“…Sometimes when I’m at Dunkin’ Donuts I think of [that] quote from Hamlet... ‘The apparel oft proclaims the man.’
“What is the guy in front of me proclaiming with his pajama bottoms? And the woman behind me in an oversize white tank top that shows every inch of her black bra, what is her proclamation? Is the guy revealing 80 percent of his boxers sending a message?
“We have lost the subtle internal rule that tells one not to…wear a skirt the size of a dish towel to school or a religious sanctuary; and not, not, not to feel the need to reveal one’s underwear to the public.
“A funeral isn’t the place for a miniskirt and 5 inch heels. A lot of cleavage is…not appropriate for a Tuesday morning at the office or in school. In fact, it’s bad manners.”
Why is it that the world knows when something is inappropriate, and the people of God make excuses for it? Why is it that the world cares more about rudeness than we do about sin?
I was in my neighbor’s home one day visiting. “Did you see the movie--? No, wait,” he interrupted himself. “You’re a Christian. You wouldn’t have seen that movie.”
It seems the world knows what a Christian ought to be better than some of my brethren do. The Corinthians had that problem too. It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not even tolerated among the Gentiles…1 Cor 5:1.
Maybe we should take a poll. Ask your neighbors what a Christian would and wouldn’t do. I understand that they are not completely informed, that there may be aspects of New Testament Christianity they miss or even categorize as hateful, mean-spirited, and ignorant. Just stick with basic morality. What would a Christian wear or not wear? What movies or TV shows would he not watch? What behaviors would he avoid? Drinking? Smoking? Gambling? Why is it they can clearly see the problems with these things while we tie ourselves in knots trying to excuse them?
When amoral people know how a Christian ought to act, ought to dress, and ought to speak and we who call ourselves the true followers don’t, something is wrong. The same thing happened to God’s people of old, and the words He sent then will apply to us too. Read them and weep with me.
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you are more turbulent than the nations that are all around you, and have not walked in my statutes or obeyed my rules, and have not even acted according to the rules of the nations that are all around you, therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, even I, am against you. And I will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations. And because of all your abominations I will do with you what I have never yet done, and the like of which I will never do again, Ezekiel 5:7-9.
Dene Ward