A Few Thoughts Amidst the John Crist Scandal

I awoke one day recently to news of a scandal involving a comedian whose work I've enjoyed, something that's never fun and certainly doesn't feature in any of my ideal ways to begin a day! 

To be fair, John Crist was somewhat obscure with a fairly specific audience, so the story hasn't hit the headlines of mainstream media (as far as I'm aware) and you could be forgiven for not knowing about him. I have shared some of his skits on this blog previously. You can find details of the situation here.

While I'm no expert in these matters and make no claim to providing any sort of professional advice, I have decided to share a few of my thoughts relating to these revelations. 

Seeing someone fall publicly has never been a favourite pastime of mine, but in this case I'm disappointed by a few things specifically. I'm disappointed that claims of Christianity were used take advantage of my fellow believers for both personal and commercial gain. I'm disappointed this behaviour was allowed to continue for so long. I'm disappointed by the deafening silence of Christian leaders who knew what was going on and should've handled things better.

There's something we need to remember: intelligent and wise aren't the same thing. Wisdom involves doing the right thing, intelligence has no such requirement. Wisdom then is inherently good but intelligence has the potential for either good or evil. Master manipulators can be intelligent enough, and they identify who will make the easiest victims. They learn their victims' weak points. They learn what to say and do to get what they want. Next time you're tempted to become infatuated by someone's apparent intelligence, remember this distinction and take a moment to consider whether that intelligence is being used with wisdom.

Some things are cool, and some are not. Going to a show by your favourite celebrity is cool; chatting online as you would with a friend is not. Getting a picture after the show with your favourite celebrity may be cool; going to his hotel room is not.

Girls, if something seems weird, pay attention. Don't compromise. Not because he's famous. Not because he's rich. Not because he can help your career. Not because he's cute. Not because you don't want to lose him. Not because he says he's a Christian. Not because he makes threats. Not for any reason.

Don't assume someone is who he (or she) portrays himself as on social media. Each one of us CHOOSES what to post and share, and what we'd rather others didn't know about. While some of us may use social media just to share our lives with our friends and family, for others it is a marketing tool. Many people in the entertainment industry today use social media to promote and market their "brand", if you like. I'm not saying that's wrong, but it does mean they will put a lot more thought than you into tailoring their posts to achieve their desired outcome (sales). Every post is carefully crafted to grow their brand, not to give you an accurate or holistic view into their life, beliefs, or values.

Why was this allowed to continue for SEVEN YEARS? This isn't an isolated case by any means; sexual and other abuse is far too common. Fellow believers, we are the church; how are we equipping ourselves to be able to respond well when we come face to face with a situation like this? Will we turn a blind eye and allow the perpetrator to gain more victims? What can we, you, I, do today to better educate ourselves about abuse? 

Of course we are not to go around bad-mouthing everybody; gossip is condemned for a reason and I'm not suggesting we throw that teaching away. There also are plenty of situations when it's good and right to work through a person's struggles in private. But things have been taken too far. Some things are truly serious and it seems we've lost sight of that. I'm sick of the silence. I can't take it any longer. Certain things NEED to be brought out in the open, into the light. Stop saying you want to keep things quiet to allow the perpetrator to sort things out privately. Silence helps the perpetrator continue the offending behaviour. Silence doesn't help the perpetrator sort his life out. Silence doesn't help the victim/s. Some things have to be brought out into the open to be resolved. Speak up. Speak up to protect the victim. Speak up to prevent more victims. Speak up to hold the perpetrator accountable and give him the opportunity to truly resolve his issues.

"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." ~ Ephesians 5:11

If you've also been hurt and are a victim of abuse (sexual or otherwise), speak up. Ask for help. Get to safety. Seek healing. There is hope.

Lastly, I agree with "Sarah" at the end of the article I linked above. John is not beyond God's reach and it would be wonderful if he would turn from these habits and find recovery. We will not brush such behaviour under the rug and pretend it isn't happening, but if change truly takes place then we will welcome restoration and a new life.

"And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." ~ Acts 2:21

Note to the guys: Because the situation I'm discussing is male to female I've continued writing that way throughout this post for consistency and clarity, but I by no means mean to imply that this is the case in every situation. The same advice can probably apply to you just as much by switching gender of pronouns. There are, sadly, girls around who will want you for the wrong reasons and will mistreat and misuse you.

Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.