Just a question that seems to confuse many in the church. For instance, a friend of mine told of a situation where a group of church musicians were playing secular music as a part of an outreach to get the unchurched into church. Another example was a youth leader playing the game dungeons and dragons with the kids. There are many other similar examples we all could conjure up where the justification of such behavior, for the sake of bringing people into the church, was considered right and proper. But I would ask whose standards are we abiding by when we take such course of action? Jesus Christ says to "come out from among them (the world) and be separate. Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you." Or the portion of scripture that says, "what fellowship does light have with darkness". Or about Paul's disertation about man's sinful, fallen nature in Romans 7 and 8? Paul makes the observation that the sinful mind is set on pleasing the sinful nature. So we, as Christians, are supposed to indulge in the things that stand contrary to the light of the gospel in order to accomplish the things of the Spirit? This is a ridiculous thought indeed! We are to identify and emulate the example the father through Jesus Christ has set for us to follow. Why, instead, do we emulate the patterns of this world. When we do, what hope are we giving to those who already identify with the things in the world? What reason are we giving them to come to us? How are we offering a message that is distinct from the world culture? Just some questions to think about.
-Joe
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