Christian Living II

1. Christian Living II Chapters 6, 7 and 8 Entertainment and Adornment and other highly controversial topics

2. Biblical Principles • “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes” (Psalm 101:3). • Job 31:1; Psalm 19:14; 119:37; Isaiah 33:15-16; Romans 1:32; I Thessalonians 5:22 • Philippians 4:8 - think on things that are • true, honest (noble), just (right), pure, lovely, of good report (admirable), virtuous (excellent), and praiseworthy. • Evil thoughts defile us (Matthew 15:18-20; Mark 7:21-23). • Our thoughts determine in a large measure what we are or will become (Proverbs 23:7)

3. Foundation and Background • The eye is the primary means by which external information enters the mind • The eye is the light of the body, and the lust of the eyes is a major source of temptation (Matthew 6:22-23; Luke 11:34; I John 2:16).

4. What Do Television and Movies Do? • Violence and illicit sex are two prominent subjects they display. • They portray many other evils (usually with no indication that they are in fact evil), such as immodest dress, profanity, smoking, drinking, lying, hatred, assault, cursing, and indecent speech. • TV programs and movies have little or no redeeming value. They unjustifiably waste the Christian’s valuable time (Ephesians 5:16; Colossians 4:5).

5. Why NOT? • (1) They do not glorify God, but glorify evil. • (2) They are detrimental physically, mentally, and spiritually. • (3) They have tremendous power to gain mastery over us. • (4) They become stumbling blocks to others, particularly to our own children.

6. Effects of Television • Television is shortening children’s attention span. • Commercials teach that all problems can be solved quickly by modern technology. • Homosexual portrayals • Increases in violent behavior • Average person watches TV from 23 hours per week (teenagers) to 36-1⁄2 hours per week (older women). • Antisocial behavior, poor academic performance

7. Observations about TV • The average American- 50,000 to 75,000 hrs of TV during his life (5 to 8 years) • Displaces talking, dealing with problems, reading, thinking, praying, relationships and meditating. • It becomes an escape from tension and loneliness, without providing real solutions. • Acts like a drug, as Marie Winn described in her book, The Plug-In Drug.

8. Observations about TV • Television is an empty experience: constantly changing scenes make it impossible for the viewer to engage his imagination • Television is detrimental to thinking • Television has powerful and dangerous access to the mind: “Seeing is believing” • Television modifies behavior in negative ways. Arousal, aggression.

9. Observations about TV • The world view presented by television is very dangerous. Immorality is normal. • TV is unchristian. It totally ignores God, misrepresents sin. • In the future, television will have an even greater impact upon our society, due to such technological advances. • It is very difficult to make positive use of TV or to control its influence in our lives

10. Facts of Origin • Fewer producers in Hollywood and New York decide what the United States will watch • Self-proclaimed as egotistical, materialistic, and sexually promiscuous. • Most of this elite see religion as innocuous, irrelevant, or bizarre. • Figures of faith are pictured as irrelevant, impotent, or fanatical. • No character is motivated by religious feelings to do an important act. • Network executives have been sending scripts dealing with homosexuality to homosexual representatives for review • “Television is a passive medium; once on, it is hard to shut off.

11. Movies • John R. Rice in his booklet entitled What is Wrong with the Movies? objected to these evils associated with the movies: • The immoral lifestyles of the stars (who become role models and heroes in our society), tobacco, gambling, sex, crime, and impure love themes. • Producers make movies for greed and notoriety, not responsibility to society and morality. • Rice said that movies teach and encourage crime, endorse sin, teach and incite lust, break down virtue, and contribute to delinquency. • He pointed out: • (1) A few movies are not bad, such as some for children, but if we take children to them we will break down their resistance to attending bad movies. • (2) Not all moviegoers fall into the evils that movies promote, but so many viewers are influenced to do evil that we should all avoid movies. • (3) It would be good if we could totally reform movies, but we will never be able to do so.

