I'm being completely serious here. If he had thrown up and dropped whatever he was holding, then took the matter directly to the police, I guarantee this situation would've been over and done with back in 2002. That would've been an utterly courageous feat, and Mike McQueary would've been a hero.

Courage takes different forms in different situations. If all we can muster in the most surprising, terrifying moment of our lives is a pathetic, girly scream, then let's at least belt out the scream and fling our coffee.

We'll be heroes if we do.

And what's more--much more--is that if we don't, we'll be judged, not only by our peers or 12 angry men. We'll be judged by he who keeps watch over our souls.

Proverbs 24:10-12 says all we need to know about this subject. It starts off by making a declaration that I think we can all assent to and identify with:

If you faint in the day of adversity,

your strength is small.

As someone who has a tenancy to literally faint from time-to-time, I can own this passage. It can be my life verse. It's not exactly the most flattering thing I have to say about myself, but, as brother Joel says, "This is my Bible, I am what it says I am."

The next couple of verses give us two commands, which are really one command, and two warnings, which are really one warning:

Rescue those who are being taken away to death;

hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.

If you say, "Behold, we did not know this,"

does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,

and will he not repay man according to his work?

As people created in God's image, we bear the responsibility to protect others, who are also made in God's image. We don't get to make up excuses either, because God knows what is in our hearts, and He swears to avenge our unspeakable sin of nonchalance and apathy.

As a person redeemed by my Creator, restored to the Giver of Life through faith in Christ Jesus, I am doubly accountable to the Watcher of my soul. 

Lord, let me never, never excuse myself from obedience to your Word, which involves--at bare minimum--speaking out against evil and abuse around me. Lay my soul bare before the light of your Word, so that I may see where I am abusing your blood-bought grace and forsaking my Savior.

And give me courage to at least do something, anything, everything to protect the helpless around me.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this:

to visit orphans and widows in their affliction,

and to keep oneself unstained from the world.