In all of the news coverage of the anti-Muslim video and the world-wide reaction to it, I've been thinking quite a bit about offense -- both giving it and taking it. I've wondered where exactly the lines of blame should be drawn. Do we have a right to offend each other?
With a lot of contemporary moral dilemmas, it is hard to find direct guidance from Scripture. We often just look for the closest parallels or for broader general principles. But in the case of being offensive, we have plenty of direct examples in the Gospels. Jesus offended all kinds of people. You don't get nailed to a cross unless you tick somebody off. And the charge against him was blasphemy -- essentially offensive speech.
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