Chris Broussard is officially a villain. Yes, he is an outcast, the latest in a long line of social pariahs deemed to be unworthy of the dignity of his own opinions. On Monday, Chris was called upon by his network ESPN to do his job, and was asked a series of questions in response to Jason Collins becoming the first openly gay athlete in any of the major sports. As is his reputation, he answered them openly and honestly. What flowed from his mouth were not statements of hatred or anger, but rather a simple yet nuanced explanation of disagreement based upon his beliefs. What promptly ensued was a tirade of social media venom that few of us can rightfully say we have ever experienced. “Bigot,” “homophobe,” “discriminator,” “idiot” and other more profane verbal mortars were lobbed from afar behind the safety of smartphone screens and laptops alike. “Tolerance” has indeed devolved, huh? It’s sunken into an equivocal, ever-shifting term that only applies to who agrees with the user’s worldview. So, what is our response when the tolerant decide to no longer tolerate us? Broussard is currently living that reality. He will likely be fired, and if not, will invariably lose considerable cache in his profession. While he has become the world’s whipping boy, his voices of support have quickly come to match the volume of his detractors. See, Chris Broussard is not simply a reputable basketball journalist but also a vibrant supporter of the Christian hip hop sub genre and leader within the budding movement of urban Christianity. Sure, his case “hits close to home,” but it also reeks with implications for CHH that we must take the time to observe. Our support for Chris Broussard should be strong and powerful, but let’s not forget that his situation will be ours sooner or later. Again, what is our response when the tolerant no longer tolerate us? Take heart that the cultural term “tolerance” will never define us or what the truth is. In the scope of eternity, when we stand before God, pleasing society will be the last thing on our minds. As a prominent P4CM poet has said, “I’d rather be an outcast now then be cast out later”. If Christ, his disciples and regular guys like Chris Broussard are the world’s outcasts and pariahs, count us in too. We’ll be your outcasts.
