Exerpt from: Chasing pleasure, we find self-indulgence… What if we found self-control?
Western thought has twisted, ever so slightly, the meaning of moderation. It used to be that temperance was a virtue1 but in this new light temperance is a fetter, excess the aspiration and paucity an iniquity. Western Christianity responded to this shift by preaching against evil, and rightly so, but in doing so they threw “the baby out with the bath-water.” Christians were to avoid evil by running from the appearance of evil. A teaching that struck a line in the sand between Christianity and secularism. No longer should the church be found in the cinema, the pub, or the local bandstand; there was to be a distinct separation – for the church is Holy, set-apart, pure, whole, above, better…
…Wait a minute this sounds very similar to the heresy of the Pharisee, whom Jesus compared to cups which are clean on the outside but corrupt on the inside – full of greed and wickedness.2 The Pharisee in his separation had become obese and obtuse, loaded with the haughtiness of purity and the visual acuity of a blind-man. But this is not a discussion of the failings of a Pharisee, but of the flaw of a life lived in prideful separation.
Armchair theologians may argue, “But Sam, Paul told us to avoid the appearance of evil, somewhere in the New Testament, in one of his e-pistols….err, letters.” And they would be absolutely correct. This is where “context is king.” What did Paul mean when he said to “abstain from the appearance of evil” (KJV) or “abstain from all form of evil” (ESV) or “avoid every kind of evil” (NIV)? It does not depend on the version, he is saying the same thing, that we are to avoid the manifestation of evil. How about a word picture? What is the appearance of the sun? Of course, it is the sunrise. If I see the sun’s rays I can be sure the sun is to follow.
It is in the definition of the word appearance that many have stumbled – they have taken the word appearance and given it a blurry definition: that the “appearance of something” is the impression that someone gives or gets. In this vein many have argued that we must avoid the appearance of drunkenness by not ever being seen having an alcoholic beverage within a five foot radius of our person. No, that is misleading, separating and a wrong interpretation. Simply, abstinence from the appearance of drunkenness is not being drunken fool.
__________
1. C.S. Lewis identified temperance as one of the four “cardinal virtues” that any civilized person adheres to – Prudence, Temperance, Justice and Fortitude in his classic book “Mere Christianity”
2. Luke 11:42-43
No Comments on "chasing pleasure…"
I like it what you have to say about “the appearance of evil”. You make a great point, but… in English there are a few definitions of “appear”. It seems you are taking the first definition (see below), when many Christians have traditionally interepreted “appear” as the second, (again, see below) but I wonder which it may be in the original Greek. Is it the 1st? If so, I think that would be great.
ap·pear (according to good ol’ dictionary.com)
1. to come into sight; become visible: A man suddenly appeared in the doorway.
2. to have the appearance of being; seem; look: to appear wise.
good point jessica, I’ll have to check on that but it seems that the two definitions are rather contrary, dont you think?