Line Dancin’ or Just Trippin’
A Good Offense Wins Championships: Part 4
They say good things come in three. So, naturally, we added a fourth - because offending at will is kind of our thing now.
In this final part, we will tackle what happens when offense isn’t performative - but real. Because sometimes things actually do cross a line.
Christians are called to avoid harmful speech, gossip, and immorality. There are behaviors that do cross a line. So let me ask you: What is that line?
Waiting for the four people who read this to answer…
…Time’s up.
The answer? It is different for every person. I just got four different replies. What is “filthy” to me might not be so for you. As individuals, we develop our personal ethics based on a thousand different factors, too many to unpack unless you’re strapped down for Parts 5 through 23. And you, my four friends, are not.
Paul briefly mentions this dynamic in both Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8. In those passages, he describes a “weaker brother” who thinks it’s wrong to eat certain foods, in this case meat. But note this: the weaker one isn’t the guy scarfing down the steak - he’s the one side-eyeing your filet.
(Which makes sense, because “Protein shakes, one strong makes.” Said Yoda. Sorry, Star Wars-loving vegans.)
Paul’s advice? Don’t flaunt your freedom if it will trip someone up. If eating meat - or even making a joke, or posting a meme - causes a fellow believer to stumble, think twice. Your freedom isn’t worth violating someone else’s faith. A solid rule for dealing with a brother, sister, or even a LatinX believer.
However…
During His ministry, Jesus wasn’t afraid to cross lines - especially those drawn in Sharpie by the religious folk. He healed on the Sabbath. He touched lepers. He ate and drank with sinners. He rolled with a tax-collector. Gross. And, to make things interesting, He even equated Himself with God.
He wasn’t out to offend, but He wasn’t afraid to either. He crossed lines not for shock value, but to reveal the very nature of God.
Here’s the surprise twist: Jesus, and therefore God, is much more fun than we give Him credit for. He’s not clutching his pearls - or a rosary - every time someone drops a spicy word or posts a TikTok with secular music.
This doesn’t mean we take sin lightly. It does mean that we should approach life with His eyes and heart, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us and counsel us on what the “line” should be. He sees through behavior and straight to its root.
Scripture puts it like this:
“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT)
And: “The Word of God… discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 ESV).
God is not panicked over your behavior, not nearly as much as we think. He’s interested in your heart. He sees past the masks and the pretense. Yes, He doesn’t want us to resemble the world (see Part 2), but let’s be real - an occasional swear isn’t causing a code red in heaven’s war room. But, hey, you could tone down the f-bombs. Seriously.
We’re called to walk in the freedom of Christ. So… how does all of this tie-in with comedy?
Dancing In Freedom
Freedom is not the same as free rein. You can’t throw out any joke, no matter the level of spice, and just shout “grace!” like a divine Uno reverse card. There are boundaries.
…But freedom also doesn’t wear bubble wrap. It doesn’t tiptoe across every topic hoping not to offend your Methodist aunt, but, truly, can Methodists be offended at this point? Freedom in Christ isn’t fear-based. You don’t have to police your punchlines like you’re the head of HR for the kingdom of God.
God’s Spirit convicts - He doesn’t cancel. He guides - not guilts.
True freedom walks with the Spirit. It checks in with God, not the algorithm. It’s bold, but humble. Loving, but not spineless. Honest, but not harsh. It’s cracking a joke that lands - and loving someone even when it doesn’t.
Jesus didn’t offend just to stir up outrage, and He didn’t tiptoe around the truth to keep the disciples from ditching Him. He walked in freedom. He obeyed the Father. He loved people. And yes - He dropped some zingers. (See: whitewashed tombs, broods of vipers, and the OG "your father is the devil" clapback in John 8.)
That’s freedom.
Our Comedy Creed
At That’s Not How You Christian, we do not take comedy lightly. We take it solemnly. With tears. And spreadsheets. And internal Slack debates that begin with, “Can we say this without being excommunicated?”
We work hard to dance the line between offensive and impotent, between funny and… well… impotent. Honestly, there’s a lot of dancing around impotence.
The truth is, good comedy is going to be offensive to someone. Laughter is a response to discomfort, which is itself a reaction to something awkward, inappropriate, absurd, or downright true. That’s where the spark is. We want - desperately - to create that spark. But even more than that, we want our comedy to make you think. To open the door to questions. To lower the drawbridge on the walls we build around faith conversations. Our desire - our heart - is that it draws you closer to God. Even if you’re laughing the whole awkward way there. And we will miss on occasion. That’s also how comedy works. It’s like throwing darts. Sometimes the bullseye. Sometimes the bartender.
Here’s how we attempt to keep on target:
Our Four Plus One Comedy Commandments:
It must have at least a loose biblical connection (Bonus points for obscure references. Looking at you, Thaddeus.)
It cannot be blasphemous (The last thing we want to do is offend God. Bad for business. And eternity.)
It cannot be mean-spirited (No Methodist references. Avoid roasting with brimstone.)
It shouldn’t contain offensive language or content (This one’s tricky. The Bible has some R-rated moments.)
The plus one: it better be funny (or at least try… comedy is subjective, okay?)
These “commandments” - especially #4 - cause real tension. Face it - the Bible is not a sanitized felt-board of life lessons. There are real swear words in the original text. There’s sex, violence, witchcraft, idolatry, political scandal, sorcery, demon pigs, tent pegs to the head… The Bible isn’t G-rated. It’s the messy, miraculous, blood-soaked, grace-drenched story of God with us.
We didn’t write the story. We just added some jokes and crossed our fingers.
To conclude this look into offense, ask God to examine your heart. Where do you need to be more sensitive to others? Less concerned about what others think? How can you walk more with the Spirit from moment to moment, day to day? And ask Him to help you be funnier. The world needs more laughter.
