There’s a lot of talk today about the “triumphant return” of Jon Stewart to The Daily Show’s anchor desk after a summer hiatus.
Stewart had been off in the Middle East directing and producing a movie. During that time, he missed out on poking fun at Anthony Weiner, Miley Cyrus, Paula Deen—and me.
A few weeks after writing the article “Gay Agenda’s Intimidation Tactics Won’t Stop Me From Speaking Truth,” I got an email from the producer at The Daily Show that read, “We want to do a piece about the absurdity inherent in the idea that one cannot support traditional marriage without getting torn apart by those who march around demanding tolerance. You’ve been great at pointing out this dynamic so I thought you could be a fit for this piece.”
Can you spell setup?
I was advised to take a call with the producer to discern the situation—and I did. The producer was very friendly and laid out the concept of the segment to “explore the ways in which people who come out and simply express a belief in traditional marriage and continue to support the traditional definition of marriage are finding it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so without getting just torn apart by people who, you know, are out there demanding tolerance and are out there acting pretty atrociously.”
The producer went on to say that the team thought it would be interesting to cast a wide net. She came across my writings on Charisma and said, “You seem to be dealing with this on a pretty regular basis.”
She went on to ask me about my recent experiences receiving persecuting comments from those who oppose my views on gay marriage. I confirmed that I regularly receive vicious emails and Facebook posts with expletives when I address the topic.
From there, she politely started trying to put words into my mouth.
“Would you say that the number of people who are attacking Christian principled people is overwhelmingly larger than people who are attacking. … Does it seem like the balance is uneven?” she asked. I told her I see extremes on both sides of the fence and that I disagreed with the approaches from the radical likes of Westboro Baptist Church and other hate groups from any belief system, gay or straight.
She didn’t like that answer, but she didn’t give up. Next she asked me, “Are we moving towards a sort of standard where if you don’t support same-sex marriage you are some sort of [pariah]?” I explained that it’s not popular to be against gay marriage and that although the gay lifestyle is more mainstream, it’s not just Christians who have opposing value systems. She agreed with me, but it still wasn’t the answer she was looking for.
Next question: “Do you feel like it’s safe at this point for people to be honest about their higher truths?” Safe? I know that Stewart doesn’t buy into the idea that Christians are being persecuted for their beliefs, though the New Mexico photographers who were fined for refusing to take pictures at a gay ceremony and the Christian-owned bakery that shut down after harassment from gay bullies would suggest otherwise. So would the Christian florist who is being sued for declining to make flower arrangements for a gay wedding and the Christian bed-and-breakfast owners who were punished for “discriminating” against gays.
Persecution is increasing, I told her, and will continue to increase.
She concluded our phone interview by explaining again, “We are just trying to figure out if there’s a way to do a story with regard to the sort of absurdity of demanding tolerance and being totally incapable of practicing what you preach.”
I didn’t figure she’d call me back because I didn’t play into the Christian extremist mold they were seeking for the segment. Nevertheless, I sought counsel from Christian leaders wiser than me. Although some of my younger Christian friends told me I should jump at the opportunity, the consistent theme of the counsel I received from my spiritual elders sounded like this: “Without a clear word from the Lord, I’d steer clear of this one.”
When I sought the Lord, He simply said this: “Don’t cast your pearls before swine.” Those may seem like strong words, but when I finally saw the segment they produced—the segment I decided I would not appear on—I could see clearly why the Holy Spirit spoke in those terms. Click here to check out the segment for yourself and witness the mocking spirit in action.
Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including The Spiritual Warrior’s Guide to Defeating Jezebel. You can email Jennifer at [email protected] or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
Michael Snyder 
Charisma Staff 
American Faith 
