• Home
  • About This Blog
  • Contact Me
  • Subscribe
  • Comment Policy

Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
Home Commentary The church is not the only army that shoots its wounded

The church is not the only army that shoots its wounded

Posted on November 23, 2014 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment


Judges GavelI have heard it said that the church is the only army that shoots its wounded. I now know that this statement is not true. It is not false because the church does not shoot her wounded. It is false because the church is not alone in this behavior.

What brought this to mind was all the discussion about Adrian Peterson and his discussions with the NFL. Even after Adrian’s case was resolved in the courts, the NFL commissioner felt pressured to come down hard on Mr. Peterson. The apparent reason for the commissioner to do so was to protect the brand and the image of the NFL in the court of public opinion.

All parties concerned, including Adrian Peterson, agree that his actions in disciplining his son were inappropriate. Also, it seems clear to me that Mr. Peterson did not intend to inflict permanent damage on his son. While his intent was not to harm his son, Adrian was wrong in his actions and it was appropriate for the state to step in and apply correction.

But the public wants more. Because some of the evidence in the case was so widely publicized, the pubic became outraged and lashed out at Mr. Peterson. As a result, the NFL became embroiled in an embarrassing situation because one of its star employees was receiving negative press. Therefore Mr. Goodell, the commissioner, felt pressured to act.

It is right to have the goal of protecting and nurturing the child in this case. My question is how does preventing the child’s father from gaining income help the child? Roger Goodell had suspended Adrian for the remainder of the season, thus denying him the income from playing. This is on top of the loss of income from product endorsements as advertisers dropped any association with Mr. Peterson.

Now, I don’t know the financial arrangements that Mr. Peterson has with the mother of his child. Perhaps Mr. Peterson’s loss of income has no impact upon the child at all. So Adrian not being able to play may not hurt the child, but the loss of income does nothing to help the child.

Should we hold Adrian Peterson to a standard with regard to his parenting style? Yes, we should. Is there a process in place for that standard to be held? Yes, there is. Did the process apply corrective action? Yes, it did. The courts did their job. The evidence was presented in the court system and we have to assume that a reasonable response to the evidence was enacted. The people who made the decision had all the evidence that they thought necessary to render the correct decision.

We need to resist the pressure to make instantaneous decisions based on incomplete information. We are angry and perhaps even hateful to Adrian Peterson based on one episode in his life. I know nothing else about Adrian other than the fact that he is a very talented football player. Yet, the media asks me make such decisions on the little bit of information they provide.

Rather than denunciation and anger, perhaps a better response would be one of empathy and support. I am reminded of Jesus’s statement in John 8, that the one without sin is the only one qualified to cast a stone. I have done and said things that I hope never get the level of scrutiny that Mr. Peterson’s case has gotten from the public. Why should I hold Adrian to a higher standard than I am willing to subject myself to?

It is likely that Adrian Peterson is neither more nor less flawed than the rest of us. We should resist the temptation to assess Mr. Peterson based on a few sound bites and a few pictures.

We should be concerned about the wellbeing of the child AND Mr. Peterson. They are both created in the image of God, the God who reaches out to all of us to bring us into relationship with himself.


Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: Adrian Peterson, wounded

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

I have the opportunity to go to Istanbul, Turkey this summer to minister to Syrian refugees. If you would like more details about this trip, please use this link Mark McIntyre - Istanbul, Turkey Please note that this trip is fully funded, but I would appreciate your continued prayer. The trip will take place June 27 - July 6, 2025.

Follow Attempts at Honesty

Honesty in your Inbox

Airplane

The law of unintended consequences

The church is to be intentional in her quest to make disciples. But a wrongheaded emphasis on short term gains might lead to an unintended consequence.

Not based on circumstances

What hit me this morning is that none of the conditions listed by Jesus are tied to the current situation of the one to be blessed. The conditions for blessing are internal and not external. They are based on choices we can make, not circumstances forced upon us.

Ending Well

From this, I conclude that the secret that will allow us to end well is to be constantly reminded of our own tendency to go off track. We need a realization of our complete dependence upon God for anything good to come from our labors.

Reality Beyond

Pursue the reality beyond

For my generation, I would also offer the hope that it is never too late to return and see the reality that you’ve been ignoring. I must constantly remind myself that there is a reality beyond the thing that consumes me at the moment. I must, as the psalmist reminds me, “prepare my heart” to be conscious of the eternal. I must not let good things become ultimate things in my life.

Grace and Truth

May we all look to Jesus as our example of how to speak truth which is tempered by grace and offer grace which is fortified by truth.

Post Series

  • Westminster Shorter Catechism Series
  • Sermon on the Mount Series
June 2025
SMTWTFS
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930 
« May    

Categories

Archives

Blogger Grid
Follow me on Blogarama

Copyright © 2025 · Focus Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in