Amen Amen!
During the 1950’s the average family began to see some prosperity and had an accepted set of morals and even went to a church. The “Leave it to Beaver” concept was alluring. And when some of us came to faith in Christ we were introduced to a system of do’s and don’ts. We were presented with some parameters within which all who believed in Jesus must fit. Most of us bought into it. Of course there were those rare rebels like Keith Green.
But as we walked with Christ through the years we began to see things about which we could not understand. I mean the church was openly capitalistic and enjoyed most of the trappings of the hedonistic culture. It just did not make sense. But even while many in the congregation walked in compromise, they seemed to have a list of things which must be considered taboo in order to be “right with God”. The usual list consisted of rock music, long hair, loose clothes, beards, modern Bible versions, and anything that could be construed as “hippie”. And with that we all fell in lockstep.
Now it wasn’t enough just to have or even agree with that list. You must judge and criticize anyone who violated any of its tenants or even those who fellowshipped with those who did. And this was no game; this was serious. The preacher had several choice rants that would pepper his sermons concerning compromisers. Of course we never heard about the evils of violence and war, or the evils of greed and capitalism, or the evils of condemning sinners. Those things were accepted norms within our brand of evangelicalism or fundamentalism.
But we had been fooled!
This was not Christianity at all, but a mangled brand of legalism and Americanism. It was a revelry of rules and regulations, all of which detracted from the Redeemer Himself.
Continue at Following Judah’s Lion
Oh the stories we could tell! Makeup, pants on women, jewelry, and other things were used as legalistic leverage. And one of the most powerful ones that I did not get into )I will later) is the unhealthy idolatry toward the pastor.
(PJ – Did you get the use of the song title by the Who?)
Ahaha…yes the stories we could tell
Looking back there were a lot of people seriously hurt by these legalistic attitudes we were taught. I recall a woman and her child visiting our church one sunday morning (in a pants-suit) for the first time, who was quietly told she couldn’t return in ‘pants’ again. Sadly we never saw that lady and her child again.
No i didn’t get the title reference…but i do now! ahah..