Matthew McConaughey won an Oscar. And, boy, are Christians happy about it. I mean, Christians are jumping up and down for this Texas boy for his big win because he actually thanked God in his acceptance speech. He did, he gave God credit and he thanked his wife like he should and he gave a rambling speech that really made me wonder why they weren’t starting up the music to cut him off. They let Matthew talk for almost four minutes, and the clip of his speech is all over the internet.
Christians are so proud.
And, I can’t blame us. I mean, how often do we hear a major celebrity, an Oscar winner, no less, identifying with us? How often do we get that kind of star power in our corner? It almost makes us seem sort of cool and legitimate.
I liked his speech, although I thought it was a little heavy on the Matthew McConaughey. He’s chasing a hero, who is himself in ten years? Really? But, no matter. He mentioned God and that’s all that counts. It obviously shows that he loves the Lord and lives his life for Him and we will all be fans of his forever because of this speech.
But, there’s one tiny issue with setting Matthew McConaughey up as our next great Christian idol. And, the problem is the movie he won the Oscar for. And pretty much every other movie he’s ever made. (Anyone remember a little film called Magic Mike?) According to pluggedin.com, Dallas Buyer’s Club opens with McConaughey’s character having sex with two girls at the same time in a rodeo stall. That’s only the beginning of the explicit sexual content in the movie. In addition to the nudity, masturbation, and pornography, the film contains over 100 f-words and God’s name is used as a curse word over 20 times.
Matthew McConaughey made this movie, which he was rewarded by Hollywood for making, which goes out into our society and poisons the hearts and minds of our men, women, and young people. And then he gets up to accept his award for making filth that turns hearts away from God, and he thanks God for the opportunity, and Christians applaud him as if he has done something incredible.
We have got to get over our obsession with celebrity and start making connections between what people say and what they actually do. It is never going to be a good thing for Christianity for us to hold these celebrities up as examples of what a Christian should be. If we want to show the world examples of Christianity that should make us cheer, it’ll be our faithful pastors, our grandmothers who have lived quiet sacrificial lives, our friends who would lay down their lives for us, the teachers who go to school every day and live out the commands to love the unlovable and to value every life.
Not Matthew McConaughey. I’m sure he’s a fun guy to hang around with, and I bet he’s a great dad and probably a really good actor. But he is not the next great champion for Christianity.
And that’s probably why I’m not a member of the Academy. Thank you, and good night.
**Please check out the follow-up to this post here!
**Due to the fact that everything that can be said HAS been said–many, many times–comments are now disabled. Thanks for stopping by!
you speak truth in this blog post. It is sad that so many are blinded to the wisdom.and insight that you possess. We Christians do indeed jump too quickly on the bandwagons of celebrities who in passing mention the name of God once in a while. But true faith is demonstrated by what we do, not by our words. Be wise, o Christian, and let your adoration and praise be well-placed, and let it rest primarily at the feet of Jesus. chris
Christians also are too quick to put others down. Instead of putting this guy down for his past, lift him up. Do you know his current walk? Is he a new Christian? If he is, these statements in the blog could tear him away from Christ. Look at only yourself, and you may have more in common with Mathew than you realize!
Amen Joe…… I was proud of Matthew for giving God the Glory. His past is not for me nor any others to judge. We are all sinners yet the difference is Christians are forgiven their sins by the blood of Jesus on the cross. Nobody happened to mention in all the hoopla going around about the actor that during his speech praised being gay and pushed for gay rights. I am not going to judge him either because he will be judged himself one day as we all are, if he is a Christian. I know a lot of Gays that are Christians and the bible tells us the only way to not get into the kingdom of God is by DENYING CHRIST. At that point we will be held accountable for our actions on earth. I want to end by saying that if you are not a Christian, open a bible…… Read Romans….. ask questions…… and ask the Lord into your life and forgive your sins. Your sins will never stop, but through prayer, your sins will be forgiven. Let God be your guide. God bless each of you and GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA..
This is so wrong on so many levels. McConughey’s character went on to sacrifice his life (metaphorically) to save fellow sufferers just as Jesus would. Its a story of redemption and ultimate service to others. I’m sorry that the details of this true story are too sordid for this Christian blogger but life is messy and can not always be honestly portrayed in a way that would suit some Christian’s standards. Jesus came to die for these messy, sinful people. On another level, cant she just be happy for one second before throwing out the self-righteous judgments?
Exactly!!
