Two weeks ago, in our discussion of humor, we determined that the dictionary resources identify surprise or outrageous “over-the-top” situations as the underlying aspect of what makes something humorous.
However, there is another branch of comedy, called observational comedy, that earns our snickers by operating on the axiom- “it’s funny because it’s true!”
Observational commentary, the ammunition for most stand-up comedians and many a TV sitcom (think of the careers of Ray Romano, Louis C.K., Bill Cosby, Dave Chappelle, Robin Williams, and Jerry Seinfeld) seem to capitalize on the stereotypes of our worldview, or on our shared experiences, to generate it’s dividend of laughter.
However, do the branches of comedy that draw on this principle, roasts and rants being some of them, have any room in the Christian community?
While in college, I had the distinct pleasure of living on a floor of gentlemen of great camaraderie, colorful characters, and clever wit. It was truly a memorable experience I will never forget. And, the best memories of every year on this floor were always encapsulated in the end of the year “Floor Awards” Night. Many of us have probably been a part of such events before, where everyone receives and “award” that is basically a zing or a roast, skewering them for a past decision, an unorthodox habit, or perhaps most sinister but most satisfying, public revelation and amplification of a person’s most obvious faults.
Many awards were harmless. In another similar event, I witnessed a gentle and loving elderly lady give out awards to theology professors based upon something silly or shameful they did in the last year. Laughter was made, and not one was hurt…save a red blush or two. However, some of these “floor awards” left some people more than hot under the collar. Although this was supposed to be an event among believers, there was far more tearing down than their was edification and building up of the body. And the deepest singes were left in store for those who were members of the “award committee,” working on the assumption that if such people delight enough in comedy to organize such an event, then they should understand that the utilitarian great benefit (much laughter) must outweigh the cost or one’s own confidence, sense of identity, and inner reaches of vulnerability.
Sadly, in many cases, the victims did not share this worldview. Although perhaps not obvious at first, in some cases it would take a good stretch of time for the damage and feeling-of-betrayal to be mended.
So, this leads one to ask- should the Christian ethic, established upon pillars such as the character of God, on self-sacrificing love, and the edification of others, allow for tolerance of roasts as an acceptable genre of humor to be enjoyed in Christian circles?
One might argue that the truth-telling aspect of it makes it acceptable (after all, we aren’t making up lies about someone- only then does it become slander or libel). However, a roast seldom seems to meet the criteria of “speaking the truth in love.” Furthermore, my antidote above testifies that the utilitarian argument does seem to hold up when the cost is in conflict with much of Jesus’ teaching to love one another.
So, how does one decide on their paradigm for this comedy? I believe it is first important to admit that there is no “rule” written in scripture that clearly addresses today’s question ( or much regarding comedy and humor. And there is a lesson in this- as helpful as developing theological grids and frameworks are, the erring counter-part to reckless liberality is the narrow and miserly temptation to make a law for everything. Even developing a continuum of how “light or dark” a roast might be isn’t necessarily helpful, because to do so would be to side-step the process of this post’s exercise- to cultivate decisions guided by wisdom that constantly evaluate the heart, and the root of it’s intentions.
With humor or another category, I am increasingly convinced of the importance of intention in my words and my action. John Piper in Desiring God lays a powerful challenge when he argues for the importance of delight and enjoyment in worship through the analogy of a husband’s celebration of this wedding anniversary. Say I were to come to my wife with two-dozen beautiful roses, and present them saying “Happy Anniversary.” My wife may take them, a sweet and tickled look melting upon her face, and she may reply with “thank you Tanner, your shouldn’t have!” This is a good and noble action, is it not? Is not giving a gift an honoring and virtuous act in and of itself? Well, what if my reply is “well, I had to get you these. It’s our anniversary, I’m compelled to do something.” I’m not wrong that there should be a sense of ought in honoring my spouse. However, if in reality my actions are but the result of a calculated and begrudged act of marital duty, my gift of roses no longer honors my wife- it belittles her.
In the same way, the intention of the heart, in all things, matters significantly. And for this reason, roasts (although most commonly a dark brand of humor because of it’s origins) and other forms of deprecating humor should always be heard and considered critically with consideration of the motivations of the soul. To not exercise discernment of purpose and intent in one’s inner man, and likewise to not pastorally reflect on how such a joke would be received, would be the clear line for the believer not to transgress.
Now, with this principal in play, how much of your “zingers,” and what percentage of the comedic content that you ingest daily,remains a holy cow?What percentage of such content is, by biblical standards of reason, truly categorized as “junk,” “waste,” or downright gospel-countering to enjoy or participate in ?
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