Category Archives: Standards

Standards

Just Making Stuff Up: North Valley Style

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I’ve hear rants against a lot of strange things in my time but today’s featured warning may be the strangest one I’ve ever encountered. Not content to merely warn against the normal fundy bogeymen, Jack “I Have Four White Pianos” Trieber now warns us against the evils of: sharing sonogram images.

He says in part:

Perhaps I am an old-fashioned “fuddy duddy,” but is that not sacred? As our home began to be blessed with children, it never even crossed my mind to display such an image to others. Every baby is a gift from God, hidden in the sacredness of a mother’s womb until the day of birth.

Hookay, Jack. You take the weirdness prize for sure.

Standards, Websites

Proof Text For Fun And Profit

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An alert SFL reader sent me a link to contendforthefaith.ca, wherein I learned that Canadians have their own crazy fundamentalists. Who knew?

One of the highlights of this site was the section on Spiritual Service Standards, which purport to be a guide for the behavior of people in ministry. As the author writes:

“In the face or today’s drift from Scriptural principles, it is our desire to maintain the highest level of spiritual ministry in the Christian service of our Church, and to maintain a pure testimony for Christ in every phase of its life.”

Here are the proof texts given for avoiding particular behaviors deemed to be a bad testimony. You can find them on pages 5 and 6 of the original document(PDF). Once you begin to read the “Scriptural principles” presented, however, it’s hard to determine exactly how the quoted verses “prove” anything.

sale or use of alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs

1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Thessalonians 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.

gambling

Exodus 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.

Proverbs 28:8 He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.

1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

use of tobacco

1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

social dancing of any type

1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

attendance at commercial movie theaters

Psalm 101:3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; [it] shall not cleave to me.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

viewing of carnal videos

Psalm 101:3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; [it] shall not cleave to me.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

carnal-radio, carnal theater, and carnal television programs

1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

Psalm 101:3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; [it] shall not cleave to me.

carnal music

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.

carnal literature

Psalm 101:3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; [it] shall not cleave to me.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.

1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

worldly card playing

1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Public Life, Standards

A Measure Of Success

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How do you measure success? In fundyland it’s almost always done in terms of standards kept and appearances maintained. Looking righteous is an end in itself.

So often we hear the glorious claims of wonderful outcomes for people who follow the fundy path. Never mind if they are happy or well-adjusted. Don’t ask if they are honest or decent to their fellow man. Do they appear to conform? Do they seem to obey? This is all that matters.

“They practiced courtship instead of dating and they were married for 53 years.” And they made each others lives a living hell. He cheated. She secretly drank. When he died she only felt relief. “God truly blesses us when we try to follow his plan for marriage!”

“This wonderful family hasn’t missed a single church service in the last 10 years!” The children sit petrified of being hit and screamed at when they get home if they put a foot out of line. As we speak the little girl has a 101 temperature but she was dragged here anyway. “Surely God honors their faithfulness.”

“Every single one of his six children and eighteen grandchildren are now in full-time ministry!” One will be indicted this week for fraud for embezzling from his church. Another is an atheist who just can’t get up the courage to admit it that he doesn’t believe his own sermons. A third regrets every day of his life that he didn’t follow his dreams away from fundamentalism. “This man is a shining example of how to train up a child!”

The devil is in the details.