Monday, July 16

Glad I'm A Christian

because otherwise

How would I spend my life?



What would I do with others?



And what would I teach my kids?



UPDATE: We have no ACTUAL proof that these people are not fully devoted Christ followers. Thank-you, Mr. Birchwood.

5 comments:

Brett said...

At least they are not obsessed with statistics:

http://plunkbiggio.blogspot.com/

David Jennings said...

I'm not sure that this post is entirely fair to its video victims, Westy, and here's why...
1) If they were playing a drinking game, sure - go nuts. As is it's only an apparently harmless hobby.
2) Is there a proven connection between professions of Christian faith and denouncements of hobby activity? (All too often I think -warcraft- not.)
3) Who's to say these people aren't Christians and that they wouldn't be hurt by your assumption that they aren't?
Just encouraging your sensitivities...
dj

Matthew Westerholm said...

fair enough, andrew birchwood. Could I push back a little?

I think hobbies are fine. I think leisure is good. However, there has to be some parameters on it.

Are we agreeing that stacking cups has no social value? I'm guess yes.

How much time did Mr. Ponytail spend practicing to stack 12 cups in under 1.5 seconds? Would you consider that obeying Ephesians 5:15-16: "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."

Or Hebrews 12: 1 "...let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us"

I especially like the Hebrews passage since it makes a distinction between sin and weight. A hobby isn't sin. But spending TONS OF TIME on it is a WEIGHT that Scripture also warns us against.

Help me, Andrew Birchwood. Show me some error in my thinking. Encourage my sensativities. Quick. Before I level up my Druid Warrior.

David Jennings said...

Westy,
I'm not disagreeing with any of that.
I am, however, saying that it might not be entirely fair to dismiss other people ("Mr. Ponytail," for instance) as unchristian soley on the basis of their involvement in "weighty" activities. Think of the implication in doing so! How many other folks (a fair number of friends included) would you then also need to begin viewing as less-than-Christian? I guess that if this post had more of a questioning tone than a semi-damning tone, I don't think I'd have a problem with it at all.
My homeboy Clive says it best, so I'll end with a smattering of his words.

"It is not for us to say who, in the deepest sense, is or is not close to the spirit of Christ. We do not see into men's hearts. We cannot judge, and are indeed forbidden to judge. It would be wicked arrogance for us to say that any man is, or is not, a Christian in this refined sense..."

Matthew Westerholm said...

Interesting. I hereby qualify my post and say that someone could be a Christian and stack cups. I, however, would hate to be a member of the church where "Mr. Ponytail" was an elder.

Just to continue the conversation along, what would be some guidelines you'd suggest for biblical, Christ-honoring leisure? And I don't mind if my World of Warcraft friends read this and feel convicted.

Also, not one to disagree with Jack, but what did Jesus mean when He said "Thus you will recognize them by their fruits." Jesus is talking about deciding which people should have a formative influence on your life. Lewis has to be wrong in this sense, correct? Is Christ forbidding fruit inspection?