My Dad often asked me a question. I am going to ask his question here. What changed? Was it not a sin back then? or is it still a sin now?
He asked this question in regard to all the changes in the standards of Christians. He would then give examples of the various changes he had seen in his lifetime. He was born in 1944. He started asking me this question in 2010. He stopped asking with he died in 2019. Thankfully he had made it back to God.
I am going to give some of the examples that he gave me.
| Then | Now |
| All Women wore dresses | Most women wear pants |
| No Christian went dancing | Many Christians go dancing |
| The music was different. Hymns were common. You could never confuse a church service with the music with that of the dance hall/bar. | There are praise teams leading the worship that is loud. Hymns are uncommon. My dad once commented that the praise team could make a lot of money playing this music at the local bar down the street. He had no idea what they were singing, but the music had a good beat for dancing. |
| No fancy lights | Strobe lights are common |
| Men always removed their hats before praying and when entering the church. | Men are seen wearing hats in church. |
| Movie watching was frown upon mostly. | Movie watching is normal. |
I now understand that he was really asking why the church looks so much like the world. He was raised in the church by his Grandparents until they died. He then went to live with his uncles. They taught him to drink, swear, and live in the world. Later in life he went back to church and was surprised by all the changes. Because of the changes it took him a while longer to come back. He kept looking for the church that he had left. He said many times if only I could hear my grandpa preach just one more time. If only I had my grandpa’s Bible to look at just one more time.
Now I want you to think about your life. Can others see the difference between your life and the world? If those differences are only that you go to church and the world does not, there is a problem. There are people who are looking for the differences. They need to see the difference. They need to see a grandpa’s preaching just one more time. If you are living a life set apart from the world, it is possible for your life to be the sermon that they need to see/hear just one more time.
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[…] The Changing Standards of Christianity: A Reflection: The post reflects on the changes in Christian standards over the decades, questioning the alignment of faith and contemporary culture, emphasizing the need for discernible, meaningful differences in believers’ lives. […]