Alright, I admit it: I am not a prudish person. In fact, I think it would be safe to say that I am quite far on the other side of the spectrum. I like to have fun, and in the process almost nothing is sacred. So when I run up against prudish people, they have a way of really bringing me down.
Imagine the following scenario: You are at a party or with a few friends talking and getting a little crazy. You aren’t insulting anyone or thing, but for some reason, that one person walks by and gives you the disapproving eye. Or worse, someone steps up to you to announce their disapproval and requests you move on to another subject. I’m sure its happen to most, unless you are the prude.
Now I will say, I’ve gone too far at times and people have been right to reel me in, but when did it become a crime to have fun? I find this especially true around many Christians. I often feel as if I need to walk on eggshells around the religious folk because they take insult or lose patience quickly, often without warning, and never without letting you know.
Part of the problem is mixing set apart with set above. We have been set apart to be in the world and help it, not look down at it disdainfully. When we try to live outside of the world because we know we are meant to be set apart, all we do is create division and strife instead of a community of Godly love. These communities are also not meant to be sterile and dull. If you’ve never read the Bible and smiled or laughed, you may want to go back and check a few things out. God gave us happiness and joy as much as he gave us sadness and sorrow. The one thing we rarely if ever see is a God who is stoic and removed.
What is my point? The Church is called to be a community which draws others in. We are to be attractive to the rest of the world in such a way that they want to know more about us. We do this by following God’s commands, especially that to love one another, which allow us to radiate His glory. And if His glory doesn’t make you smile, sing, dance, or laugh every once in a while, consider what idol you may have slipped in between yourself and your savior.
Pax,
-Paul Hart Cochran
I appreciated the distinction between set apart and set above. It is my opinion that many people won’t consider themselves set above despite that their actions seem to be indicating the opposite. It is also difficult, I think, to be fully aware of this distinction because our experiences color what we see and how we react. We might think we are merely being apart when in fact we are being above. Well done Frater!