Amen, Steph. This movie was at times difficult to watch, but Ron Woodward was, I’m sure, a difficult man to watch. But he changed. He was redeemed because he learned how to love. Bravo, Mr. McConaughey for having the guts to play such a character in order to show how much he had to change to find his humanity. Plugged In are the Pharisees of the film community.
So what about his magic mike movie. Did he go on to sacrifice anything in this one? McConughey’s may have thanked God but is he really trying to live a sin free life? I understand that it is a job, and most people would agree with you but the bible does say that no one should commit adultery, and by looking at anyone with any impure thoughts running through your mind is adultery.
Mallory, did Jesus say to us “try to figure out in your head who is sinning and who isnt and analyze it and determine who is a sinner blah blah blah” or did He say go into the world and tell people that sin is no longer a hindrance to a relationship with God? (i.e. the Gospel). Free yourself from the burden of playing morality police and just relax and love. Sincerely saying this btw 🙂
So many people are way to quick to judge a book by its a cover. I seriouslly doubt anyone idolizes this man. Maybe they think of him just a little bit better now because they realize hes NOT the person he plays in MOVIES. Another thing is people look at magic mike and instantly just see it as trash and think they are being christian by not seeing it or speaking out against it and not wanting anything to do with anyone in the movie anymore. Why dont you try watching it and you may find out the story and message is far different than you thought you cant judge a story by the face of it you need to take in as a whole. Sorry just get so tired of the holier then though approach that people use these days and misuse of the term christian.
I totally agree with you. I am guilty of thinking Matthew McConaughey is a nice looking man and sometimes I have to step back and look at my motives. Thank you so much for writing this blog and bringing me back to reality. I was on the bandwagon of thinking it was great he gave some credit to God, but in the back of my mind I kept thinking, this is not right. He doesn’t live the way he’s speaking. His movies certainly don’t portray a Christian lifestyle. And while I don’t always do what I should, I do try to live the life Christ would have me to live. Once again thanks!!
That is what I thought when I watched the video of his acceptance speech. I haven’t seen his movies, because I rarely ever see a movie, and surely don’t pay for them, if they are rated more than just PG, or even a few PG 13s. But I saw that he was in Magic Mike, and even though I never saw that one, I knew what the storyline was about. IF we as Christians need a “celebrity” role model, let’s look more at those like the Robertsons, of Duck Dynasty fame, or Kirk Cameron, who lives a life that reflects what the Bible teaches us to be. Thanks for your post.
The writer of this article has it all wrong. The movie was not a celebration of the sex and drugs. Its an example of what happened to this man because of the life he lived. He was infected with HIV because of the way he lived and died from it. To condemn Matt Mc. for portraying a character in a story that still needs to be told is overly judge mental and exactly what the over bearing christian holy rollers do. Sometimes you need to take your head out of your bible and look at the big picture of what is really happening. This was actually a story of what can and did happen to those who over indulge in a sinful lifestyle and once diagnosed with HIV tries to help others with the virus who cannot help themselves. Oh but wait you didn’t watch the whole movie but still claimed you saw enough of it to condemn the film, the actor and Hollywood for showing the portrayel of the times in a movie. SMDH !!!! You people never cease to amaze me.
I agree with you, Kim. There seems to be a lot of Matthew fans here who are giving the blogger heck for sharing her opinion. 🙁
Those thoughts in the back of your mind were not from God. He is not calling you to be a morality policeman and try to determine what is sinful and what’s not (well, he mentioned God but he made a movie 5 years ago that was about male strippers, but he’s a good dad, but this movie had swear words – on and on in our heads, thinking we have to figure out what’s sin). Matthew drew a ton of people to God. Blogs like this drive them away.
Why do so many of you feel that because it is his job it makes it ok? If I were a hit man would it be ok because I thanked God for my successful business? Where do you draw the line for acceptable employment?
Being a hitman is ACTUALLY illegal while being an actor is not…. pity you cant distinguish the difference.
What I think is a pity is that so many are commenting here accusing her of being judgmental and self righteous when in turn, they’re scolding, being judgmental and self righteous themselves. Wouldn’t it be better to not comment at all? I’m amazed at how people are so quick to show grace to some, but not all.
LOL.. ^^^this.
ooo.. my comment was supposed to point to Nicole’s comment about a hitman which is “ACTUALLY illegal” lol
you’re taking away from her point. He is still responsible for the choices that he makes, and stating it is your job doesn’t free you from those responsibilities.
