Tue, Jun 24th - 12:02AM

Religion or Relevance?

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.  Gal. 1:10

To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all [men], that I might by all means save some.  1Cor. 9:22

The band and “worship team” gave a great performance Sunday morning, led by a young man with an outstanding voice.  In the center of the group, facing the audience was a young woman of Asian descent, sitting on a high stool in a mini-skirt with her legs fairly spread apart, and smiling deliriously as she and the others “led” us in worship.  The audience, with the exception of myself consisting of fifty people or so, apparently didn’t take notice of this girl’s attire.  However, the glaring violation of the Scriptural mandate for feminine modesty was impossible for me to overlook.  The New International Version of the Bible, deficient as it is, gives a surprisingly clear rendering of Paul’s exhortation on this matter:

I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety...1Tim.2:9

I don’t know how much more clear the Scripture could be about this; but when I later e-mailed the pastor about my observations on this and other impressions of his church I was rebuffed with the implication that I might be a “religious Christian,” whatever that term might imply.  He also informed me that it would be “religious” of him and the church to “start” telling the females of the congregation how long their dresses ought to be.  Well, it seems to me that in order to follow God’s holy word in the day in which we live we might have to risk being labeled as “religious.”  The gist of his response as well as the literature printed on their church bulletin is that they, as a new church in the area want to be “relevant” to the culture around them.  Hmmm, very interesting.  It makes one wonder how relevant the early disciples of Jesus were in the culture of the Roman Empire in which they lived.  I know there are some allusions in the New Testament to the believers of that time perhaps on this matter, and their involvement in some of the pagan practices of that day.  They were exhorted not to be a stumblingblock to their weaker brethren (1Cor.8:9), though their consciences were clear in the eating of meat sold in or near pagan temples.  But did they flaunt their freedom to eat this meat, and further did they imitate the customs of dress and other practices of their godless neighbors so they could supposedly “win them to Christ?”  It is clear that they certainly did not.

          Feminine immodesty, though seemingly a very minor theological issue to most in the Evangelical churches today, is really at the heart of the practical witness and testimony of God’s church.  Near the end of First Timothy Paul speaks of “the doctrine which is according to godliness...” 1Tim.6:3.  The statement he makes here, when looked at closely is really quite profound theologically.  I believe what he is saying is this: that any theology, no matter how correct it may appear Biblically, is hollow and really, worthless, unless it leads its adherents into a practically holy lifestyle.  I attended a fairly large church once that was known for its promoting of a certain doctrinal persuasion, which I was very enamored with at the time.  Around the time of the pastor’s sermon, either before or afterwards, I cannot remember, the lady at the piano arose, revealing a split in her dress nearly up to her hip, as I recall.  This spoiled my appetite for further edification at that church.

          The power of visual suggestion leading to lust in the eyes and heart of a man is no different today than at the fall of our first parents, nor at the writing of the sacred text of Scripture.  Equally as potent for evil is the power of usurpation of authority latent within the female heart, as clearly stated in the second chapter of First Timothy.  Without any doubt, the union of these two forces derived from the same source has wrought great havoc in our modern society, and has spilled over abundantly into God’s church.  The fact that most of God’s appointed shepherds and husbands lack both conviction on the matter, as well as courage to address it astounds me.  But, the rationale is “relevance,” as with many other practical matters in the churches today.  What relevance really means is “capitulation” to the demands of a selfish and world-oriented generation that populates the professing churches today, as well as presenting a carnal appeal to outsiders.  “We’re going to have our freedom, and ‘do church’ and Christianity our way, and show the world that we’re ‘cool’ and that we can look and often behave just like they do.  It doesn’t matter what the Bible says.  We’re going to interpret it in a contemporary fashion, not the way those ‘religious’ forefathers of ours did.”  So goes the cry of not just the X-generation, but that of nearly the entire body of Christ today, except for the few “Legalistic Bible believers,” like myself.  This twisting of the true and obvious meaning of the text of the Bible is very much akin to what practicing homosexuals do with the clear passages on that subject.

          But the heart of the issue is not the clothing, or the tongue studs or sensuous rock music or any of the other garbage that has become normalized in today’s churches, or anything else that is superficial to our lifestyles.  It comes down to the question of the cross on our lives.  Are we willing to truly surrender all to God, or is our deep and seemingly sincere worship just an emotional experience at church that betrays the lie of hypocrisy and double-mindedness in our souls?  The question should not be “What will it take to fill our store-front folding chairs with community people?” but rather, “What does Jesus ask of me today in the way of surrender and obedience that will not only help me on my way to the kingdom, but testify to the world around me that He is truly alive?”  I’m sorry if this doesn’t fit into our ideas of “grace” or “eternal security” or any other theological system contrived by the human mind.  I’m also sorry that dying to self and taking up the cross is not a good evangelistic appeal in our “me-oriented” society. (Luke 9:23) I don’t know how we’re going to fill those seats and pay for all of our grandiose church growth schemes, except maybe if we lie a little and tell them that Jesus is really fun and cool.  I have fun, but that’s not why I became a Christian, and it is certainly not my selling point on salvation. 

          O, my friends, what’s it gonna take to wake us up to the true reality of eternal life, and the cost that must be paid by those who would inherit it, because of the price that our Lord paid on His cross?  It took a prison experience and the scorn of society to do it for me.  In His mercy He afflicted me, that I might learn His commandments and truly get to know Him.  What will it take for you, and for the American church at large?  How long can we keep up this game of playing church in front of a bored and unimpressed generation?  Sincerely believing a lie doesn’t make it true.  I learned that the hard way.  I pray that God’s people, those who profess to know Him in truth will listen to what the Spirit and the Word are saying today, before it’s too late.

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.  Rev. 3:17-19