Yesterday, I finally finished preaching through those three chapters on meat sacrificed to idols in 1 Corinthians 8-10. It took four messages (one of which Jerry Taylor preached). Here’s what I love: Paul knew that very often the deepest gospeled instincts of a people are not found in the big issues but in the smaller ones — the ones with a bit of gray area that need nuancing.
A family would make a sacrifice on behalf of some god or goddess at a Corinth temple. Some of the meat would be burned up at the moment of the sacrifice; some would then be used to serve a meal at the temple for the family and their friends; and then whatever was left could be sold by the priests at the city market.
So there were two questions: Could the Christians eat at the meals in the pagan temples when invited? and Could they buy the meat in the city market and eat it in private homes?
The questions could have been answered in a paragraph. Except that for Paul this was a perfect chance to discuss deeper themes of the gospel. Like:
- How love trumps knowledge;
- How a weaker brother or sister is someone for whom Christ died (8:11);
- How he himself is an example of choosing not to always use his rights on behalf of others (9);
- How the communion meal sets a direction for our lives;
- How love also trumps freedom;
- How Christians can receive the gifts of this life since all belongs to God the creator (quoting Psalm 24 in 10:25f);
- How the ultimate point of Christianity is to follow the cross-formed way of Jesus Christ (11:1)
Whew! All of that to say:
No, you can’t eat those dedication meals at the pagan temples. (We know there is no such thing as another god/goddess. But you have to flee idolatry, in whatever form it takes.)
Yes, you can eat meat from the city markets that may have come from the temples in private homes. (But, don’t do it if it will destroy a weaker brother or sister — meaning not someone who’s “offended” at your actions but someone who might actually be on a slippery slope. The meat itself might transport them back to an earlier time in life when they experienced the ecstasy of the pagan temples. They might head down a path of darkness as they recalled the powerful experiencing of the temple with their mystery and the pleasures [women and boys] lurking in the darkness, offering to heighten experience for a price.)
So today I’m wondering: in what ways do our smaller issues indicate that we are a gospeled people?
At least it is reassuring to know that we are just like they were–faults and all. Some might say that we have been worse in the area of quarreling.
Maybe if we focus on majors instead of minors for long enough, we can clear our vision.
Right now it is handclapping at our church (what a stupid thing to fuss about).
In a case like ours, how do you balance freedom in Christ and a desire to reach out to young families with sensitivity to those who are genuinely bothered by it?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
What if the issue is whom we can and cannot “fellowship?” Whom we can or cannot call “brother” or “sister?” This issue is actually the centerpoint of most issues. The real issue isn’t “can we clap… or use and instrument… or let a woman speak…” the real issue is, often, “can I worship with and fellowship with and call Brother or Sister, someone who ….” We can resolve the clapping, instrument and women issues, but can we still embrace each other as being a part of Christ’s family?
How do we work through this?
This may be a uniquely contemporary issue… I’m not sure the early Christians were considering disfellowshipping the “meat eaters.” Maybe they were. But it seems they may have had a much boader view of the “Christain Landscape” than we do. We, in my tradition anyway, have tended to view “Christians” as a very narrow group that is only a small part of the broader “Christendom” most of whom can’t be fellowshipped as “brothers and sisters.”
Can we have “patience” while brothers and sisters are rejected as “outsiders?” Did Paul have patience when Peter treated the Greek Christians in a second-class way?
Perhaps “majoring” in the “minors” is the key. Doing small things, taking small steps…I find those more successful than the big, paradigm-shifting changes.
You don’t become a marathoner overnight…you run a little each day, and get better.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. My take is that the church is too cultic. The word “cult” has its root meaning in care-taking and cultivating. Thus, a cult was a group of people involved in the care-taking of a deity. Church looks “cultish” to me when we pray, overtly or tacitly, “may all these things be done in a manner pleasing in Your sight.” That is, church life becomes governed by the need manage God’s mood. From that starting place, church gets overtaken by zerosum conflict and intense emotion.
Yes, Richard… I think you’re right. We seem to have taken on the responsibility of defending and protecting our deity rather than seeing ourselves as protected and cared-for by our God. This may be why we struggle so hard to define these issues, to outline boundaries and identify imposters.