I’m sorry, but all of these comments are ridiculous. People calling each other hypocrites, passing judgments toward each other. Clearly as people, even Christians, we are going to have different opinions on things. But a public blog post is no place to get into a heated debate about them. Why? Because it does not show the love of God and it does not show community, it shows unrest. And your comments show the kind of hypocrisy and judgment the world sees in the church. The place for these kinds of conversations is in person, with people you know and walk in community with daily, people who know your heart. Here, commenting back and forth, please remember that many of you undoubtedly don’t know each other and you can’t see each other’s heart, love, and grace through your computer.
Well said, Harley!!!
Completely agree!
Their idea of Christian! He can still love God and give Him credit! God is not in a BOX like the “Christian’s.”
Amen Harley!
Amen, Harley!
Uh, speak for yourself, please! I’m a Christian, and I am not the mindless, stupid sheep that you seem to think that all Christians are. I don’t believe that just because someone thanks God in a speech, that means he or she identifies with Christian beliefs. This entire post was insulting to me as a Christian because it seems to assume that because I’m a Christian, I now idolize this man because he thanked God in a speech. PLEASE!
Sadly a lot of people have been coming out in support of him and so thankful and praising him for his speech — so perhaps you shouldn’t take this post personally and realize that it is addressed to those who need to be a little bit more discerning.
It’s a movie based on a true story about aids 1985 and a straight guy who got aids and helped save lives by smuggling in drugs from other countries. His character–a guy from a trailer park–was instrumental in getting FDA to allow certain things that ended up saving lives. So yes, it may have had curse words and sex. But, in my opinion, was an important story to tell bc kids today don’t realize what aids was in the 80’s. the ugliness, the death. Just like watching 12 years a slave. Hard as hell to watch but educational. And he didn’t make a ton of money on film. It was an independent film. Very low budget. I have no clue what Matthew’s beliefs are but I appreciate him thanking God and looking up to Him. And the the thought about chasing himself is actually a good thing in my opinion. Instead of competing with others which most people do, he is only focused on becoming a better him. He wants the 45 year old Matthew to be better than the 35 yr old etc. I know he loves his family and his kids. I have met him in Nola with his kids and he is a dedicated dad.
Thank you! very well said!
This is spot on! As Christians, we need to be very careful who we look up to. Matthew’s words do not reflect his life, from personal interviews to movie roles. A lot of them glorify sin, not God.
Okay I guess I got a different message from Magic Mike….I agree the character he played was a scum bag who lured people into that lifestyle and made it seem great which validated why he was so happy and it was okay! It was a character PEOPLE… there are alot people in Hollywood who play CHARACTERS its not who they represent in their real lives. There is good and bad in every situation and if you don’t want to see a movie DON”T watch it. Wow we finally get someone who acknowledges GOD and all we ca do is judge him.
I don’t need someone in Hollywood to acknowledge God in order to validate my faith. I’m not judging him either, I just think we need to be careful and discerning in who we praise. Also — acknowledging God with words is not as important as living a life that honors him.
Pretty sure this comment string is shutting down my computer! HA have to leave now, but thanks for the opportunity it created to reflect on our faith. Peace, everyone!
To say he probably a good actor is so funny considering your holding a JOB against him like that is himself. Am I the only one who realizes he doesn’t write these scripts, and if wasnt him it would be someone else.
Agree with this comment from Rhonda Searcy and will just add again Grace and God loves ALL of His children… I am appalled that you would post something like this to a Christian blog. Shame on you!! Would you rather him to give all the glory to Allah? No one that I know of places Matthew McConaughey as an “idol” to mirror their lives. But in the day in which we live, it is refreshing to hear ANYONE, including celebrities, thank God!! We are ALL sinners saved by grace. There is not one of us that is perfect. We fall so very short every day. Your blog, so very judgmental in nature, is a reminder of that very fact. My husband is a pastor and the hardest thing that we have to work through, are non believers observing Christians act in this manner. They absolutely want no part of our “graceless” judgmental cause!! My prayer is that you will humble yourself before God and ask him to fill you with His Grace. And that when you post on your blog that it will be obvious! Thank you Matthew McConaughey and Joe Blow and anyone else who acknowledges my God!!