12. That was then, this is now • Ancient Christians avoided the Roman theater for the same reasons that we refuse to watch TV and movies. • Prior to Constantine, Christians were forbidden to “attend the theatre where the performances were lewd and the faith might be ridiculed.” • “Leading Christians unhesitatingly condemned the theatre” • Titian, Theophilus, Clement, Tertullian, Cyprian…

13. And later • Early Calvinists prohibited theater attendance. The Puritans in 17th century England shut down the theaters when they came to power, because they regarded them as profane and sensual • John Wesley, founder of Methodism, thought it a sin to attend the theater • 19th and 20th century church leaders – same • Home Video (1985) … internet

14. Today: the Internet • The book was written before the internet became a real entity in every day life • Today, we can hardly imagine life without it. • Indeed, the internet allows access to more information than TV, Videos, and Movies combined – immediately • We must watch our behavior on the internet more vigilantly than we would avoid TV. • Be responsible and know your limits, applying the principles already discussed!

15. Homework – Chapter 6 • List 5 scriptures that give us principles to help govern everything we put before our eyes • What four principles that we already studied in Chapter 4 can be applied also to television and movies to help us determine what we should and should not watch • Kevin Parotta’s 10 points

16. Take 10!

17. Adornment and Dress • Biblical Foundations • Dress – spiritual significance and values • Detrimental effects of unholy dress • Biblical Examples • Applications • Objections to modesty in scripture

18. BiblicalPrinciples • God desires for His people to display the spirit of holiness in outward appearance • Paul identifieddifficultieswithit in I Timothy 2:8-10 (Therefore I desire that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands …) • Woman’s dress is a mirror of her mind, Outward ostentation is not in keeping with a prayerful and devout attitude (Tyndale) • To be modest means to be decent, chaste, proper, unpretentious and pure, with particular reference to dress, speech, conduct and deportment. • Shamefacedness (KJV) or propriety (NKJV) comes from the Greek word aidos. … meaning to be stedfast in modesty. • I Pet 3: Do not let your beauty be that outward adorning of arranging the hair, of wearing gold, or of putting on fine apparel; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

19. Biblical Principles • When we take Peter’s advice and look at the holy women of the Old Testament, we find that women should not wear clothing pertaining to men, and vice versa (Deuteronomy 22:5). • “The immediate design of this prohibition was not to prevent licentiousness, or to oppose idolatrous practices . . . but to maintain the sanctity of that distinction of the sexes which was established by the creation of man and woman . . . Every violation or wiping out of a woman . . . was unnatural, and therefore an abomination in the sight of God.” (Rushdooney, C. F. Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament)

20. Why? • Why is God concerned with the way we dress? • Why is it important for Christians to maintain holiness in outward appearance? • Our dress reflects what we truly are inside. Reflects attitude, lifestyle, and choice of identity. • Some say outward appearance is irrelevant because, “Man lookethon the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (I Samuel 16:7). However, this verse does not say God approves of sinful or ungodly appearance, but that He does not evaluate someone by outward beauty or lack of beauty.

21. Why? • Our dress reveals to others our commitments and beliefs. Man does look in the outward… • The Christian is to exhibit self-control and moderation in all aspects of life • The Christian is not to love the things of the world (James 4:4; I John 2:15). “Be not conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2). • The Christian is to be a good steward of the blessings God has bestowed, including financial blessings (Luke 16:10-13). • The Christian is to be content with the way God has made him and the position in which he finds himself. “For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:11)

22. Why? • Jewelry and makeup reflect a false set of values. They overemphasize the temporal, the unimportant, the physical, and even the ungodly. • Immodest clothing, jewelry, and makeup feed the lust of the flesh, which is one of the three major areas of worldliness (I John 2:16), appeal to the eye (tempting), and cater to the pride of life • External appearance has a profound impact on the inner self. What we wear can drastically change our moods in the short-term and our attitudes in the longterm.

