What about Paula Deen?

Bless her heart. (It’s what some in the south will say).

She has brought a lot of joy to many who watch her show and enjoy her ebullient personality.

She is an entertainer, a business person, a mother, a cook and I am sure much more.

She evokes memories of the “old South” with her deep Southern drawl, her love of regional cuisine and her desire to share that on television.

She has fans. Boy does she have fans. There have been three postings on Facebook with similar themes of “Keep Paula Deen” – meaning on the air.

The postings came after several media outlets removed her from their programming because of her admission under oath in a deposition.  When asked if she had used the “n” word, her response was, “Of course.”

“Of course?” To me that means, “it was only natural for me to do so.”

So what now?

Christians are called to forgive the unchristian behavior of others.

What do you say? Let’s forgive her. It is what we do. She has apologized. She should have apologized. What she did was wrong.

However, there are still natural consequences.

The Smithfield Company who uses her to endorse their hams with her picture on them said this, "Smithfield condemns the use of offensive and discriminatory language and behavior of any kind," the company said in a statement. "Therefore, we are terminating our partnership with Paula Deen. Smithfield is determined to be an ethical food industry leader and it is important that our values and those of our spokespeople are properly aligned."

Paula Deen had the right to say what she said.

Smithfield has the right to stand by their principles.

What we must always understand, while people do make such mistakes and can and should be forgiven, many who hear that word remember the time when such a word was tied to injustice and death.

But when I ak you to “forgive her,” I hope your response is, “Of course.”

Moving to the deeper places,
Jeff