THESPIAN BEHAVIOUR

 They called him Elmer Gantry; that name was his name on screen.

It told about a scoundrel with a spirit most unclean.

He was the sort of person we far too often find,

Coming to our churches with wickedness in mind.

They tell us they are born again and can preach up a storm.

But living as a Christian has never been their norm.

Now Elmer had one passion; to satisfy his lust.

He’d look and see a pretty girl;  then see if he could bust,

Whatever she was doing to keep the wolves at bay.

And he would use seduction until he got his way.

A regular con artist with seeming boundless charm,

Used to “get his woman” and then to do her harm.

Now Elmer knew the Scriptures from when he was a child.

He found them very helpful for getting folk beguiled.

A man with great potential who knew the way to preach.

Some called him an evangelist, impressed by flowery speech.

One day while he was travelling he met a lovely “broad”,

A dedicated Christian who truly loved the Lord

He wanted to seduce her, but she was far too chaste.

She wouldn’t let him get to her and put her life to waste.

The movie was about the way he went about his task;

Of getting into bed with her. He even had to ask,

If they could both be married; to that she soon agreed.

And that is just what happened to pander to his need.

The movie was disturbing for it made very plain,

That many folk are in it to seek financial gain.

Some have some other purposes; some other form of greed

So they pretend to be someone the Christian church would need.

It seems that things were much the same back in our Master’s day.

For He could spot a hypocrite “a hundred miles away”.

There’s no doubt there’s still lots of them; some whom we do not know.

They’ve mastered the ability to not let evil show.

And so they fool a lot of us. We think that they are pure.

But if we could look into them, we’d understand for sure,

That they’re a bunch of charlatans dressed up in a disguise,

To make us think they’re Christians in God the Father’s eyes.

We cannot see their motives, their purposes and goals;

But God has the ability to weigh up all of our souls.

Perhaps they can deceive us. But everything’s laid bare,

When Jesus looks into them, and He is everywhere.

So let us all be careful of this never changing fact.

The Lord can spot a Thespian whose whole life is an act.

Jim Strickland – written  Friday, 16 September 2011