What bothered me when I read this was the judgmental tone of this blog as well. It was refreshing to see someone in Hollywood or anywhere say thank you to God. He is God’s to lead and God’s to judge, just as all of us are. He doesn’t need us slamming people who do not believe or act exactly the way we “know” they should. Nor does He need us to put people on pedestals. If people are making too much of it in either direction, it certainly doesn’t mean what he said was wrong or that he didn’t say some admirable things. Take the hero thing. Oh my goodness, people. Listen again and hear what he is saying. He isn’t saying he is his own hero, for goodness sake. He is talking about who he is striving to be in 10 years. He never says he makes it. He actually says he doesn’t and resets it for the next 10 years. But at least he has a vision of who he needs to be 10 years down the road and is working toward that goal. Most people never look further in their lives than the weekend. So lighten up. No wonder non Christians have such a problem with Christians. Sheesh. We gotta get past this “If they don’t measure up, stone them!” attitude because that more than anything is keeping people from the Kingdom.
Hit the nail straight on the head!! At least he spoke about GOD. Did any other? If GOD is mentioned then who are we to know what GODs plan is with him. I don’t watch much movies. But I do remember (contact) I liked him in that. Just don’t gloat on movie stars or any other idol except the lord. Opinions are cheap actions are a leadership of love.
You cant fix yourself trying to break someone else…
Yes! We would rather he give glory to allah because God has nothing to do with this man’s award! The biggest detriment to Christianity is NOT Christians that are labeled judgmental because they can identify sin and call it out. It’s those that make everyone believe that their sin is OK by accepting their “Christian status” without looking at the fruits and not warning them that their sins will still send them to hell! Read Charles Finney’s sermon on “How to Preach Without Converting Anybody” You may get a person to accept a Christianity in name, or get someone to attend church that way, but without repentence for SIN, there is no conversion, and God is not their Lord and Savior. https://openairholinessministries.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/holiness-literature-how-to-preach-without-converting-anybody/
“There is something worse than holding our silence while the lost of this world run headlong into hell: the crime of preaching to a different gospel than the one passed down to the saints. For this reason, we must shun the gospel of contemporary evangelicalism, for it is a watered-down, culturally carved, truncated gospel that allows men to hold to a form of godliness while denying its power, to profess to know God while denying Him with their deeds, and to call Jesus “Lord, Lord,” while not doing the Father’s will.15 Woe to us if we do not preach the gospel, but even greater woe is due us if we preach it incorrectly!16” ~ Paul Washer, The Gospel’s Power & Message
Amen!
One of the worst things you can do is reduce Christianity down to a moral thing you do, because it’s what everyone else who is moral does.
~ Paul Washer
Yes, use Paul Washer against himself.
Your post seems a little (I really mean a lot) judgmental to me. You have no way of knowing what Matthew’s personal relationship with God is like and I agree with Jeda that the story behind Dallas Buyers Club was a very important story to share and the actions you find repulsive and shameful are happening everyday in real life. Perhaps pray for them rather than judge them?
I think you all are taking this way out of content. I know plenty of people who say Christians are boring and you know what we are. When somebody like MM wins an award you have bitter Christians complaining. It is a movie for crying out loud! IT is not a reflection of this MM life. I don’t think by him making this movie makes him any less Christian than the rest of us. As a matter of fact I do believe the Bible states we all have sin and come short of the glory of the Lord. So this article is stupid and ridiculous.
Thank you for this poignant and spot on commentary … I must say that all of the praise that Matthew McConaughey received for “thanking God” caused me to take pause and scratch my head … we surely are not that gullible … are we???
While I agree that yes, there was “filth” in Dallas Buyers Club, I do not think it is a movie to turn hearts away from God, rather than make them feel closer. Take out all the nastiness, and you have simply, a man trying to help others who are dying. I think it’s a real movie and one that will make people reflect on maybe some of the choices they’re making or on the way they treat others who do not live lifestyles that follow the “Christian” code. So he made a few questionable movies, we make questionable choices every day. To me, he is real and I bet Jesus would have had a beer with Ron Woodruff anytime.
Jara, my comment is awaiting moderation, but the Lord gave me this: “Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.” II Peter 2:2. If we claim the name of God (assuming MM meant the God of Jesus) we are entirely responsible for how we use His name and on what we give Him credit for.
amen
There are a number of things wrong with this post.
First, it’s not our job as Christians to say that this person is a Christian and that one is not. Only God can know the heart.
Secondly, the movie that won him the Oscar may have been filled with drugs, sex and dirty language, but it was a movie that showed someone doing one of the things that Jesus commanded his disciples to do, namely helping the sick.
