What is the width of gray – that area of freedom and responsibility given to the Christian that falls in between the solid lines of demarcation that say: “This is a non-negotiable wrong and this is a non-negotiable right?” It is an important question. Whole denominations and movements and sects are founded on this question.
In some denominations, women wear head-coverings because of, in my view, a misunderstanding of what Paul was communicating in I Corinthians 11. Ronald Sider relates a story in his readable and wonderful book, Genuine Christianity, in regard to the brutal conflict that sometimes arises between denominations when they brush too closely to one another. In Jerusalem, the church of the Holy Sepulcher, is a place where all Christian denominations gather to give honor to the place where Jesus was crucified, prepared for burial, and the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, where Christ was laid. It seems that there is so much infighting between the Christians about who is the rightful steward of this holy site that a Muslim man has been given the responsibility of keeping the key to the door that unlocks the church. Dr. Sider once witnessed, during an Easter Service being held by the Roman Catholics, a priest from the Greek Orthodox Church march through and snuff out all of the Catholic candles. His reason? “Because the Catholics are using the wrong calendar and candles are not be lit until the proper date – which is found on our calendar!”
Such theological oddities bemuse and confuse the non-Christian world around us. Actually, such actions bemuse and confuse those who are Christ-followers as well. The faith “once-given” seems fractured beyond repair. What it takes to meet the requirements of church membership in various denominations necessitates not only an embrace of the orthodoxy (right doctrine) of a particular church, but also those things that have become elevated to the place of doctrine – the orthopraxy (right practice). One might believe all of the right things that one church preaches to get oneself to heaven, but if you happen to be toting the wrong translation of the Bible to church, or if you take a sip of wine with dinner, or if you go to an “R” rated movie – you are out.
Why do churches do this? There are many reasons that I could name – from a spirit of legalism, to theological ignorance, to mindless tradition, etc. Each of these would be simple enough upon which to elaborate. But my suspicion, having been on the inside of such subjective criteria, is that it has more to do with spiritual laziness and control.
Control is the easier one to define so I will begin with it. If a group of people have stacked hands on a code of behavior that to them “looks Christian” it is much easier to bend the teaching towards those goals. And, moreover, it is much easier to spot a slacker. “He is not like us,” is a common theme in many churches. Most often this judgment is dealt with, not in a direct way, but by the devil’s way, i.e. gossip and backbiting.
But what about the spiritual laziness which I believe to be the real culprit? What is that? Spiritual laziness is the practice of trading God’s voice in a given situation for a prescripted code of behavior. As I have walked with Christ now for many years, I have come to believe that there are many practices that are not necessarily right or wrong in and of themselves. I have also come to believe that there are many practices that are right or wrong based solely upon the situation. The only way to know the proper course of action based upon this area of gray is to hear God’s voice in the moment. Since it is easier to teach a prescripted code of behavior than it is to teach a person how to hear the voice of God – churches opt for the lowest common denominator. It is much less of a hassle. Let’s look at a couple of examples.
Is it wrong to drink wine? Before you answer that with a positive, remember that Jesus produced, in a moment, gallons and gallons of the stuff and then imbibed: so much so that He was called a glutton and a drunkard. If you don’t agree with having a glass of wine but happen to wear one of those “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelets, then I can rightly question your discipleship... Sinner!
How about the Sabbath? I was once torched up by a deacon who accused me of blaspheming the Sabbath because I announced that the youth group was going to play some football on a Sunday afternoon. He even went King James on me: “Ye shall remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.” I guess it was okay to watch others play professional football on the Sabbath because the whole deacon board talked about that incessantly. We went ahead with our game but I never received more than an icy, judgmental stare from this brother until I graduated from college and left that church. Paul’s take on these subjects was and is reasonable and freeing when he wrote: “Do not let anyone act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath Day.” Colossians 2:16
Why do we opt for codes of behavior over learning to hear the voice of God? Spiritual laziness is one reason. It takes effort to learn the art of walking in and by the Spirit of God. But there is another thing and I believe it has something to do with fear. What if I really begin to hear the voice of God? What inhuman thing might God ask me to do or to give up if I get so cozy with Him that He is actually leading me, moment by moment? C.S Lewis picks up this idea in his little book entitled: Letters To Malcom: Chiefly on Prayer.
"Much of our backwardness in prayer is no doubt due to our sins…And also to the very worst kind of “fear of God.” We shrink from too naked a contact, because we are afraid of the Divine demands upon us which it might make too audible. As some old writer says, “Many a Christian prays faintly lest God really hear him – which he – poor man, never intended.”
To explore the “width of gray” means committing oneself to grow up – to no longer be content and imprisoned with codes set forth by others. I am not preaching an immoral license to go and do anything one pleases. I will clear that up in the next post. What I am saying is that God is God and He will lead you and me in unexpected ways that press into that one great purpose of which the Apostle Paul spoke so eloquently in I Corinthians 9:20-23:
To the Jews, I became a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those under the Law, as under the Law, though not myself being under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the Law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law. To the weak, I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”
If you really grasp what it is Paul is saying, you mind find yourself being asked by God to either turn water into wine – or to pick up a bottle on your way to your friend’s house who doesn’t yet know Jesus. See you soon…
In some denominations, women wear head-coverings because of, in my view, a misunderstanding of what Paul was communicating in I Corinthians 11. Ronald Sider relates a story in his readable and wonderful book, Genuine Christianity, in regard to the brutal conflict that sometimes arises between denominations when they brush too closely to one another. In Jerusalem, the church of the Holy Sepulcher, is a place where all Christian denominations gather to give honor to the place where Jesus was crucified, prepared for burial, and the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, where Christ was laid. It seems that there is so much infighting between the Christians about who is the rightful steward of this holy site that a Muslim man has been given the responsibility of keeping the key to the door that unlocks the church. Dr. Sider once witnessed, during an Easter Service being held by the Roman Catholics, a priest from the Greek Orthodox Church march through and snuff out all of the Catholic candles. His reason? “Because the Catholics are using the wrong calendar and candles are not be lit until the proper date – which is found on our calendar!”
