From: tll6551@zeus.tamu.edu (Scholar and Fool)
Subject: TANGENT: (sorry *sheepish grin*) Re: What do you do when....
Summary:  it has nothing to do with music except in a most philosophical sense
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: Fool's Gold Enterprises
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 01:16:00 GMT

markc@eomer.hw.stratus.com (Mark Christensen) writes...
>many responses that demonstrated that I had at least caused people to 
>think about their own convictions in this matter a bit more closely.  That
>is all I really hoped to accomplish anyway...to have people look inwardly
>at just how they felt about this topic and why they felt this way, then to
>compare it to the word of God.  I don't expect most will change, and if
>some do, it may be a gradual change.  But at least you all now have been
>able to query someone like myself concerning this topic. 

This is sort of humorous, in a way, because this is almost exactly my
opinion/statement when I talk to people who are against Christian rock.

But the way everyone uses the "don't be conformed" scripture is really
rather interesting. It seems like it always comes out sounding like "do
not be conformed to the things in the world that I/(my group) find to be
'of the world'." I'm glad, Mark, that you put the qualifier in that dif-
ferent people can come to different convictions. Because when it comes
right down to it, what is best for you is not necessarily going to be best
for me, and what is spiritually distracting for you may not be so for me.

As an example, I'd like to submit the following. A certain person may have
a conviction given to them by God that they should not drink alcohol at all.
This may be because they would become an alcoholic or that they would have
problems handling drinking. But just because they have this conviction, it
does not mean that everyone else is just like them and should have the same
conviction. Some people may have no problems drinking alcohol in moderation
and not allowing it to be harmful or bad for them. 

Of course, you can get into the "weaker brother stumbling" argument on the
above example, but I tend to see the 'stumbling' argument used in the same
manner as the 'conforming' argument. (ie, to support personal biases)

I don't believe that the statement "don't be conformed to the world" means
"be conformed to the Christians around you". If I find that non-instrument-
based worship music where the whole congregation sings is the best way for
me to praise God and feel close to Him, then I should do that. But I should
not go around telling other persons who use instrumental praise music that
they are incorrect in their form of worship. I may not like it, it may not
help me, but that doesn't make it incorrect for everyone else.

If I have green hair, am I conforming to the world? Or am I not conforming
to the world? Am I conforming to Christ? Or am I not conforming to Christ?
Or do I just have green hair, and so what?  I think what it really boils
down to is the convictions in your heart. 

The Pharisees (oh no, he's pulling out the worn-out Pharisees example!)
matched up to the standards of their day...they met and exceeded the expec-
tations of the religious society. But while their outsides looked great,
their insides were dead. 

I could wear a suit, have short hair, always wear a smile on my face, 
state all the right convictions, say "Jesus luvs ya", and all the many 
other things in today's Christian society - but if my heart is not in 
it, if I don't have the personal convictions, then it's just nice extras 
on something that doesn't work.  These things are not what determine a
person's heart - these things do not prove what a person's heart is like.
These are personal preferences, and are (besides stereotypes of styles and
the fact that some people do things to match stereotypes) inconsequential
to the type of convictions/heart someone has. It is society's opinions that
put convictions with looks/styles in general, but looks/styles by them-
selves have no convictions.

Oops.........I think I've just caught myself going off on a massive 
tangent and rambling. Sorry. If everyone will just ignore my posts as
per normal, everything will turn out just fine. :)


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GpqNWtrWwoJRhekugAMcyX ^      TLL6551@ZEUS.TAMU.EDU    TLL6551@TAMZEUS      &
OwbEKqkTktRTYKDTVWQosI @----------------------------------------------------%
WjeCMephgyGBzybhahsobJ *    "Who do you think started Christian rock? I     *
PnsWOPBHWPBNAHEAJBNbyW !   did!" -Lew Siffer ("Green Angels" Chick Tract)   @
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