Now you could say that the only people he was helping were gays and drug users, sinners who do not deserve God’s help. Yet I don’t seem to recall at any time during Jesus’ ministry where he asked the sick or infirm what their sins were before providing them healing.
Matthew McConaghey thanked God publicly for winning his profession’s highest honor for portraying a man filled with sin who risked imprisonment in order to fulfill one of Jesus’ callings, even if he did not do so on that basis.
We, as Christians, should be grateful for this. After all, we are all sinners. Every last one of us. And not just us, but Jesus’ disciples, the ancient fathers of Judaism and every last person who has done God’s work on Earth.
I’m sorry, I guess I missed something. Did Matthew McConaughey claim to be a Christian? If not, then why do people bash him? I agree that Christians need to quit looking for a celebrity poster child, but we also need to stop criticizing celebrities in public forums as if they are not real people who we are accountable to God for slandering and and gossiping about. If you wouldn’t post something publicly about a friend, then I wouldn’t post it about a celebrity. God’s command to love them and “consider them better than yourself” applies to both. They’re not some character to use as an object lesson and a way to get more blog posts. They are a person that Jesus died for, created in the image of God. Yes, even Miley Cyrus.
Shame on you !!! I hope our God convicts your heart my sister in Christ to know judging anyone’s journey is a sin … stop spewing and start being kind
How many of you watched the movie? Did Jesus turn people away because of their lifestyle. He accepted them to show them His love. McConaughey is telling the struggle of a real man, and if you cant understand what the struggle is then you were part of the problem. Before everyone jumps on the ” he isn’t doing what a Christian should be doing” bandwagon think about this…is it your place to judge?
seriously? He performed a role as character in a movie so well that he was recognized by these Hollywood elites and then thanks God for the chance the ability to entertain people. That’s all. Have I watched the movie… No, I have not and most likely will not. Nonetheless, I am sure the Matt isn’t looking to be the poster child, a hero, an idol, or the front man for the Christian movement. He thanked God – let’s respect that as it is, be gracious and accept him as someone that believes believes in God. Anyone attempting to discredit him only succeed in making themselves look petty and smug – like some Christian elitist that believes they own the rights to worship God. I merely posted my gratitude for someone brave enough to voice his thanks to God and I respect that level faith, no matter how much.
I see the issue of her blog is this: The emphasis isn’t completely on MM, it is on the Christians who are going gaga over what he said. Those who are condemning us for agreeing with her are saying we are judgmental. Isn’t there judgement in assuming righteousness for what may not be there? Judgment is weighing the scales. Y’all are doing the same thing. That works both ways. “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.…” Matthew 7:16-17 Several of you have asked each other if we have seen the movie, and that question was posed directly to me. Let’s go only on what Melissa says about the Plugged In review: “According to pluggedin.com, Dallas Buyer’s Club opens with McConaughey’s character having sex with two girls at the same time in a rodeo stall. That’s only the beginning of the explicit sexual content in the movie. In addition to the nudity, masturbation, and pornography, the film contains over 100 f-words and God’s name is used as a curse word over 20 times.” What does God in His Scripture say to these things? “I will put no unclean thing before my eyes.” Psalm 101:3. He says, “Do not take the name of the Lord in vain.” Exodus 20:7. “How does a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your Word.” Psalm 119:9 Even if we can credit MM for being an immature Christian, (and you and I cannot say either way), the summation is this: he won an Oscar for a vulgar movie and thanked a god for it. What does God’s Word say about all these things? “Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. II Peter 2:2
Thank you, Hilary. You said exactly what I wanted to say! You have answered those who call others judgmental well, and you have soundly, Biblically showed why you disagree with Mr. McConaughey’s actions. Well done! Thanks for taking your time to write this reply.
TY, wvsingal. I take that as a high compliment.
Awesome words, Hilary… Thank you!
Oh no…I work in a field where I help people get divorced so that must mean that I can’t thank God everyday for my job. Wow…get a life judgmental jerks.
