Ben and Jerry’s Renames Ice Cream ‘Hubby Hubby’ in Celebration of Gay MarriageThe Vermont-based Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream has renamed its popular “Chubby Hubby” flavor in celebration of Vermont’s move to legalize gay marriage. The new name “Hubby Hubby,” will be used throughout the month of September. Moreover, the ice cream cartons will showcase a picture of a wedding cake with two men wearing tuxedos where the traditional bride and groom figurines appear.
This isn’t the first time Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream has let their social activism show on their ice cream products. Last November, after then Senator Obama had clenched the presidential nomination, Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream renamed one of its nutty ice cream flavors, “Yes, Pecan!” … after the popular Obama/Biden campaign slogan, “Yes, we can!” (By the way, I guess that clears up the whole debate over how to say “pecan.” LOL)
While I don’t think it’s necessary at this point to get into what I think (or, more importantly, what GOD has already declared) about homosexuality and the sacred union of marriage, and while it’s really of no concern whether you or I happen to be fans of President Obama, I must give props to Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream for one thing: they aren’t ashamed to take their beliefs and unwaveringly stick them out there for all to see! This should be a big embarrassing slap in the face to us Christ-followers who sometimes choose to cowardly hide our beliefs as we fear the negative backlash and consequences that living a life for Christ (and proclaiming his word) sometimes solicits!
Too often we say our meal-time prayers in our heads with our eyes open because we think somebody might notice. Too often we hold our tongue when friends, family, co-workers, and classmates begin to ridicule God and his church, because (like Peter at one point) we’re afraid people might think, “He’s one of them! He’s a Christ-follower!” if we dare speak up. Too often we bring our conversation to a whisper in a crowded restaurant when we’re talking about godly topics and fellowshipping with fellow Christ-followers because we don’t want people to overhear us and thus recognize that we belong to Christ. Goodness, while Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream is running with their beliefs and plainly sticking them in our faces, we feel good about ourselves if a stranger politely responds “thank you” (without taking offense) to one of our “GOD bless you’s” after they sneeze.
It’s high time we learn a lesson from Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream company; it’s time we proclaim Christ without hindrance … without fear …in the faces of those who oppose us, if necessary! Of course there may be a backlash, as Jesus himself warned us that people will persecute us just as they persecuted him (John 15:20). But to do anything less is to cowardly deny who we are and what we believe, and thus (ultimately) to shame the name of Christ at the same time. We should be willing to live Christ and speak Christ in the public squares, just a Paul and others did – even when it resulted in physical abuse and landed them in prison.
Unfortunately, we often cower to protect our selves – not so much from physical abuse or prison (although this certainly happens to Christ-followers from time to time), but we cower from possibly “upsetting” people, because we feel good when we can believe “everyone” likes us.
Maybe this explains why I watched Billy Graham cower on Larry King Live. Larry asked him, “What will happen to the Jews. What about the atheists. What about the billions who don’t believe in Christ the way you do? Will they go to heaven?” Billy Graham (being a man I greatly admire for many reasons, although this isn’t one of them) unfortunately cowered and said, “Larry, I don’t know. That’s not for me to say.” GOODNESS!!! – Talk about COWERING!!! Here’s a piece of advice for Billy Graham, Joel Osteen, and you and me included: SPEAK THE TRUTH AND LIVE CHRIST EVEN WHEN YOU KNOW IT’S GOING TO GET YOU IN TROUBLE! To do anything less is a disgrace!
God said that he will bless us when others persecute us; we’d do well to remember this. While Ben and Jerry’s is out there celebrating a move of the Vermont government, let’s get out there and unabashedly celebrate the mighty movement of God that he began in us when we placed our lives in him! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
