Having Fun While Being Christian is No Crime

I grew up in a very Christian family. I can say without doubt we had traditional family values. We loved baseball with dad and mom’s apple pie, and we really liked laughing and having fun. You might call it, “feeling God’s joy." At times we could even get a little silly. Now I’ve learned from the Voice of Christian Youth America radio network that we weren’t Christian at all. The getting silly part did us in. That must be in the Bible somewhere. I haven’t seen it, but it’s a big book.

The radio network rallied to an up-in-arms alert last week over a harmless bit of fun called “Wacky Week” at a Wisconsin elementary school. It’s a dress silly concept that most of us are probably familiar with. Wacky Friday and a Wacky Parade are variations I’ve participated in. Afterward I checked with Jesus and he said he still loves me. “I’m not going to hell?” I asked. Jesus replied, “At least not for that.” We shared a laugh at his answer. Seems Jesus has a better sense of humor than the Voice of Christian Youth America radio network.

To be fair, what made the self-appointed guardians at the radio station angry wasn’t the entire Wacky Week but only Friday's wackiness. The elementary students had proposed and voted that Friday’s wacky theme would have boys and girls dressing as each other. None of the kids imagined any sexual implication in this exchange of costume, but apparently adults at the Voice of Christian Youth America radio network are prone to naughty thoughts. And it seems when they get their naughty thoughts, they can’t just suppress them; someone has to pay. In this instance it was the children.

I’m sure all of us can think of a time we’ve undermined traditional family values by having fun with just such a theme. An American Cancer Society (Relay for Life) fundraiser I’ve attended for years features a “Mr. Relay” contest in which each team sends forth a man to dress as a woman in a mock beauty contest. It’s hilarious. We never knew our laughter was a violation of traditional family values or an affront to Christ. Unfortunately, the Voice of Christian Youth America radio network can’t police everywhere at once.

The whole story would be nothing but a hoot if it wasn’t for the way puckered up Christians like those running the radio station have managed to cast themselves as the voice of our faith. Why would any sincere, caring person want to join us in doing God’s true work, when it appears this kind of nonsense is what being Christian is all about?