AVOIDING WEIRDNESS IN CHURCH
If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues,
and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are
out of your minds? (1 Corinthians 14.23)
The Christians at Corinth placed a high value on spirituality that was, or at least appeared to be, supernatural – like the gift of tongues. Whether “speaking in tongues” was the ability to speak a human language you had never learned (as in Acts 2) or merely unintelligible gibberish produced by the Spirit (as many believe today), Paul’s point in 1 Corinthians 12-14 is that a spiritual gift must profit the entire church, not merely be admired for being a demonstration of the presence of the (otherwise pointless) supernatural.
In 1 Corinthians 14.23 the apostle observes that you want your behavior to make sense even to any outsiders present. You don’t want them to think that the congregation is crazy. Paul is not talking about unbelievers being offended by truth, as the next two verses make abundantly clear. He is talking about outsiders thinking the behavior of Christians in their meetings is weird.
When I was still a Catholic, we sometimes watched Ernest Angely, a so-called healer and miracle worker, on TV, merely for his entertainment value. We laughed because he was so weird, as was the behavior of his audience. Angely’s behavior precluded our ever taking his “ministry” seriously.
Perceptions of “weird” differ from place to place and era to era, but I believe the average American today still finds many of the practices of the more emotionally oriented wing of evangelical Christianity to be weird and such churches as places to be avoided. Running wildly around the aisles, falling to the ground, rolling around on the floor, and excessive, uncontrollable emoting are things “normal” people don’t do in a public gathering. American tolerance may grant emoting evangelicals the privilege of doing whatever floats their boats – to each his own and all that -- but it also reserves the right to steer clear of your weirdness and whatever it may be promoting.
The minute we brought drums and guitars into church twenty years ago I had traditionalists in my ear insisting that I was encouraging behavior that would make outsiders think we are crazy. I think they have been proven wrong, and I’d like to keep steering on our present course, always seeking balance.
American individualism may say you shouldn’t ever care what other people think, and there surely is a time to not be concerned with the opinions of others. But, as Paul makes clear in 1 Corinthians 14.23, there is also a time to consider the perception of others – even the perceptions of unbelievers – and adjust one’s behavior accordingly. Wisdom is the ability to discern when to do which.
and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are
out of your minds? (1 Corinthians 14.23)
The Christians at Corinth placed a high value on spirituality that was, or at least appeared to be, supernatural – like the gift of tongues. Whether “speaking in tongues” was the ability to speak a human language you had never learned (as in Acts 2) or merely unintelligible gibberish produced by the Spirit (as many believe today), Paul’s point in 1 Corinthians 12-14 is that a spiritual gift must profit the entire church, not merely be admired for being a demonstration of the presence of the (otherwise pointless) supernatural.
In 1 Corinthians 14.23 the apostle observes that you want your behavior to make sense even to any outsiders present. You don’t want them to think that the congregation is crazy. Paul is not talking about unbelievers being offended by truth, as the next two verses make abundantly clear. He is talking about outsiders thinking the behavior of Christians in their meetings is weird.
When I was still a Catholic, we sometimes watched Ernest Angely, a so-called healer and miracle worker, on TV, merely for his entertainment value. We laughed because he was so weird, as was the behavior of his audience. Angely’s behavior precluded our ever taking his “ministry” seriously.
Perceptions of “weird” differ from place to place and era to era, but I believe the average American today still finds many of the practices of the more emotionally oriented wing of evangelical Christianity to be weird and such churches as places to be avoided. Running wildly around the aisles, falling to the ground, rolling around on the floor, and excessive, uncontrollable emoting are things “normal” people don’t do in a public gathering. American tolerance may grant emoting evangelicals the privilege of doing whatever floats their boats – to each his own and all that -- but it also reserves the right to steer clear of your weirdness and whatever it may be promoting.
The minute we brought drums and guitars into church twenty years ago I had traditionalists in my ear insisting that I was encouraging behavior that would make outsiders think we are crazy. I think they have been proven wrong, and I’d like to keep steering on our present course, always seeking balance.
American individualism may say you shouldn’t ever care what other people think, and there surely is a time to not be concerned with the opinions of others. But, as Paul makes clear in 1 Corinthians 14.23, there is also a time to consider the perception of others – even the perceptions of unbelievers – and adjust one’s behavior accordingly. Wisdom is the ability to discern when to do which.