So are you judging these jerks for being judgmental? Isn’t that judgmental? I will say this….in regards to MM’s job. People here are acting as though the man has no choice in the films he makes. He does. Second, since we are talking about what God says is right and wrong, let’s go to His word, rather than our own emotions to decide. Take the example of Zaccheus. The Bible says he was a tax collector….typically, a job known for cheats. When Jesus met him and befriended him, Jesus didn’t leave him a cheat. The Bible doesn’t tell us that he switched jobs. It does, however tell us he was not the same tax collector he was before meeting Christ. Jesus radically changed his life. So much so, that the life he lived before was no longer acceptable. The Bible clearly says that when we become a Christian God makes us a new creature. He says that the old things are passed away and that all things have become new. There will be sacrifices for this new life….but they are always worth the change. Jesus told his disciples that we should love Him more than even our family. Surely we should love our family more than our job….so we should love God more than that too. Everyone of the disciples left what they were doing…their jobs…and followed Jesus. Why should we do less. Furthermore, when we are talking about the movies that MM stars in, let’s remember that if he is indeed a follower of Jesus Christ (which I pray he is), he is forcing the Holy Spirit, who lives inside of him, to be there with him while he does those filthy scenes, just as any Christian watching that filth is. That should be enough to prick the heart of a true Christian, and I pray that it will prick MM’s heart. We can look at modern day examples of Christianity coming out of Hollywood. While Hollywood laughs, people like Kirk Cameron have taken a stand, and when he thanks God, no one questions his sincerity. ” Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
A. men.
Reblogged this on Christians Are Us and commented:
I did not watch the Oscars. I did catch his “speech” as a highlight (or at least parts of it). I heard him thank god (notice the small “g”) for the award. I noticed that he even gave god credit for the opportunities that eventually made it possible to bring him to that stage. I have to take Melissa’s side on this article. MY God is a righteous God – meaning, He will lead you in paths of righteousness (good, holy things – NOT sinful, vile, and literally Satanic things). If you know much of Matthew’s film history, Melissa’s comments describe some of them. MY God, I know, didn’t make the opportunity happen for him to film a (or more like many) sex scene. MY God is NOT glorified by him (or anyone else) appearing, graphicly or implied, nude and/or in sexual situations or even for that matter, He NEVER approves of anyone taking His Name in vain, much less making reference to sexual acts or body parts in slang language. I understand that they call this “acting”, but there should Never be reason to do any of this under the guise of entertainment.
You may say, as some have said of Melissa, that I am being judgemental and that is NOT a Christian trait. Really? These things are SIN! Is there any way that you can legitimately justify any of these actions in the sight of God to me right now? If you even try, I pray God’s mercy on your soul. We are told in God’s Word (The Holy Bible) to try the “spirits” to see if they be good or evil (1 John 4:1).
Under NO circumstance should you listen to this “speech (Matthew’s)” and believe that everything that he had done up to that point is “under the blood” and “forgiven by God”. If that were the case, he should feel convicted that he was actually leading multitudes astray and he should have been at that mic on his knees begging for our forgiveness and that of God for his actions. In the Bible, in Matthew 7:16, 20, we are told that “by their fruits ye shall know them”. I call it the way I see it.
One other thing that someone brought out in the comments to Melissa’s blog post regarding Matthew’s reference to “god”… Did you know that the muslims also call their Allah, “God”? I am not trying to say that Matthew McConaughey is muslim, or anything else. I’m just making a point that unless he quantifies his reference, we really don’t know who his “god” actually is. I know that MY God – the One, True and Only God – does not condone any of the aforementioned actions that he has done.
Weigh the evidence, consult your Bible and talk to God about this, then, make your comments with a clear conscience before God. We love Matthew, not because of what he has done, but because of what Jesus has done for him. Hate the sin – Love the sinner!
–Mark
Mark, the Pharisees called; they want their message back..
That’s what it’s all about – like it or leave it. The message is the gospel of Jesus Christ. You might want to read the whole article… 🙂
So because he thanked God, he deserves your judgement and critism? Who appointed you the Christian judge? Someone can be a Christian, thank God for His glories, and still fall short. That is the point of God’s forgives. We ALL (even you…holier than thou) fall short of the Glory of God.
Melissa, could you please take down my comment about flipping a gizzard. The comments here were making me hot under the collar and I typed faster than my brain could think? I do apologize for that.
Done, Hilary!
TY, Dear Sister. Keep following the Lord with your gift of discernment. It is not the popular gift under the tree these days, but it is one of the most essential. Discernment is protection for His flock and for those who might be called among His flock.
The trademark of God is LOVE! There is a difference between love and like! God put irregular people in our life for a reason; it’s to teach us to love what we may not like!
We are commanded to LOVE!
I heard something said today that made me think, what am I? It was, “Jesus has a huge fan club but few disciples!” What really are you?
There is only one judge, God!
