TO OFFEND OR NOT TO OFFEND?

In 2005, the Supreme Court ordered a 10 Commandment display outside of a Kentucky courthouse to be taken down. This led to a national debate over Church and State and the rights of those that the 10 Commandments “offend”.
In 2006, a Danish Newspaper was under fire for publishing a cartoon that “mocked” the prophet Muhammad. This led to riots in many European countries because Muslims were “offended” by the cartoon.
Recently, a professor at the University of California told his students that he “expects them to work hard and would hold them to high standards.” He later received a call from an outraged parent who was “offended” by the professor because he was mistreating the young.
At a previous job where we have a daily trivia question posted, I wrote the question, “ACORDING to the book of Genesis, what was created on the 4th day?” Not even three hours later, I was told to change the questions because the biblical context could “offend” a customer.

In today’s society, walking on eggshells is starting to become the norm. Lawsuits are rampant. Teachers are fired. Coaches are superficial. Pastors avoid sermons on hell. Parents are ticked. Even Christians have done a good job at being offended by anything that isn’t “Christian” enough in the perverse society they live in. In a culture of such diversity, your chances of offending someone are higher then Simon Cowell criticizing someone for their singing voice.
A couple of weeks ago, I was reading Romans chapter one (22-27) in which Paul talks about some brutally honest, but “offensive” material. In another letter, Paul teaches us to stay away from certain “things” because they are immoral. James, in his letter, calls believers hypocrites in their whole lifestyle, as did Jesus. Talk about not holding back and not letting offendedness dictate their mission!
As a youth missionary, I am called to understand and know the culture in which my students live in. I’m called to be relevant, creative, passionate, sound, loving, and a hundred other things in order to be effective in the ever-shifting culture of youth. But I’m also called to use wisdom and discernment. And what my wisdom (or lack-there-of) and discernment is telling me is that……um…well, I really don’t know what they’re telling me. Am I to address some of the outrages things kids take part in? Should I provide material to parents that will help them understand and confront the things in the life of teenagers that are just confusing? Will a parent get offended that I would suggest that they keep up with what their good Christian child potentially could be partaking in?
Albert Mohler Jr., the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary says, “All that is required for someone to be offended is the vaguest notion of emotional distaste at what another has said, done, proposed, or presented.” And in due time, the offender will start to feel the heat. “Once we begin playing the game of offendedness,” Albert says, “there is no end to the matter. There simply is no right not to be offended, and we should be offended by the very notion that such a right could exist.”