Bad Christian

Sometimes I get the feeling that I'm a "bad Christian."

And by some definitions, I certainly am.

I don't believe alcohol is sin. I don't believe smoking or tattoos or dancing or movies are sin. I don't believe listening to secular music is sin. Or watching TV. I'm not against kissing before marriage. Or reading books about vampires. Or hanging out where unbelievers hang out. I don't think tracts are a fabulous way to witness. Or going door to door. Nor do I find great joy in being incited by politics. I don't even believe it's a biblical command to spank your children or do daily devotions (that will be covered at a later date) .

So maybe it's more accurate to say I'm a bad fundamental, evangelical Christian.

I have lived in environments that convinced me that the opposite of all of the above was true. Not only were all those things certainly sins or biblical commands, but also it was vital to one's Christian walk to be totally set apart in these areas. If something originated in the world, it was sin. Nothing good could come out of unbelievers. And likewise, good Christians followed the rules.

And though the party line was "don't judge", there certainly was a lot of judging going on.

If you had asked me at some points in my life why some of these things were sins, I would have had trouble finding an answer other than "Because I was told they were." Of course, I could have concocted an answer with a few vague references to Scripture that I had been taught referred to these things. But it wasn't because I was trusting the Bible for my answers, but rather whatever spiritual authority I obeyed.

I don't want to live that way anymore. I don't want to be a good Christian. Or a bad Christian.

I want to be a thinking Christian.

Now, in no way am I an expert at this! I have a long way to go, and I constantly have to be on guard that I'm not being "rebellious" just to be a rebel. My pride tends to get irritated when I smell legalism, and it would be very easy for me to fall into the same sin I am pushing against and judge those who are a bit more cut and dried in their beliefs. But I have been working to sort through what I believe and when something is labeled sin, I want to find out where in the Bible it says so. I've discovered a lot of silence on the Bible's part in areas I have been told for my entire life are sin.

In some ways, it would be easier to say "Everything is sin!" I wouldn't have to think too hard that way. I wouldn't have to weigh pros and cons, and I could keep God in my nice tidy box and always feel like I have made him happy.

But that wouldn't be discernment.

Somewhere along the line, we got it in our heads as Christians that being discerning meant never having to make a choice or decision about the content of the things the world puts out, and just labeling it all as wrong. But I'm not so sure that's an accurate assumption. The word discernment is defined as "the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend that which is obscure". The implication is that there are deeper layers that one can dig through, that there is an educated decision involved. How can we be discerning if we write everything off as bad without investigating for ourselves?

My sister has coined a phrase I'm liking more and more: "Big picture Christian". I like to apply this philosophy to the media I watch/read/listen to. True, a lot of media contains examples of sin or ugliness. But, so does the Bible. If we're going to swear off anything that contains adultery, murder, violence, homosexuality, idolatry, rebellion, etc, then we would have to toss out God's Word at the same time! I believe discernment means being a thinking Christian. Asking myself questions. What does God's Word say about this? How would Jesus respond in this situation? How would I react if I was confronted with this? Being "in the world, but not of the world" does not mean we are not to be exposed to the philosophies or sins of unbelievers, but rather to always hold those things up against Scripture and see where the discrepancies are.

I'm not saying I'm an advocate of throwing out any rules or personal guidelines in media. But I am a big proponent of "believer's freedom" that we find in 1 Corinthians 10:22-33. Basically, it means, search the Scriptures, listen to the Holy Spirit, and don't blindly follow another's opinions. It also means that different people will have different convictions. That's okay. We all have varying struggles and besetting sins. The key is not to view anyone else through the lens of your own sins or righteousness. This leads to judging. For example, it may be innocent and clean and wholesome, but I've found I have to avoid HGTV because it's so easy for me to fall into the covetous and materialistic mindset where home improvement is concerned. But that doesn't mean I should label HGTV as sin and something all believers should avoid. It also doesn't mean I'm more righteous than someone else because I avoid it.

This post is already pretty long, so I should just call it a day, even though there are more thoughts swirling in my head. Please know that I am not singling anyone out or trying to offend anyone. Just processing some of the things I've been thinking about.