Mike, when you describe the risks as something associated not with “someone who’s ‘offended’ at your actions but someone who might actually be on a slippery slope. The meat itself might transport them back to an earlier time in life” — that makes me think of very different kinds of controversies than anything to do with worship order. I think about the sorts of things that could trip up a person who has come out of something that for them was unhealthy. For them, depending on the kinds of problems they are struggling with, the risks might occur when they are around Christians who:
use alcohol (due to former addictions)
watch R-rated movies, TV or music with strongly sexual overtones, or engage in sexually-laced humor (due to sexual addiction or acting out)
joking (and serious) conversation that is deeply cynical, pessimistic, racist, or heavily critical of people (due to former patterns of verbal violence, hateful attitudes, despair and depression, etc.)
habits of profligate spending, in a church or personally (due to former self-destructive spending patterns)
These are just a few, but they strike me as the kinds of things that would be more parallel to what you describe than anything to do with music styles, etc.
What I’m wondering, from my perspective here in south Mississippi in a small semi-rural area where the church of Christ is just a blip on the screen among the vast number of Baptist churches, is whether the church here, as I know it, will even survive in its “cultishness,” if that’s a word. I don’t see much hope for it, myself, but maybe I’m being way too pessimistic in my cynicism about the whole thing. Should it even survive might even be the question because of all of the reasons stated by the above commenters.
I haven’t been back here long after having been gone 20 years and I see some progress and change and on good days I think to myself that I can certainly do my own part to encourage all others I can to think differently and to act differently, especially among the younger women. And I see among them good things.
But on bad days, I become very discouraged and don’t know what to do or if anything can be done. Yesterday I felt bad and although I finally made it to Sunday School class 30 minutes late and then went in to sit down for worship services, in a minute I got up and came home because I thought “I just can’t take it today.” I wasn’t feeling well and the boredom and triteness of it all was just too much. Too, too much.
I don’t know how many of you live deep in the south and/or are in small southern semi-rural churches, but it is extremely difficult for someone like me to deal with. The thinking includes all of what has been said this morning and more. How does one like me even exist in such an environment, much less make a difference?
That is the question I wish some of you would help me answer, including you, Mike. How does one person make a difference in a group that is overall really backward and extremely inward in their thinking?
I hate to give up totally because I feel like that God will use us where we have been planted and find ourselves, but on days like today I just don’t know how.
Good post about difficult things among Christians and I am smack in the middle of such things here. Oh, it’s quiet enough, but that’s because I haven’t really raised my voice. Or clapped my hands, heaven forbid. If i did (and I really wanted to one Sunday morning just in appreciation of an older lady who came forward at the end of services with prayer requests and thanking the congregation for their concern over her), I’m sure I would not only be the only one who did, but would probably even be kicked out on my fanny!
That thought actually cheers me a bit, so on that note I think I should quit. I need to pray about this even more, I guess. I don’t know what else to do. Except read great blogs like this one, and there are a lot of good ones out here.
Cheers & Blessings to you all today! Dee
I agree with Jeff. So many of our “issues” are often based in the rhelm of assembly worship. The equivelent here is not, however, a worship rhelm. It is a personal action done on personal time in the presence of other Christians.
This relates with alcohol, smoking, movies, television, and consersation. Or, going out to eat at an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet with a person who is massively over weight. Let’s be honest. Worship issues are a problem in church, but this verse is speaking of how you live your life (not really how you worship in the assembly.)
Reading Dee’s post surely touched my heart.
Dee, seems to me your bad experiences flow from when you see the Church all about power and control. Do you have to live in that region? Would you be more free in some other location? Then again, maybe God has you there to shine a light, where it was dark.
I don’t have anything to offer, but I can connect with your discouragement.
I agree with Jeff and Roberto… I think Paul is addressing real life issues, not worship issues. But I think that we have made EVERYTHING into a worship issue by even asking the question, “Can I fellowship this person?” Can we sit in the same auditoreum together on Sunday morning, no matter what the worship style, with people who drink, dance, struggle with porn, speak in tongues (or “believe” in it), read Max Lucado or Don Miller along with their Bibles, spend too much on their cars or their clothing, participate in ecumenical community functions, vote Democratic or Repubican, or whatever…
I fear that we use “Uniformity” to define “Unity” and we destroy the beauty of the diversity of Christ’s body in the process.
We somehow believe, sometimes, that ALL of these things matter when we are deciding who can sit next to us in the pew.
Do ANY of them matter–really–when I’m thinking about who can sit next to me and be called a brother or sister? Who I let sit next to me isn’t really up to me if I’m being Christ-like. It’s up to God. If he positions someone in my presence for worship assembly… we’re gonna worship together.
Sorry…I got worked up.
