Morality - Can we keep up with the times?
Alright, the title is a little misleading... I have been thinking a lot lately about what is morally acceptable today. Many Christians have taken moral positions outside of the Bible's clear teachings. Many more Christians are afraid to speak up for the rights and wrongs that are clear. Many would like to believe that the Bible leaves 'gray areas' for interpretation. And when humans interpret anything, it becomes debatable. I found a story from Follow the Rabbi that talks to the modern condition, although it happened many years ago. Also, a story from my favorite site regarding the view of morality from a Christian perspective versus the evolutionist/atheist position. Those have partially shaped my thoughts here.
If we let society set the rules, they will ALWAYS be broken. New rules are set in society by consistently breaking the old ones. What is acceptable today, was unheard of 20 years ago. I don't think that Dancing (in itself) is a sin (I profit from that activity personally), but while some things are open for interpretation, others are not. The Church has made many poor interpretations of Right/Wrong in the past. Jesus called out a lot of hypocrites, and those misinterpreting the law. Some of those confrontations are surely a part of the reasoning for his death. That doesn't justify the shift in morals over time. The Bible actually does make many things very clear. There are ten commandments, and in addition to that, many teachings of Jesus that proclaim no gray zones in certain issues, including the ten commadments. Unfortunately, we are all guilty of rationalization every now and then. That doesn't make it OK; it makes us human. Many, today, would have you believe that since society is accepting/tolerating sin, that so should Christians. And believe me, the pressure is great from those people in influential power. One issue comes to mind as an example: homosexuality. The more we see it on TV, and the more famous people 'coming out' the more pressure to accept it as 'right'. 'Tolerance' is the new buzz word. The Bible does not leave room for much tolerance for the sake of tolerance. Love is clearly the word we should be using - "Love the sinner, hate the sin." Everyone sins, and even though we would love to put others' sins above ours on the hitlist, it isn't right. That being said, loving someone does not mean accepting their 'wrongs' as 'rights'. It does not require that we ignore others sins. Again, Jesus called many people out in his ministry. I am reminded of the woman at the well. Jesus called her on her sin (living with a man while unmarried, and multiple previous husbands). He did so when the others were not there, and did not shun or disrespect the woman for it. To the contrary, he was speaking to her in a time when just the fact that she was a Samaritan was enough to ignore her, or even stay a distance from her (according to societies rules). Jesus showed her respect, but did not allow her to take his respect as an endorsement of sin.
Now, achieving this balance is not an easy one. Are we to go around pointing out others' sins, so that they may become better people? I think Jesus would agree that that is not the right way. See His message to those looking to condemn/stone a woman who had committed adultery. Clearly, Christianity was a new path, and still is. We don't give death sentences like the Old Testament law had instructed. Again, the balance is difficult. I believe Jesus refused to endorse sinful actions, or even give the appearance of endorsement. When he saw the priests 'stealing' from the Jews at the temple, he got angry, and cast the light on their 'sins'. I believe as Christians we are called to call Sin by its real name. There are rights and wrongs, and they are not negotiable/flexible. Sure, there are gray areas that are difficult to discern. Most issues up for public debate today are not: Abortion is murder, Homosexuality is wrong, Racism is a sin (even when members of the race you hate flew planes into two buildings and killed thousands).
The world will always define its own morals. Those laws will always change, and likely will not retreat. For Christians, God created this world, and has the right to set the rules. Humans do not have that right. If you believe in God, you must believe in His power to set eternal rules not based on societal norms, and not subject for debate. Christians have a duty to stand up for those morals. Silence (sometimes tolerance) gives the appearance of endorsement, and will be interpreted by non-Christians as such.
The world would have us ask "what do you want?" "What will make you happy?" Jesus did not ask those questions. I assure you, if he allowed those questions to shape His life decisions His response would not have resulted in His death on a cross. That is not what He 'wanted', and definitely did not make Him 'happy' in the human sense. The Bible makes it clear that Christianity is more likely to bring hard times than easy ones. Part of the difficulties promised to Christians comes from their unwillingness to give in to worldly pressures.
Wow, that is a lot for one post. I have more to say, but these are part of the thoughts that have particular relevance to issues that have been on my mind lately. As always, I am open to alternative ideas/thoughts.