Friday is for Friends: Chrissi Wright

Chrissi,
Thank you for your thoughts on what I agree is an interesting and often misused proverb. I remember my Mom liked to use it often when she found out I owned a few CD's with "explicit" lyrics. (I admit, I didn't own them for their artistic merit.) Or when a few of my friends decided to wear their pants a little too low, etc. I've heard it used to rationalize a lot of snap judgments on people's characters based on their outward appearance or associations with "the wrong crowd."

You're right, discernment, which is what I think you're getting at, is harder than making snap judgments. It's a harder road than setting up boundary markers that are more about our own clarity and peace of mind than about a humble faith and holiness.

Howewver, I want to add perhaps a word of caution. When you use the example of, say, not buying a "made in China" product due to the circumstances surrounding its manufacture, does that not open you to the same charge of exchanging true discernment (which is always relaitive to the situation) with feel-goodism? Most boycotts that I've encountered among Christians and non-Christians alike tend to smell like Pharisee. The boycotter feels good for appearing righteous, and the world goes on as before.

Instead, would it not be more helpful to read Paul's warning here within the wider context of his teaching on discernment (e.g. Rom 14-15)? I live in China--here many Christians refuse to play Mah Johng because of its association with gambling (a growing social problem here). Most Christians don't drink because of the (male) drinking culture that promotes chauvinism and other anti-social behavior. And those rules are strictly enforced in the authoritarian nature of the church here. Legalism? Perhaps. But here, discernment happens among the leadership and all others are expected to follow to abstain from being a stumbling block to believers and non-believes alike in THIS culture. It's a challennge to most Westerners like me. I was raised to be suspect of unquestioned authority and extra-biblical rules. Where does discernment fit in this picture?

"appearance of evil"

To abstain from some things that may cause someone else to stumble is a good thing. Evene if that thing is good. That way we are loving the other person above ourselves. But surely we have the liberty to enjoy the good things the Father of lights has given as well. So there's a fullness of living this out in our lives as we rub shoulders with new converts, mature converts, and even false-converts.

Jesus said, "Don't judge by appearance, but judge righteous actions."

A man clothed in a three piece suit and who has a nice job and family could well be a phoney. And someone who is not well dressed and still has a problem with some four letter words, and smokes Marlboro cigerettes could be a genuine child of the kingdom.

We need to judge as Jesus said, especially ourselves.
We need to be soaked in the whole Word of God, and then we will know the good to hold on to, and the evil to abstain from, as we fellowship with the children of peace, and of the kingdom, so that we can ne light and salt in a evil generation.

Good thoughts, Chrissy. Too often we pick and choose which "evils" to avoid based on what is convenient and easy.

But I like Fee's interpretation that the verse relates to prophecies in the Thessalonian community. First Thess 5:20–22 (NET) says, "Do not treat prophecies with contempt. But examine all things; hold fast to what is good. Stay away from every form of evil." There were two extremes with regard to prophecies--those who treated them with contempt and those who accepted them uncritically. Paul said to examine them, to keep the good and avoid the evil.

Good thoughts everybody. Tyler, you are totally right that any choice can become pharisaical (and I'm not promoting boycotting, necessariy!). However, my intent with those examples wasn't so much "exchange those old rules for these cool new socially conscious rules!" I agree that this isn't necessarily an different or better. More, as you guessed, that we use discernment and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us in discernment in ALL of our actions, not just those socially sanctioned. My post is certainly incomplete, and was in fact originally titled "part 2" because it was second set of thoughts on the subject.
I also relate to your experience living in China. I lived in the Philippines for 3 years and never drank while I lived there for the same reason.

what is this evil that we are to avoid? What's the context from which meaning can be pulled?

Chrissy,

I think you've been thrown by KJV English. Modern translations render the verse, "avoid every kind of evil." By "appearance," I think 16th Century English meant, "avoid every manifestation of evil."

Jesus certainly did not avoid ever appearing evil. The appearance of evil (modern sense of the term) was defined by His enemies then and ours now (e.g., the greatest evil most people will name is saying another religion is wrong).

"Mindless consumption" is a good example. You've defined it as a sin and now want other Christians to avoid appearing to do it. That's called legalism.

Scot, nothing in my comment appeals to a translation being more "accurate." Rather, it is that most modern translations render it exactly the same way and the much older translation uses language that can be taken more than one way.

And that Jesus' life contradicts her understanding of the verse.

Oops. Replace "sweatshops" with "mindless consumption." You get what I mean. All areas of our lives should be held up to (our own!) scrutiny as to what is righteous and what is, well, not.