Duck Dynasty: Phil Robertson Compared To John The Baptist

Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson — the Duck Commander himself — is known for his long beard, wearing camo, eating whatever critters he can hunt or fish out of the Louisiana swamp, and stirring up controversy when he speaks. The biblical figure of John the Baptist was known for wearing camel’s hair, eating locusts and wild honey in the Judean wilderness, baptizing Jesus Christ, and stirring up controversy when he spoke.

Phil’s son, Christian minister Alan Robertson (the only Robertson without a massive beard), who only appears occasionally on Duck Dynasty, recently compared the Duck Commander to John the Baptist. A Fox News report quotes Alan saying:

“My dad, Phil Robertson, has the heart and the mindset of a prophet… long hair, long beard, naturally camouflaged, he ate off the land and he pointed people to Christ.”

A CNS News report, further quotes Alan Robertson saying:

“How many people make their way out just to talk to my dad about the good news of Jesus Christ? And so he was a lot like John the Baptist. He is that guy. Now I’m often reminded when I tell people John the Baptist that he also lost his head, for speaking the truth, right? In a culture that really wasn’t prepared to hear truth, and yet, you know what, that doesn’t change my dad’s view at all. Prophets tend to not care about their public image, they tend to talk about judgment as if it’s real, and they speak what God gives them to speak. And that’s what my dad does. So he is, in that sense, a 21st century prophet. What’s interesting is how it came to be is phenomenal. It really was just one prayer on a television show.”

So, is a comparison between the Duck Dynasty patriarch and John the Baptist fair? Both Phil Robertson and John the Baptist called people to repentance. Both lived simple lives. If the Phil Robertson we see on Duck Dynasty is to be believed, he lives a very simple life, especially considering the commercial success of his duck call and hunting video empire (to say nothing of the success of Duck Dynasty itself).

Phil Robertson isn’t exactly living off of locusts and wild honey, though he does get out with grandson John Luke to collect wild honey in one Duck Dynasty episode. Phil also spent some time explaining to John Luke that happiness doesn’t depend on what you have, as seen in this video clip:

Both Phil Robertson and John the Baptist were spurned by polite society. The movers and shakers of their respective worlds weren’t interested in their message of repentance. John the Baptist eventually angered the government of his time so much that they imprisoned him. Anger over his preaching about sexual morality eventually led to him being beheaded. While Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson isn’t likely to be executed for his preaching about sexual morality, he has certainly raised his share of opposition and controversy with his message. Both John the Baptist and Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty were willing to confront anyone, including the heads of government.

In a related report in Inquisitr, in one case, members of a government union were threatened with firing for having “I Support Phil” bumper stickers on their private vehicles due to anger over the Duck Dynasty star’s comments.

So, yes, there are some similarities between the Duck Commander and John the Baptist. What do you think? Is Alan’s comparison of Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson to John the Baptist reasonable?