Dee–
I’m so sorry! I’ve been there! I know your frustration, but I have to believe that God has work for you there!! Don’t feel bad for pulling back occasionally. Jesus did that too.
Mike,
Exellent post. My latest post is Refocusing: A Plea For The Churches of Christ.
Amen Mike. May our focus as the Church be on Christ and seeking to save the lost.
Jeff,
I wanted to thank you for framing your response the way you did. You have named some very real, very important struggles that we face today. We live in community which means we are interdependent… our actions have consequences on each other, not just on ourselves. Thanks for reminding us of that and for taking the discussion outside of our church-talk and into the big world (where idol meat still smells good).
Paul’s own don’t ask don’t tell policy.
Ah, Dee. I feel your pain, too. And, sadly those narrow-minded churches are to be found in the north, too. We found, as we moved from place to place, that eventually you will find that there are some like-minded people hidden in the group. They then become your support system, and you do the same for them. It is not the same as being someplace is not like that, but it does help with survival.
Along with what Jeff is saying I think we should include materialism on the list of slippery slopes that we all struggle with. As followers of Jesus we are called to be giving of our money and focused on pursuing kingdom treasures rather than striving to get bigger and bigger houses, etc.
Our choosing to live modestly might encourage others to think twice before making major financial purchases that would strain budgets. Going further than just living modestly, we can grow in the grace of giving freely with a loose grip on our stuff.
People notice these things, and being human we tend to compare with each other. When we as followers of Christ are no different from the Joneses in our accumulation of wealth (hoarding) we lose a chance to be a witness.
“…but it does help with survival.”
How very sad that anyone should be made to feel that survival is the best that awaits them in their local congregation. My heart aches for those congregations and for those that are struggling to survive in them.
I have been dealing with a typical small town church in the south where some of the same types of issues that have been mentioned above (you know, everything that encompasses “liberalism”) and the fight against it just kills the Spirit. We have definitely been majoring in the minors.
I have spoken up for the past few years in defense of freedom. At first it seemed to to make a lot of people nervous. Then, it seemed to set many people free. However, the die hards and their legalistic ways then just made things more and more frustrating to the freed people because once the freedom was discovered, the lack of it became more apparent and discomforting.
Because I was the one who spoke out about this freedom publicly, I have had to pay a somewhat of a price. The legalists are down on me pretty bad. I think they are actually scared of me. They think I’m a really dangerous person.
There are quite a few who agree with me completely, but because they don’t let their views be known publicly, the legalists accept them totally. If they only knew.
I sometimes wonder if it has been worth the hassle. It sure causes a lot of consternation and upset feelings. It just doesn’t seem right that most of my frustration for the past few years should come from dealing with my brethren.
I’m not sure it is even possible for me, but sometimes I think it would have been better to just keep my mouth shut. I just know that I’m tired of fighting small thinking and closed minds.
I guess one of the questions we have to ask ourselves is, “Where is the idol’s temple today?” To understand what it is that pulls us away from the Christ Kingdom into the World Kingdom, I will hazard a couple of guesses.
1. Walmart and Malls. How does a Christian manage their interaction with the Temples of Stuff? What is the point at which we take things in, and the point where we are taken in?
2. Sports. Having seen firsthand how many young lives are sacrificed on this altar, one must ask the question of how involved in sports a Christian should be? Mike Yaconelli said once, “Sports isn’t of the devil, it IS the devil.” I don’t go as far as that, but I do wonder if our culture worships the athlete to the point where our worship for the Lord is diminished. What is the line for sports?
Interesting question. Seems to me that we demonstrate our “gospeledness” whenever:
a) We are genuinely interested in a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees; and
b) We find a Christlike way of speaking or behaving in response to a circumstance that is not addressed specifically in scripture;
c) We live beyond commands and necessary inferences, no longer needing prescriptive boundaries because we are living fully in the spirit of Christ; and/or
d) Our lives exemplify the kind of love that is the fulfillment of the law in every meaningful respect.
In other words, I can only demonstrate that following Christ is “good news” to the extent that I am able to make good choices autonomously, having been formed in the character of Christ, instinctively able to perceive the way of Christ and to live in it without having those choices imposed on me from without.
qb
Mike - You seemed to be saying that Christians should not be seen in a pagan temple eating meat that had previous sacrificed to an idol?
A lot more went on in pagan temples than just the worship of idols. Birthday parties, retirement parties, wedding celebrations. Would Christians be invited to those?
