The Vilification of Margaret Court

The little-known American indie rock musician, Phoebe Bridgers, was performing at the Margaret Court arena in Melbourne recently when she encouraged the entire stadium to join her in a vile chant at the former tennis champion. According to news.com:

            Turning to the crowd at one point during the night, Bridgers declared: “So, Margaret Court.          F*** that stupid***, dumb*** b****. F*** that stupid c***. Change your name!”

            She then encouraged the riled-up crowd to chant “F*** Margaret Court!”           

If you don’t know who the artist in question is—and it’s really not worth a google—then you’re not alone. But it’s not difficult to imagine the response if a Christian had acted in a similar way. It would almost definitely result in some kind of civil action for defamation, accusations of hate speech and violence, or just the cancelling of one’s visa.

But in a sign of just how much things have changed culturally since the redefinition of marriage, there has been hardly any media reporting on the incident, let alone political or social outrage. Sadly, the response of most people at the event was to laugh, enthusiastically join in and even applaud.

Is Hate Good?

But without doubt, the strangest component came next when Ms Bridgers went on to justify her outburst by saying:

            “I think hate is undervalued. I think it’s like a f***ing weird, white supremacist idea that hate        is bad, or something?

            “You know what I mean? It’s like hate is like what moves things throughout history. I hate that      stupid b****! 

            “Hate is like how you protect yourself. What, are you never supposed to be angry, ever?”

So, is public expressions of hate now a good thing? All of a sudden the #LoveIsLove brigade are showing their true colours. The LGBTIQ movement is not about tolerance, respect or most of all love, but the total endorsement of their own particular lifestyle.

We Should Not be Surprised

As shocking as all this is, for the Christian, none of this should come as a surprise. The Apostle Paul famously writes in Romans 1:32, “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”

People of saving faith know that this is the sign of God’s judgment. It’s the handing over of one to do what our sinful hearts want (i.e. Jer. 17:9). It’s the removal of the LORD’s gracious moral restraint so that we indulge in every form of lust, passion and depravity, all while commending those who do so.

Our challenge spiritually though, is not to condemn nor to return insult with insult but to pray for those who persecute us. To pray that the Holy Spirit would convict of sin and righteousness and judgment (John 16:8) so that they might come to know God’s true love, mercy and forgiveness.

Pray for Phoebe Bridgers. Pray that the LORD would soften her heart and bring her to the foot of the cross. That she will see that it’s Jesus whom she is cursing and that she might turn to him in repentance and faith. Will you join with me in prayer for that?

– Mark Powell