Which Line are We On?

Recently, we asked our readers to suggest some topics for us to write about. We are writing about 8 of these in July, and this is the 7th. The 8th and final post of these suggested topics will run next Monday.

“HK165” left a suggestion that we write about Christians conforming to the culture surrounding us..

This is a topic that I feel like we address in part on this blog a lot, and I know people at Lebanon Road hear it mentioned quite often, too. The reason is that our conforming to the world often happens in slow, subtle ways. Most Christians rarely make a “huge leap” into worldly decisions or lifestyles, but we are often slowly worn down by temptation and pressure.

The illustration I often use is that of a graph. If you can see a line slowly going down and to the right, let that line represent the morality of the culture around us. Slowly, our society drifts further and further away from God, and it becomes more popular to do things that are against the will of our Father.

Here is my question when I pose that illustration: how does our line compare? Here is what I mean:

• For many Christians, we are not on the same line as the world, but we are on the same trajectory. Our morals are also declining, but we are just “behind” the culture. While we may consider homosexuality to be sinful, we will watch it on TV and laugh. Just a few years ago, our culture would have thought that was out of bounds. Then the culture accepted it in the media, and Christians were still against it. Now that homosexuality is in the mainstream, Christians are watching it on TV and in movies. How long is it before we think this lifestyle is not sinful? And, of course, we could choose any sinful behavior to use as an illustration. Our “chart” is just like the world’s, but a bit slower-developing.
• Instead, our line needs to be a straight line that runs from left-to-right, and straight across the top of the page. In other words, we cannot look at a society with declining morals and say, “Well, I’m not as bad as that, so I must be okay.” That is not our standard! Our standard is a perfectly holy God and the challenge to be holy as He is holy. So, our morals cannot change, because God does not change.

There are certain parts of our culture that it is fine to adapt. For example, Christians can enjoy and use the wonderful tools given to us by technology (hello, you are reading a blog!). We can be assisted by many of the breakthroughs from the world of medicine. We can enjoy leisure activities like sports or plays. We can follow certain parts of fashion (colors that are trendy, etc.), while not following others (immodesty). Those things are fine…

…so long as we do not allow them to take the place of God. And we cannot let any of those things define our morals.

Ever.

Is that a problem? You tell me:

• How many Christians will miss worship for an NFL game, concert, or shopping outing?
• How many who wear the name of Christ will pay money to watch a movie that contains nudity, homosexuality, taking the Lord’s name in vain, or other sins, all the name of “entertainment?”
• How many will dress in immodest clothing just because they are at the beach and that’s what is “in.”
• How many think going to a school dance is fine, though they aren’t married to the one they are rubbing bodies with?
• How many say things like “gosh” or “darn” all the time, as the culture finds no offense in taking God’s name in vain?
• How many laugh at their brothers and sisters in Christ who take a stand against any of the things just listed?

…and these same people would have never done any of these things just a few years ago? Certainly, their parents wouldn’t have done them.

And, now, what will their children think is acceptable?

Christians are to be distinct. We are to be peculiar. We are to be holy.

And none of those at 99%.

QUESTION: Why is it so easy to allow our morals to slide and be like the world?

————————

Photo credit: svilen001 from stock.xchng.