Dee,
Hang in there! I agree with ReJoyce, there are probably other like-minded Brothers and Sisters in your midst. You will figure out who they are and be able to encourage each other. I too moved from a more “freeing” congregation to one that was more “restrictive”. Many Sundays I had to practically sit on my hands to keep from clapping or lifting them in praise to God. Within the last two months our congregation moved to a new building and it seems to have freed some who were holding back so they wouldn’t offend the weaker brothers. It is an exciting time for us! I hope you get to experience the joy we are reaping from our patient wait!
Help me Mike! I’m stuck in moderation!!!
I want to reflect on Dee’s comment. I grew up in those churches in western Kentucky. The services didn’t bother me at all then. After I married and was exposed to more, I became discontented with that style of worship. However, in the past couple of years, I have come to know that what happens in that hour or so on Sunday morning really has so little to do with Christianity. I go to a church that has “grown” beyond those small southern churches in its worship style. We have a praise team, and women taking public part in the worship, and freedom to break forth in clapping whenever we chose. However, when my daughter had surgery and was confined to home, no one from my church called or visited or sent a card. As I walked through the depths of depression, no one stood by me. Contrast that with my parents small country church where they have two songs, a prayer, a song and a sermon. When my mom was ill, food was brought in, visits were made. Everyone in the church knew she was ill and expressed their concern. I think we get too hung up on what happens in the building, and discount the 99% of the rest of what those Christians do with their lives. By the way, I was visiting one of those churches where you do not applaud, and when an announcement was made about something, I broke out in applause (force of habit) and after a second of hesitiation, so did the rest of that church. So maybe you could clap your hands or raise your hands, and by doing so, you might inspire others to do so also. I remember a dear friend of ours who was about 83 years old at the time asking me, “Do you think it would be okay if I raised my hands while I sing?” I told him - “You go right ahead, I don’t think God will care. In fact, I think he will like it.” And so he did, and now many of us do.
Well said Patsy. Thanks
This response is to Dee: I concur with what others are saying; “go for it” and worship in a way that you feel led to do. Speak out. There are definitely others around you who will be strengthened by it, as there will be some who will be offended by it. You might as well put it to the test. But please, please, consider a different church or even denomination if you are that depressed about going to church. In my opinion, one of the ways the CofC meets the definition of a cult is the amount of psychological pain people are willing to endure to stay “in the fold” and the extreme disapproval from others when some sheep decide to leave for greener pastures. Perhaps that particular church really is not the place for you. Signed, Been there, done that
Food For Thought: (pun intended)
In regards to “O taste and see…” that I believe you included in your sermon on Sunday…
Our small group made an observation about a year or so ago. (I’m sure you have already realized this….allow me to catch up.)
Of the 5 senses, it’s interesting that “taste” was chosen for this verse.
* You can sneak up on someone and make them HEAR something they didn’t intend to hear.
* You can flash something in front of someone and make them SEE something they didn’t want to see.
* The simple act of breathing can make someone SMELL something they didn’t want to smell.
* You can even make someone FEEL something they didn’t want to feel by simply putting it on them.
* TASTING, however, implies CHOICE. If you’ve ever tried to feed a 1-year-old spinach from a baby food jar, you know what I mean. You simply cannot MAKE someone taste. You can make them WANT to taste, but you cannot make them taste.
Doesn’t God choose His words wisely?
I appreciate what Patsy wrote. I grew up in a church that was old fashioned in the ways they worshiped. But those were the people that taught me the wonderful stories about Jesus. Prayed for me. And were there when I needed help. We must remember the church is the bride of Christ and we must not tear her down from either side.
I go to a different c of c now and the opposite thing is happening. While people are finding their freedom to express their outward feelings of worship, the worship leaders are saying that you’re not really worshiping unless you are clapping or lifting your hands. I’m so glad God looks at our hearts.
Beautiful, Patsy. I would only add that one hour out of 168 means that the percentage is closer to 0.5%. Bravo. I tire of the suggestion that “technology-driven” and “culturally relevant” are the same thing. Love never ceases to be culturally relevant, Vista or no Vista.
I have seen (and enjoyed) first-hand the wonderful fruit of loving hospitality here in this little blogosphere, and it is so much more fulfilling and suggestive of the Christ than any amount of fancy GIFs, modern MP3s or cutting-edge PPTs. Technology, progress and innovation should be our slaves, not our masters. Our master is the one of whom it is said, “God is love.” (And we don’t pretend that “love is god.”) Taste and see that the Lord is good!
qb