23. The Cycle of Seduction Seductive appearance Perceive as/ Treat as seductive Feel / Act seductive P. 165, PracticalHoliness

24. The Questions to ask • In light of all these problems, why would a Christian woman want to use makeup and jewelry? • For whom is she adorning herself? • If for God, it does not impress Him at all. • If for herself, it is a dangerous, unjustifiable expression of pride. • If for her husband, he should be more interested in her inner beauty, and any physical display should be in private for his eyes only. • If for others, it is an unjustifiable expression of ostentation or seduction. • If unmarried, she should seek to attract those interested in true beauty rather than in false, transient trappings.

25. BiblicalExamples • Uncoveredness • Adam and Eve sought to coverthemselvesaftertheybecameaware. • Ham saw Noah’s nakedness • David saw Bathsheba • Makeup • Jezebel • Solomon’s warning – eyelids

26. Biblical Examples • Jewelry • Israelites fled Egypt with silver and gold riches, not personal ornamentation • Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea – women attracted with ornaments • Esther requested nothing but skin care

27. Distinction of the Sexes • Different cultures have different types of clothing. • If clothing is modest and if there is a clear differentiation between male and female, the precise style of clothing in a particular culture is not important.

28. Immodesty • If we take I Timothy 2:9 seriously, we must agree that some clothing is immodest. • Those articles of clothing which are one step away from nudity—such as bikinis, miniskirts, shorts, and halter tops—must be considered immodest. Otherwise, no clothing could be immodest. • Paul warned against immodesty of dress • Women wore robes to the ankle, many women of the time tucked in their tunics above the knee for convenience in certain activities, and the early church fathers considered this immodest. • In Isaiah 47:2-3 God considered baring the leg and uncovering the thigh to be shameful exposure of nakedness.

29. Principle of Modesty • The basic reason for modesty of dress is to subdue the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. • The exposed body tends to arouse improper thoughts in both wearer and onlooker. • To implement the purpose behind modest dress, the body should basically be covered, except for those parts which we must use openly for normal living. • This suggests that clothes should cover the torso and upper limbs.

30. Application of Modesty • Women’s dresses over the knee and sleeves to the elbow. • We should avoid low necklines, sleeveless dresses or shirts, very tight clothes, very thin clothes, and slacks on women because they immodestly reveal the feminine contours of upper leg, thigh, and hip. • Swimming in mixed company is immodest. • Makeup is immodest (primary effect is to highlight sex appeal). • What is the motivation for what you wear??

31. Rings • Rings are undoubtedly a form of jewelry. • Difficult to distinguish a finger ring from an earring, a nose ring, or a bracelet. • The primary motivation for wearing rings seems to be for ornamentation, show, and impressing others. • One possible exception might be wedding rings, particularly simple wedding bands. • Could have a functional use far more significant than any ornamental use, but could serve desire for expensive, showy ornamentation. • Both toleration and caution are necessary in this area.

32. Objections and Arguments • There is no end to the arguments and excuses • Follow principles • Follow love • Follow the unction of the Holy Ghost • Follow wisdom • Keep the word of God intact!

33. Homework – Chapter 7 • list 5 Principles we can employ to apply holiness in our own lives • List 5 detrimental effects of unholy dress

34. Holiness in Early Church History • Clement • Tertullian • Tatian • Commodianus • Cyprian

35. Later Church History • Middle Ages: Waldensians, Humiliati, Hussites, followers of Savonarola. • Reformation (16th century): Anabaptists, Calvinists, Reformed. • 17th century: Puritans, Baptists, Quakers, Pietists. • 18th century: Methodists. • 19th century: Holiness movement. • 20th century: Pentecostals, many fundamentalists.

36. Chapter 8 • Christendom has abandoned many godly standards of dress once held by all churches and society as a whole. • It has departed from holiness of dress as taught by the Bible and historic Christian movements. • One by one, even holiness movements have largely abandoned their position on outward appearance. • Historic Christian leaders would stand aghast at our society’s acceptance

37. Chapter 8 • 5 scriptures per essay • Bible on modesty • Make up • Jewelry