My Bad
Humor is a funny thing (pun intended). Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, something comes out of your mouth – or your keyboard – that blows up in your face.
On Saturday I posted something I thought was very funny: a picture of a scarecrow my kids had made in our backyard vegetable garden with the headline “We’re Celebrating Easter Weekend By Having a Real Crucifixion.” Now here’s how I thought that post would comes across:
Heavy and serious headline + cute and quaint family picture = lighthearted laughs
Not so much. Apparently at least a few people thought I was mocking Christ. I assure I wasn’t. If anything, I was mocking the tendency of missional/emerging Christians like myself to be overly serious and engage in increasingly contrived spiritual formation exercises like stations of the cross, labyrinths, etc. (this really was a self-critique…I’ve enjoyed doing both).
Anyway, like a joke that bombs on stage this one just didn’t play. Some people saw an offensive message; one that I didn’t intend. That’s not their fault, it’s mine. As a communicator I bear the initial burden of considering the variety of ways my words and images might be perceived, and the truth is I really didn’t consider that in this case. When that happens, an apology is necessary.
So…my bad. I blew it and it was my fault. If it matters, I wasn’t being intentionally irreverent in this case, and although I am often intentionally irreverent about inherited traditions, theological perspectives, and Christian culture (and generally don’t apologize for it), I would never be intentionally irreverent about Christ. Still, the burden of making that clear lies with me.
I’m pretty sure this qualifies as my first public apology. I’m also pretty sure it won’t be my last : )
Do these people not know you very well? (with all due respect to them – that’s the only conclusion that makes sense to me).
Just remember: It’s fine (and even necessary at times) to appologize when someone has been offended (although – someone will always be offended with something we do *daily* – but I digress). Appologizing for an offence is especially important from someone in your position – and really from Christians in general. HOWEVER – let’s not forget to make the distinction (when it applies) between what was said and/or done and the actual offence taken. In other words, if one is not sorry for what they’ve said/done, then one should simply appologize only for the offence others received. If we appologize for the action that we’re not sorry for….we’re really not being honest now are we….