Quote:
Originally Posted by GrowingPains
This is a sincere and honest question.
There are many UPCI churches "loosening" up on their dogmatic stances concerning particular standards. There are many implications from these actions. Why? Well, you have a church that has been conditioned with rules-based holiness that inevitably forms into a tradition, and not to mention the subconscious conditioning that a person develops over years of this stuff.
So, when certain others of the church start trimming their hair, wearing make-up, etc what do the others that are content living the way they've lived? Doesn't the "stumbling block rule" apply to these churches? Should these churches be built from scratch and not implemented into rooted, seasoned churches? What about the youth groups -- how have they responded? I've heard, though many fight standards in favor of a true holiness (those who personally seek to please God, willing to give up anything if it hinders their walk), that instead, what happens in these "hybrid" churches is a picture of the ugliest of carnality. Pleasing God is back seat to new-found so-called freedoms. It's like the rebellious 18-year old who has the world to his own, but the entire, or half the church is that 18-year old. And "rebellion" in any degree isn't good.
Do you know a church that has made this transition well? Without collapsing and imploding (either in numbers or in spirit)? Surely, not all those who want to step away from dogmatic standards want a church culture of "anything goes." I know some on here see it that way (nothing we can do to merit his love, so quit worrying about it, etc), but not everyone sees it that way.
Interested in your feedback.
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I have to agree with a point made above. It normally takes years.
But here's a thought... if a church falls into absolute spiritual chaos once the rules are gone it doesn't mean that the rules were good for them. In fact it testifies to the fact that the "standards" only taught them to live for the rules... not Jesus. When a person is seeking to live for Jesus they don't need rules. Sure, they might not dress ultra-con, they might have trimmed hair, they might wear a little makeup, they might have a glass of wine with dinner on occasion, or smoke a cigar at their son's birth - but they won't conceivably embrace that which is truly a violation of God's Law.
This is an example of how "church" is actually harmful for so many Christians. The Bible doesn't command us to go to church, it admonishes us to embrace Christian fellowship. I'll take Christian fellowship over church any day.