New Sins of the Age

Christian morality seems to be on its way out in American culture. The most obvious dismissal has been for sexual morality. God says that sex outside of marriage won't work. We've decided that His opinion is not of interest on that. But it's not merely sex. While the Bible is clearly against homosexual behavior, society is coming to a state of acceptance. While murdering babies would be sin in Scripture, "a woman's right to choose" is of higher importance to our culture. The Bible urges selflessness while our world urges self-centeredness. And so it goes.

In the vacuum of biblical morality, it seems as if a new morality has begun to fill in the gap. There are things in our world that have become unacceptable while the unacceptable becomes normal. One is the concept of judgment. Every day every person passes judgment. They decide what is right and what is wrong. They decide what is wise and what is foolish. They decide what makes sense and what doesn't. But "Thou shalt not judge" has become the command of the day. Recent studies have indicated that the number one Bible verse known by most people who are not Christians is Matt. 7:1 -- "Judge not, that you be not judged." Yanked pitifully out of context and used horribly to judge people, it is one of the new sins of the age.

Its close sister, "intolerance", is right up there, too. "Intolerance" has a nice, moral feel to it. We see, for instance, the horrors of intolerance in the Holocast. And we all see that as evil. Good! But "intolerance" has shifted its meaning. Tolerance used to be the act of enduring. You could radically disagree with something, but if you allowed it to continue despite your firm disagreement, you were "tolerating" it. Now it means a bit more. Now it means more of a permissive attitude. Nay, merely allowing isn't enough for "tolerance". You must embrace ideas with which you disagree. You must even encourage them. Oddly, this concept only extends to the ideas with which Christians disagree. No one, for instance, is calling for tolerance toward Christian morals, doctrines, or beliefs. Intolerance toward Christian views is considered acceptable, but all other kinds of intolerance fall under the new sins of the age.

There are many new sins of the age. I once told a Christian therapist that my idea of loving my wife was to set my self aside and serve her. "That," she told me, "is wrong. You must first take care of yourself." And there are others. Perhaps the most prevalent new sin of the age is a bit of a surprise. Because it doesn't fall into the moral categories of either Christianity or modern morality, both Christians and non-believers are buying into it without thinking about it. It doesn't violate Scripture. It isn't a point of contention between believers and non-believers. So it is rising in prevalence on all sides in our society to day. What is this new unpardonable sin in America? It is being boring. Dull is unacceptable. Exciting is right. No one wants to associate with the leper who doesn't do sky-diving or bungee jumping or some sort of interesting activity. Even Christianity, if it can be made interesting, gains in acceptability, but Christianity that is not "relevant" or "exciting" is evil ... on both sides. Of course, "exciting" is a purely relative term, so there will be an ongoing problem with this concept. Those ridiculously stodgy churches that find it stunning to simply be in the presence of God without a band, upbeat music, video screens, or performance will always be on the outside of acceptability compared to the new and exciting churches competing for your entertainment attention. Pastors that simply expound the Word will be viewed as less acceptable as pastors who dramatize life lessons. And someone who spends his free time on his knees before God praying and studying the Word will never be as acceptable as someone doing "fun things for God". Because, you see, the new sin of the age is being boring. That will never do.