Below this post we see Matthew reading “Case for Christ”. We do not know what has taken place in a persons heart, we want to judge a person on their past not knowing the condition of the heart of the present. We can judge or we can apply grace. Man looks on the outward appearance, God looks upon the heart.
Yeah so let’s be judgmental of him! That’s exactly what Christians these days do and turn people from Chritianity. I’m a Christian and don’t agree with what you said at all. What he does is between him and GOD! How dare you judge someone for not being Christian enough for you. Like someone else said shame on you!
Living and walking by faith are what we are called to do. We forget that God alone choses whom ever he will for his purposes. Quite often those whom he uses are reprehensible people so we stumble in our own walk by judging those instruments
according to our biases. We forget that God’s timeline for His game plan exceeds our understanding. If even one person in that audience opened his mind to consider our Lord as his Savior would you dare judge Matthew then? God has no choice but to use
sinners, because we have ALL sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.
Apparently you watched the entire movie. Why? If it was that bad, why didn’t you leave? How can a christian be so blatant in their attack of someone who thanked God? Do you know MM. heart? Do you know his relationship with God? I think I would be asking Gods forgivness for judging someone who I know nothing about except the movies YOU seemed to have watched him in.
Thank you so much for speaking truth!!! I said the same things yesterday and was slaughtered for it (as I often am), so I can’t imagine the ugly things “Christians” must have said to you on a much bigger level. Keep fighting the good fight of faith, sister, and take hope that there are still a few out here that are fighting evil with you and see evil for what it is–evil.
Hold on for a second there girl….We don’t know when MM became a Christian. Was it after he made the movies you mentioned? And the one he won the Oscar for was based on a true story. In case you haven’t noticed yet…bad stuff happens in real life…to Christians as well as non-Christians. I have a problem with Christians choosing to live in a fairy land of make believe. I am a Christian and have been since I was 8 years old. I am in my 50’s now. Bad stuff happened to me. Really bad stuff and lots of it….I wrote a book about it and I queried Christian publishers. They were interested but they wanted me to remove the rawness and the harsh words. But…the ugly rawness and the harsh words had been my reality for a long time…a reality I sugar coated to avoid having to explain the nightmare I lived in. Because the devil in my life was a Christian. So I published my book through Amazon so that I could tell the truth. Something Christian publishers didn’t want. Non Christians hate our Holier Than Thou attitudes. The behavior of some Christians turns more folks toward atheism than satan does.
So, before judging MM and Christians for being proud of him, just accept that he has obviously had a life transformation at some time in the recent past. Be thankful that he has chosen to publicly acknowledge God and happily gave Him a worldwide, heartfelt credit. I know Christians that won’t even talk about Jesus to their family or co-workers. MM told the world about Him and he did so without condemnation.
The Bible you and I follow commands us not to judge others.
Wow, judge much!! Who are you to say someone is not Christian enough?? Really?? Are you God? So he is not worthy enough to be called a Christian? “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone” Nobody is perfect, Matthew is not perfect! Give the guy a break!! He wants to thank god, let him thank god!!
I’m so glad you posted this. There is an alarming trend among Christians to check discernment at the door and call it being non-judgmental.
There was one phrase in Mcconaughey’s speech that I haven’t seen one comment about. He quoted Charlie Laughton, who said, “When you’ve got God, you got a friend. And that friend is you.” What does that mean? What God was he actually honoring?
I’ll go ahead and post his agent’s contact info so you all can start working on writing his next speech. You know, make sure it mentions Jesus Christ enough and a passage from Romans and 7 Hail Mary’s to be valid and respectable. Because I’m sure every time you’ve talked about God, you iterated it with such eloquent perfection that only you knew how to do it. Stand by, let me look up his agent. I wouldn’t want the Academy Awards to be such a disappointment to you next year because someone didn’t read your expert mind.
