Disney’s BIG MOMENT in Beauty and the Beast
By Matt Dawson
I’ve purposely waited to comment on this or write anything about it until after the gay hype/big moment was finally revealed when the movie came out. I also wanted to wait until everything died down after the movie came out to see how the Church (big C) would continue to respond when all was revealed.
I think an article I read the week the movie came out said it best. Here’s the quote. “Disney played the Christian right as smoothly as Gaston played the village townsfolk.”
I couldn’t agree more.
What?!?!? Are you saying, Matt, that you aren’t outraged by the intentional Godless propaganda of the LGBTQ friendly Disney (Satan incarnate) is shoving down our kid’s throats to try and normalize alternative lifestyles through cartoons, movies, and television shows?!?!?!?! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!
I’m saying that WE GOT PLAYED!
Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 10:16
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”
Jesus knew what kind of world they lived in and to what lengths others would go to entrap them, trick them, and get them to abandon this NEW MESSAGE of Grace and love for one another by playing on their weaknesses. It’s a SHAME that more Christians don’t memorize THIS VERSE!
You see, regardless of the politics and the overall agendas that you may or may not assume are behind movements like this – Jesus wanted us to be WISE! To be INNOCENT/HARMLESS as doves AND to be SHREWD/ASTUTE as snakes!
Listen, Disney knew EXACTLY what to say to get the “Church” to respond with anger, judgment, and condemnation. Over what? Over the IDENTITY of a Disney Character!
I grew up with two guys who lived together. They were best friends, they shared many adventures together. They loved each other and they represented (for me) how 2 guys can be best friends. Their names were BERT and ERNIE. I’ve been told recently (in the last 10 years) that they were gay. Am I supposed to be MAD now? Am I supposed to question everything that they ever taught me about life and friendship because someone wants to IDENTIFY THEM as gay? Now there are fundamentalist movements that are pushing to get BERT & ERNIE off the air…because they’re gay now…or always have been…or something like that.
Are we (the Church) really THIS FOOLISH! That we can’t see someone trying to BAIT US a mile away! It sure seems like we are!
What does it mean to be SHREWD?
It means understanding that people without God will do all that they can do to get you to abandon your “claimed faith” by baiting you into a fight that has no winner and whose only goal is to watch you hang yourself by your own hypocrisy!
What does it mean to be INNOCENT?
It means to be without sin. That every time someone picks a fight with you and challenges your faith – you don’t revert back to a response that is void of the Holy Spirit guiding your lives! When we respond with the same anger that anyone without Jesus can have….we’re no longer INNOCENT!
One of the reasons I believe the Church has lost her influence in the fights that matter is because of the hypocrisy we display in the school yard brawls that mean little to nothing! We’re smarter than that! Jesus even WARNED US to be smarter than that!
As far as Beauty and The Beast is concerned and our warning in Matthew 10:16 – we (the Church) failed on BOTH COUNTS!
Disney’s BIG MOMENT was just another BIG MOMENT for us (the Church) to lose even more influence with those we’ve been called to point to Absolute Hope.
This Sunday at Journey – I’ll be talking more about “The Power of Identity” and how can better understand those around us who identify with lifestyles we don’t agree with or don’t understand. We will also learn what it means to understand our TRUE identity in Christ and LIVE in the FREEDOM it provides!