Such theological oddities bemuse and confuse the non-Christian world around us. Actually, such actions bemuse and confuse those who are Christ-followers as well. The faith “once-given” seems fractured beyond repair. What it takes to meet the requirements of church membership in various denominations necessitates not only an embrace of the orthodoxy (right doctrine) of a particular church, but also those things that have become elevated to the place of doctrine – the orthopraxy (right practice). One might believe all of the right things that one church preaches to get oneself to heaven, but if you happen to be toting the wrong translation of the Bible to church, or if you take a sip of wine with dinner, or if you go to an “R” rated movie – you are out.
Why do churches do this? There are many reasons that I could name – from a spirit of legalism, to theological ignorance, to mindless tradition, etc. Each of these would be simple enough upon which to elaborate. But my suspicion, having been on the inside of such subjective criteria, is that it has more to do with spiritual laziness and control.
Control is the easier one to define so I will begin with it. If a group of people have stacked hands on a code of behavior that to them “looks Christian” it is much easier to bend the teaching towards those goals. And, moreover, it is much easier to spot a slacker. “He is not like us,” is a common theme in many churches. Most often this judgment is dealt with, not in a direct way, but by the devil’s way, i.e. gossip and backbiting.
But what about the spiritual laziness which I believe to be the real culprit? What is that? Spiritual laziness is the practice of trading God’s voice in a given situation for a prescripted code of behavior. As I have walked with Christ now for many years, I have come to believe that there are many practices that are not necessarily right or wrong in and of themselves. I have also come to believe that there are many practices that are right or wrong based solely upon the situation. The only way to know the proper course of action based upon this area of gray is to hear God’s voice in the moment. Since it is easier to teach a prescripted code of behavior than it is to teach a person how to hear the voice of God – churches opt for the lowest common denominator. It is much less of a hassle. Let’s look at a couple of examples.
Is it wrong to drink wine? Before you answer that with a positive, remember that Jesus produced, in a moment, gallons and gallons of the stuff and then imbibed: so much so that He was called a glutton and a drunkard. If you don’t agree with having a glass of wine but happen to wear one of those “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelets, then I can rightly question your discipleship... Sinner!
How about the Sabbath? I was once torched up by a deacon who accused me of blaspheming the Sabbath because I announced that the youth group was going to play some football on a Sunday afternoon. He even went King James on me: “Ye shall remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.” I guess it was okay to watch others play professional football on the Sabbath because the whole deacon board talked about that incessantly. We went ahead with our game but I never received more than an icy, judgmental stare from this brother until I graduated from college and left that church. Paul’s take on these subjects was and is reasonable and freeing when he wrote: “Do not let anyone act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath Day.” Colossians 2:16
Why do we opt for codes of behavior over learning to hear the voice of God? Spiritual laziness is one reason. It takes effort to learn the art of walking in and by the Spirit of God. But there is another thing and I believe it has something to do with fear. What if I really begin to hear the voice of God? What inhuman thing might God ask me to do or to give up if I get so cozy with Him that He is actually leading me, moment by moment? C.S Lewis picks up this idea in his little book entitled: Letters To Malcom: Chiefly on Prayer.
"Much of our backwardness in prayer is no doubt due to our sins…And also to the very worst kind of “fear of God.” We shrink from too naked a contact, because we are afraid of the Divine demands upon us which it might make too audible. As some old writer says, “Many a Christian prays faintly lest God really hear him – which he – poor man, never intended.”
To explore the “width of gray” means committing oneself to grow up – to no longer be content and imprisoned with codes set forth by others. I am not preaching an immoral license to go and do anything one pleases. I will clear that up in the next post. What I am saying is that God is God and He will lead you and me in unexpected ways that press into that one great purpose of which the Apostle Paul spoke so eloquently in I Corinthians 9:20-23:
To the Jews, I became a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those under the Law, as under the Law, though not myself being under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the Law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law. To the weak, I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”
If you really grasp what it is Paul is saying, you mind find yourself being asked by God to either turn water into wine – or to pick up a bottle on your way to your friend’s house who doesn’t yet know Jesus. See you soon…
2 comments:
I absolutely would agree with you here!! I'm think i'm finally beginning to understand just what this gray area is all about!!
How wonderful that Christ said He would be the judge in all of our circumstance! I'm not sure why we have to complicate matters -- oh yes thats our humanistic side since we don't practice the spiritual man as much. I can hardly wait to read the next blog!!
Well CJ, once again I have to say Amen and Amen. It seems like one of the scriptures that we ignore is "my sheep hear my voice". We replace it with many other voices and even use scripture to replace what God might want to be saying to us in the moment. There was only one burning bush, therefore we can't assume that God always speaks the same in every situation. Having been raised in legalism, it is still difficult for me to ignore the "voices" of my childhood when I get into different "gray" areas and not jump over to the legalistic answer which assumes it's black or white. You're right about spiritual laziness - it's so much easier to follow a to do (or don't) list then it is to ask the question. And I know I've been guilty of being afraid of the answer! One of the greatest reasons to focus on hearing His voice is the scripture that says faith comes by hearing. We MUST hear Him to truly have faith when it comes right down to the rubber meeting the road. Especially when we live in a day that truly looks like the beginning of the end. And our prayers for others are so much more effective when we hear what He has to say in the situation, not just praying the same prayer for everyone. As always, I look forward to the next chapter in CJ's blog....
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