Bob and Bill


	Bob and Bill

What Rules do you Follow??

Deciding upon guidelines of behaviour and practice is essential for living as a Christian in an immoral world. However, it is also an area where legalism can be allowed to freely breed and reproduce its corruption. In this article, Bob and Bill discuss their opposing views concerning several of these rules which divide Christians in behaviour today.

Before we start the discussion however, it would be helpful to suggest a few principles to assist us in our discernment- for more info, read through Rom 14, 1 Cor 8 and 1 Cor 10 carefully.

1) Is the behaviour condemned by the scriptures? Are the scriptures being interpreted consistently and normally in their use to condemn the behaviour?

2) Will other Christians be led astray by seeing others engaging in the practice?

3) Will non-Christians question the morality of your behaviour?

4) Will it cause edification (Christian encouragement) or the opposite?

5) Is your conscience clear about the behaviour? (Rom 14:23)

6) Is the practice doubtful merely because others have discouraged it for many years, or because there is a substantial reason for not engaging in it?

Now to hear from Bob and Bill. As usual, we do not aim to favour Bob or Bill; rather, we aim to present two extreme views which different Christians hold today, and encourage you to do the hard work and discern for yourself the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Issue	Bob thinks …	Bill thinks …
Going to movies	Going to the movies is not for Christians. Many movies promote bad language and immoral behaviour.	Movies can be really good. They allow you to understand the culture we live in, give good entertainment, and is no different from watching a television.
Wearing cosmetics	1 Tim 2:9 and 1 Pet 3:4 warn women about the danger of wearing cosmetics. It draws attention to themselves.	Makeup is no different to other parts of our dress. All the Bible says is that our focus should be on the heart, not our outward appearance.
Going to the beach	Going to the beach is wrong. Besides the time wasted in such laziness, the modesty level of swimmers these days is not acceptable.	Swimming at the beach is just part of enjoying creation. Just because others are immodest does not mean we have to be.
Personal quiet times should be held every morning	Quiet times must be held regularly, mornings are always best and ½ an hour should be a minimum. If it is missed, it should be made up at the first opportunity	Frequent quiet times are too impractical for the modern Christian; read a short devotional when you can, and rely on your next sermon at church.
Listening to modern rock music	Rock music is worldly, it has an evil origin and produces unhealthy results in Christians.	Rock music is just a different type of music; it is not the music, but the lyrics which we need to pay attention to
Watching R-rated videos	R-rated videos explicitly promote and celebrate sexual immorality and violence. These things are condemned by scriptures – eg Eph 5:3-4	R-rated videos are okay because they are just part of the modern world of entertainment.
Owning a television	Christians should not own televisions because TVs bring worldly doctrines into the home, promote immorality and sinful behaviour and waste time.	TVs are owned by most Christians because they help us keep up to date with current events, and when used with discernment, can be enjoyable and helpful.
Issue	Bob thinks …	Bill thinks …
Drinking alcohol socially	Christians should not drink alcohol because this may lead to drunkeness, stumble other Christians, and lead to a bad testimony in the world.	There is nothing wrong with drinking alcohol because the Bible only forbids drunkenness, not alcohol, and in many cultures it is essential to partake in to be accepted.
Dancing	Dancing is wrong because it can lead to immorality and is worldly in origin.	Most dancing is harmless and is just a way of enjoying music together
Having short /long hair	The Bible teaches that men should have short hair and women should have long hair. (1 Cor 11:14-15)	The Bible never says how long, besides, that was just the culture of the 1^st century.

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 1 Cor 10:23

Who are you to judge another man's servant? To his own master he stands or falls…. Let each be fully persuaded in his own mind.. Rom 14:4,5


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