Violence: White on White, Black on Black, Brown on Brown

Sociologists have done numerous studies indicating that racial groups tend to have more vicious violence among themselves than they do with other races. Pulpits, during the Liberal/Fundamentalists Controversies, became the primary place to defend and explain not only why a given church was Presbyterian or Baptist, but why it was a particular kind of Presbyterian or Baptist church. The most intense theological fights were not between Presbyterians and Baptists but rather they were between Presbyterians and other Presbyterians, or Baptists and other Baptists, etc. In fighting among Pentecostals was not a pretty sight during the hey day of “establishing our theological turf” battles.

While preachers and teachers passionately communicated the veracity of their position on the pre, mid or post tribulation rapture of the church; the vast majority of the lay people believed in a pan-tribulation. They simply believed that in the end the rapture of the church would pan out! Of course the battles over the timing of the rapture of the church or the meaning of the Lord’s Table pale when compared to the fights over the role of Holy Spirit in the believer’s life, or the Role of Women in the Church!

Christians Separated From Each Other and Isolated Themselves From Society

The United States Congress declared America’s frontier closed in 1890. At the time of the Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925 the American psyche was still being shaped by the social dynamics of the small frontier town. In frontier towns there were two primary centers of social life, the saloon and the church.

The main activities in the saloons were drinking, playing cards, dancing, listening to secular music, swearing and prostitution, (kind of like modern Family Hour on American television). Unacceptable behavior for Christians became a case of “guilt by association.” If there were prostitutes in saloons, anything going on in saloons must be immoral. Since people played cards in the saloons, playing cards must be evil. That’s how playing a game of Old Maid got to be a sin!

Saloons were also the places where the immoral ladies wore make up. So of course wearing lip stick had to be a sin. Guilt by association became the norm among those attending conservative churches. The behavioral guidelines became, “if they do it in the saloon, it was wrong for a Christian to do it anywhere.” The longer the list of my church’s “no nos,” the more isolated I became. Isolated from the very people we want to reach with the Gospel message. We would do well with a reminder of John 17:15, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." I am concerned that we are no longer in the world, but we are not in the world but totally of it.