I have never read your blog before. And in all honesty, I will most likely never read it again. I would hope that if you get nothing else from my comment, you will stop and think about the mission of the church and Christ. That is to lead others to Christ. I have to stop and ask myself if this article would help lead Matthew (whom you have outwardly judged) to Christ. I grew up in the church & have been a devout, baptized Christian for more than 25 years, but went through a divorce about a year & 1/2 ago from a 17 year marriage that ended with me being cheated on & left like I was nothing. The reason I bring this into my point is because is because as a wronged, strong, faithful Christian, I noticed that I was judged by my fellow Christians. I learned really fast who my real friends were when I started dating and the rumors of what I “was” doing in my personal life started flying. Not one person came to me and asked me what I was or wasn’t doing. They assumed. I think its because divorce is nasty & dirty. For me, divorce saved my life. I left the church for a because of this. People that I grew up loving & we supported each other couldn’t help but look at me as if I was some kind of a whore. There are so many ways that we ALL fall short of God’s commandments. So my question as I read this article was when did you have a conversation about where he is in his life with Christ? I personally have never met the man. Is he a role model for my Christian walk? No he is not. But after what you have written, you are not a role model for my Christian walk either. I will admit I am bitter. But let’s talk about the root issue in my opinion. My opinion is that the root issue is the sin of gossip & judgment (which Biblically is equivalent to the sin of “foul language, sexual acts, and inappropriate behavior displayed by him in his movies that many Christians are rushing out to see). Our only mission is to bring others to Christ. I do not believe that upon reading this Matthew McConaughey would respond to an invitation to your church or anything else you had to offer (which should be Christ). I am reminded of the woman at the well…Jesus knew what she was. She was unmarried & had been with many men. & Jesus called her “woman” & never condemned her. He let her know he knew of her indiscretions, but never condemned her. I don’t even know if this will be read. But I ask that you stop and think about your subjects soul in the future. I doubt he will read this, but on the off chance he did, I feel you just pushed him in the wrong direction. As I know from experience, it is easier to dig your feet in and hide than it is to brush comments about your walk with God off as good intentions. Thank you!
Christians forget the meaning of GRACE! If we all played a movie of our own LIVES, some of our movies would be worse then the ones that Matthew play in.
I don’t agree in the movies that he plays in but I’m sure God doesn’t agree in everything we do.
Don’t forget that ALL sin is the same so there’s no difference in LYING and in playing a movie role with tons of profanity, sexual immortality, etc…
Don’t take too much stuff out of contents. Btw, I would considered this article as gossiping so does it become a sinful article?
Don’t be too quick to judge people by their actions because if God exposed us all then we would ALL fall short!
Remember when you are pointing 1 finger at someone else, 3 more are pointing back at you.
The god he gave thanks to may not be the Biblical God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob… The fact that his hero is himself in 10 years is insightful. Perhaps he thinks he is a god?
Matthew 7:1-2 NKJV
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
I was told I wasn’t a Christian because I didn’t go along with Matthews Oscar speech. It was pretty funny.
I’m so glad that, after reflecting upon your own life, you are able to cast the first stone.
Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. John 8. 7.
ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!
Stephen, this is frustrating yes, but we must keep working toward getting at what the Word actually says, and sometimes the process is difficult.
Amen!! I agree completely and this is exactly (however more eloquently expressed) what I said to any who appeared on my FB wall to exclaim how wonderful he was for thanking God.
Maybe Matthew could come.speak to our senior adult church ladies about how God inspired him to simulate public 3-way sex…
I keep ‘running into’ Scripture that exhorts us to godliness and I cannot help but share it. I do not presume to have obtained all this, like Paul says, but I press on. If I am a true born again believer, I must press on. Here is what I just saw in James 1:22-25: “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted Word which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the Word, not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer, of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
Let us all lift up MM in our prayers. It is obvious that he thirsts. May he be be satisfied with the living waters of Christ Jesus through the Cross.
uhma… it’s a MOVIE… in other words, he didn’t ACTUALLY do what was in the beginning of the movie.. he was portraying a character. his God given talent is acting and the gift of humor (he is one funny dude! lol). i think it’s so stupid that “Christians” go around and point fingers.. “oh yeh, he’s good, but did you see him do that!?”.. you know Gossip is also considered a thing to NOT do in the Bible as well.. but obviously this entire blog is about “yay he mentioned God, but did you see what he DID!!??!??!”… waaa cry me a river, build a bridge, and get over it.
You sound like the Christians who think you HAVE to go to church in order to be “Christian”.. you wanna find a bunch of hypocritical/judgmental people?! Go to a church. I’m Christian and I don’t believe I need to go to a building to let anyone know. You have your opinions, fine, but don’t go blog about it and nag. Just think it’s awesome that he thanked the person who gave him his talent…. bc let’s be honest:
Most people only thank themselves.
Get over it. sheesh
You don’t have to read her blog either. No one is forcing you, and she is entitled to her opinion as you are yours.
Ps.. no one has deemed him “Best Christian Alive”!.. people are just glad to see he thanked God. end of story.
Thank you so much for having the courage to write this. I agree 1000%. AMEN!!!!!