| Frankly, I understand why good Christians
want to make
rules of conduct for clothing, hair, body
piercings, movies, music, language, drinking, smoking,
dancing, and other
elements of popular culture. The problem, though, is to make a
rule of conduct
where Jesus does not. We regularly hear from people whose
faith has
been shattered by legalism and
moralism. They
were convinced they had to do
something to be
good enough to merit God's grace-- they had to
be a "good boy." Salvation was free,
but now they
have to prove God didn't make a
mistake. It's "saved by grace, sanctified by
works."
That may clean up a person's behavior
for a while,
but it is not Christianity. Here is a small idea worth remembering:
Do not
allow what God prohibits, and do not prohibit
what God allows. To allow what
God prohibits
is to be licentious. To prohibit
what God allows
is to be legalistic. The Bible teaches liberty in
Christ, which leads to Spirit-led
obedience. Be careful not to turn a personal
preference
into a requirement, a tradition
into a theology,
or a possible interpretation of
Scripture into
a necessary interpretation of
Scripture. I want a moral awakening in America
as much
as anyone, but I want it through
the gospel
of grace, not law. It's "saved by
grace, sanctified
by grace." | 
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