Part of the doctrine that I believe in as a Christian is the notion of “total depravity”. That means, while we’re not as bad as we could be, every part of us is touched by sin, including our sense of right/wrong. So while there exists an absolute morality and God has laid it out, our understanding of it is tainted. That gets back to the question, why push away/give up the bad stuff? If it’s because it will make you somehow a better person/more holy not to consume South Park (and in some ways I could argue it would) then I think your motive is wrong. If, on the other hand, you’re watching it to be cool/relevant/to reach your unbelieving friends I think your motive is wrong too.

You have to look at how watching/listening to certain things affects you as a person. If watching violence makes me more violent or desensitizes me to violence I shouldn’t watch it. I like the verse from 1 Corinthains 13 – “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. ” Do the things you know are right (prayer, fellowship, reading the Bible) and as you mature spiritually you lose the taste for things that are childish (bad for you/immature/etc.). That’s a good description (I think) of what “sanctification” means. The process of becoming more holy.

I think a lot of people try and force it, rather than letting their lives bear that fruit naturally. I mean, honestly, when I tell someone, “Don’t watch SP, it’s bad for you!” as an adult what’s their reaction going to be? I think that the rules that are laid out in the Bible are good things and that people will benefit from following them, but you can’t strongarm people into them. It just won’t work. There is a place for you going to a fellow believer and challenging them on their behavior/consumption, but laying down the law to someone who doesn’t have the same spiritual maturity/development as you do without a spirit of love (also to be found in 1 Corinthians 13) is about as effective as Cartman the cop.

Respect My Authoritah! is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

If you enjoyed this post, consider subscribing to my RSS feed, either by reader or by e-mail. While you’re at it, connect with me on Twitter, too.

Leigh and I were up late last night talking and I wanted to find out what really bugged me about this. I think I hit on something. While there certainly isn’t anything wrong with having limits and accountability, I think there is something wrong with fencing one’s self completely in.

To help me go into that I’ll reproduce a response to that Facebook thread, a defense of Josh from one of his parishioners:

“He (Josh) had just preached a message from Mark 6 about Herod and his wacked out wife Herodias and the killing of John the Baptist. He spoke of how Herod had obviously not built many fences in his life and relationships, and this led to some pretty serious offenses, and that is putting it lightly.”

So the proposal is that if Herod had simply built some fences, presumably ones based on the Jewish faith, he would have been a lot better of a person. I find that more than a little odd. If Herod was a practicing Jew then he would have had the “fences” God put in place by which he could run his life. These fences, the Law, are certainly the basis for a solid way to run one’s life, even if you just stuck to the Decalogue. Since I’m reasonably sure that Herod wasn’t a practicing Jew he had whatever fences he built for himself.

What it sounds like here is that there is a proposition on the table that we need to build our own fences over and above the Law that God provides and that this will lead to a blameless life, or at least a more moral one. More on that in a second. The gent went on to say:

“Personally, I think our society could use a few more fences…..the cool thing is Christ gives us freedom in many areas as to where and how high those fences need to be.”

So yeah it seems like he’s advocating that our society needs more fences (“Biblical” ones presumably?) and that if we would all just follow the law we’d be better off. Better still if we add a few more fences of our own devising that keep us from jumping God’s fences. And apparently we have freedom from Christ as to where and how high these man made fences are.

Okay…

Deep breath…

Here’s the problem I have with this.

16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. – Galatians 5

If we’re living by the Spirit we won’t gratify the desires of our sinful nature. If we’re living by the Spirit we’ll have (among other things) self control. If we’re led by the Spirit we’re not under law.

So if we build these fences are we not trusting ourselves or the Spirit? Are we saying “I don’t have self control so I’m going to advocate giving control to someone else so that I don’t fall and can remain blameless.”? It sounds like it to me.

Now just to try and be clear I’m not saying that if you live by the Spirit that you’ll never sin again. I know we’re not made completely perfect in this life. However, I do know that we can get better and that God can give us victory over sin. It doesn’t take good, strong, high fences to do that. It takes living by the Spirit. I’m also not saying that we shouldn’t have brothers to hold us accountable. That’s part of being in the body of Christ.

Ultimately what I’m working through here is the idea that fences don’t make a righteous society or a righteous individual. What they do make is bad theology.

Good Fences Make Bad Theology is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

If you enjoyed this post, consider subscribing to my RSS feed, either by reader or by e-mail. While you’re at it, connect with me on Twitter, too.

Apparently the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law has a policy that if you are to be an officially recognized student group, you have to follow their non-discrimination policy. If you do that then you can use their logo, you get a small stipend, and you get access to some facilities and a school email address. If you don’t then you can still meet, you just don’t get those perks.

This wasn’t an issue for the Christian organization until they joined the national chapter. Once they did, they were required to accept the group’s ban on homosexuals or non-Christians in leadership positions. CLS claims in its brief (which isn’t):

For Hastings College of the Law to force the Christian Legal Society chapter to admit nonadherents into its leadership and voting ranks—on pain of exclusion from an otherwise open speech forum—violates Petitioner’s rights of speech, expressive association, and free exercise of religion.

In order to vote or be an officer in this group:

“… must exemplify the highest standards of morality as set forth in Scripture” in order “that their profession of Christian faith is credible.” Id. at 102a-103a. Officers also must “abstain[] from ‘acts of the sinful nature,’ including those in Galatians 5:19-21; Exodus 20; Matthew 15:19; Romans 1:27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.”

So, basically you have to abstain from breaking the ten commandments, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. The lawyer jokes practically write themselves…

So basically, I don’t think anyone could be a part of their little group. This doesn’t sound like a Christian group to me. Heck they don’t even hold Deacons/Elders in my church to these sorts of standards! Anyone else see a problem here?

This takes me back to my own halcyon days at college. I applied to be a part of a Christian fraternity (another oxymoron?) and they rejected my application because I wasn’t Christian enough.

Look people, if you want to form a group and slap the label Christian on it, then make sure you’re adhering to Christ’s own admonitions. What are those? “I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” There are more, but these are a good place to start.

And if you do get busted for acting like you didn’t remember these verses from your Bible study, then don’t claim that if you did, that it would endanger everyone else’s freedom. Cause that’s just cheap.

Help, Help, We’re Being Repressed! is a post from: Spiritual Tramp

If you enjoyed this post, consider subscribing to my RSS feed, either by reader or by e-mail. While you’re at it, connect with me on Twitter, too.