I, like Timman, get ”distracted” (for lack of a better word) from posting to my blog by my daily stroll through others’ blogs. Sometimes everyone is writing about similar topics, but usually I just end up with a long list of blog topics and no time left to write. See Why I Shouldn’t Read Other Blogs. Timman did a good job of describing what we all go through, I think.
Today, I read a great article on The First British Lutheran Blog Ever. See ”The Silver Ring Thing and the Attack of the Drones” or read below. It really got me interested and I’ve commented on it. First, read the article:
The Silver Ring Thing and the Attack of the Drones
For a while now, the BBC has been broadcasting reports such as this, this and this (video). My initial reaction was, “Why the heck are they bringing in people from a very different religious culture who will not understand secular British culture to teach a message of abstinence? Maybe some of them are seeing it as a great short-term missions/tourism trip. Not only has their approach got the problem of appearing to be religious freaks trying to subvert and indoctrinate young people into their very American legalistic religion, but it is easily picked apart by critics for sending out mixed messages. And the critics are right.Look guys… what do you want to do? Do you want to proclaim a secular message of abstinence, or do you want to spread the gospel. If it’s the former, then do it, but you’re gonna have to understand the British youth mindset. (Our schools generally don’t teach young people to think for themselves, and unfortunately, neither do many parents. They’re drones with a few academic certificates. Critical, individual, and independent thought is not widely encouraged. It is simply taken as a given that young people are going to have sex, since they can’t help but go along with what their peers are doing. It would be unrealistic to expect any young person to do otherwise, of course. Trying to make The Silver Ring Thing look “cool” simply looks ridiculous to most people, and at best simply swaps one hardly-thought-out view for another). If it’s the latter of the two, then you cannot do it using pledges of purity to bring about saving faith, since “the law kills but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor 3:6). You can only win people to Pharisaism with the Law. If your religion is entirely introspective and focussed on personal obedience, than say, the work of the Saviour, then as soon as your converts start finding out exactly what your Scriptures teach about purity, they’ll either decide that they’ve already ruined it and so going a little farther won’t do much more harm, or they’ll simply try harder and harder but still finding themselves lacking total purity, and despair. For example, how could a girl who has compromised, whether in thought or deed, ever be pure enough on her wedding day to wear that white dress she had always dreamed of?I think the answer might have something to do with this:Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.(Ephesians 5)Christian sexual abstinence cannot have it’s raison d’etre in a silver ring. The ultimate reason a Christian has for even bothering to pursue any kind of purity, is not only in commitment to one’s future spouse, but because Christ has already given him/her His very own purity and righteousness in his/her baptism. Attempts at purity, sexual or otherwise, are merely attempts at realizing reality, but are nevertheless going to be ridden with falls, so long as one carries one’s sinful flesh around. Even those who are technically virgins, such as myself, have suffered compromise and failings. So do I look to my own righteousness and purity? No. That would only end in despair. Instead, I know that despite what I’ve done, in my baptism, I am clothed with Christ (Gal. 3:27), made a son of God and heir of the Kingdom (John 3:3-7), having had my sins washed away in those waters of baptism(Acts 22:16), and by virtue of what God has done for me there, the purity I wear is whiter than snow (Ps 51:7). Forgiveness for past faults and pursuit of purity between husband and wife must have this as its basis, rather than human oaths which are broken far too easily, because the basis of marriage is Christ’s redemption of the Church.
# posted by Chris Williams @ 10:36 PM
I especially connected with the concept that “…they’ll either decide that they’ve already ruined it and so going a little farther won’t do much more harm, or they’ll simply try harder and harder but still finding themselves lacking total purity, and despair.” During my hand-clapping and seeking-emotional- fulfillment phase in evangelical churches, I observed the offspring of many evangelical families whose teens just totally abandoned their parents’ “faith” because they had that same sense that they could never be perfect, so why try.
I’ve found a better answer to buying my teens a silver ring in my confessional lutheran church. My pastor recently advised me in a moment of low morale in parenting, “Your first and primary responsibility is wrapped upwith the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20. Before we give our children anything else, it’s bringing them to the Means of Grace, the Gospel in Word and Sacrament, and the working of the Holy Spirit. The very best thing I ever did for my 5 children was bring them to the waters of Baptism. Honestly, I could give them the best of the whole world, but everything, everything pales in comparison to bringing them to Jesus and Jesus to them. “What does a man gain if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul…” Jesus says (Mt 16:26).” By the time I do all these things, I don’t have time or money left for a silver ring (tuition to lutheran school, confirmation expenses, bible, creating home altar/family devotions, just spending time talking to my kids, getting my family to church each week, supporting church and pastors through prayers and offerings, family meal time, staying connected with each other, etc.) Nope, no time or money left for a silver ring! 
My kids need christian faith education, not an abstinence program. Abstinence is great, but I think faith gives you the reason to be abstinent. The faith program covers much more, I think.
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