Much has been debated about Phil Robertson's comments and A&E's subsequent decision to suspend him from Duck Dynasty. But the general consensus amongst his fans is that he is being persecuted for being a Christian. So let's look it from a Biblical perspective.
Let us assume that millions of his fans are correct as they take to Twitter, Facebook, and the blogosphere to complain about his treatment. If he were indeed simply being persecuted for his beliefs, Jesus, during the Sermon on the Mount, explained in simple terms what to do in this situation. And this is scripture that is not debated nor interpreted in any other way.
(Matthew 5:11-12) Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. -- NIV
"Rejoice and be glad." That's pretty cut-and-dry and a huge disparity between those instructions and the actions Phil Robertson and his fans have resorted to. So if a Christian truly believes Mr. Robertson is being persecuted for being a Christian, they should be happy for him, not complaining, threatening boycotts, signing petitions, starting web pages, or phoning A&E.
In fact, Christians should never play the victim. They should always rise above the pettiness, insecurities, and finger pointing associated with playing the victim.
As for Mr. Robertson making the comments he made in the GQ interview, he and his fans are sticking together on that as well explaining that he was doing his Christian duty to inform gay people of their sins, people who he loves of course.
However, that doesn't conform with the teachings of Christ either. There is a huge difference in witnessing to people and talking about them behind their back. Jesus met with the worse sinners He could find to witness to them about the glory of God. He didn't trash-talk about them in front of groups of people.
All of our sins are intentional and we all have the same opportunity to repent. A great case and point would be the man on the cross next to Jesus who was a Godless sinner all his life but was granted salvation just before he died. Only the Father through the Son can remove the penalty of sin.
(Matthew 7:4-5) How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. -- NIV
This is a little confusing for most people. Jesus is saying that before you can help someone live a sin-free life, you must first be sin free. The problem is, as humans, we cannot ever live a sin free existence. We were created incapable of avoiding sin.
Another problem with what Mr. Robertson did is this: There are over 600 sins listed in the Bible and all sins are equal. That's right; my sins, your sins, and Mr. Robertson's sins make everyone on the planet the same. So when you single out sins you don't like, regardless if they're mentioned in the Bible or not, you're judging. People seem to have a tough time understanding what it means to judge, but this is the essence of the word.
(Proverbs 6:16-19) There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. -- NIV
In this scripture we can see that while all sins might be equal, there are seven that God hates, and lying makes up two of them. It's not surprising that lying also made it into the Ten Commandments. Yet even if Phil Robertson had singled out liars in the interview, it would have been wrong. Of course, since possibly 100 percent of the population lies at some point in their lives, I've rarely heard or read about any Christian speaking out about that.
Does any of this make sense? Do you begin to understand why you don't single out sins, or try to pretend your sins are less wrong, or shout out sins instead of witnessing directly to people, or get upset if you are truly being persecuted for being a Christian? Because the bottom is this: It's not right. It's not productive. It's not fair. It's not Christian.