Tradition vs. Culture

The issue of women wearing a dress or skirt to worship is actually a tradition vs. culture decision.
Some hold to the man dressing like a man and a woman dressing like a woman.
Some think modesty is on one side, some the other.
Some think casual dress is OK. but where do you draw the line with casual? How casual is too casual?
IMO, women that wear a skirt to worship do so on a spiritual basis (no, they are not more spiritual than others) - for reasons that have to do with reverence. Worship in a skirt is the only way to dress to make a difference between the school, the place of business, the ball game, the concert or the yard. It is a matter of reverence for a godly woman to worship in a skirt.
The choice is actually culture vs. tradition. Which is more reverent - tradition or culture?
While each will ultimately decide for themselves, I would rather follow a reverent tradition than in irreverent culture.

Others Like Me?

When Elijah felt sorry for himself, He felt as if he was the only one standing true for the Lord. I do not feel that way, but I rejoice at God's answer concerning thousands of others who were standing like Elisha. I wonder if there are others like our church? If you have these same convictions, please let me know.

1. KJV
2. Associate in ABA for missions support, literature and for benevolence offerings
3. Separation from false worship (don't sing or preach for them in worship or revival, don't invite them to do those things at our church)
4. Tithes and offerings
5. Women wear dresses (skirts) to worship
6. Use only ABA literature (including youth)
7. No fund raisers

New Worship

The old, traditional worship structure thrived for centuries due to it being grounded in a biblical and spiritual perspective. New worship ideas seek to replace a spiritual and biblical perspective in worship with a culture based worship. I heard a seminary instructor say God is not about culture. If churches and preachers turn to new worship based on culture, where does that leave spirituality and a biblical perspective? The aggressive methods of new worship in replacing the old, traditional worship structure actually throws the baby out with the bath water. God has blessed worship from a spiritual and biblical perspective with souls saved, churches strengthened and believers maturing to fruitbearing. Why would anyone think there is value in the culture, emotion, easy believism, singalongs (follow the bouncing ball?) and unstructured service(anything goes) of new worship. Have you ever heard the old motto, "If it ain't broke, it don't need fixin' "? If we throw out the KJV Bible, pews, hymns, songbooks, pianoes, organs, pulpits, sermons, and the gospel, what is left but the chaff? Is new worship good or right because it is new? Neither is everything in old, traditional worship good because it is old. Everything in worship should be from a spiritual and biblical perspective. We need to take a step back and look what direction we are heading!

Church Steeples

Quoting from Old Landmarkism: What Is it? by J. R. Graves, pp. 116-117, "And if they be invited to the funeral of any pedobaptist [infant baptizer], they will go to the house and accompany the corpse with the rest of the people to the door; but there they retreat--they call it the Steeple House....They did not visit their Steeple Houses, because they did not believe God was worshipped in them, but His holy name and service profaned by the priests, by their senseless and popish forms and ceremonies; for Christ had said, 'In vain do they worship me who teach for doctrines the commandments of men.' Baptists of that day thought they would be regarded as countenancing, in some sense, the priests of the church of England should they attend their administrations. And if we will only consider the influence of acts closely, we shall be forced to conclude that they acted consistently."
1. This was a day in 1587 when true Baptists separated themselves from false worship
2. True Baptists at that time did not have steeples on their houses of worship
3. They were Landmarkers in the sense they considered carefully the results of their actions before doing anything that would give others the idea they approved of false religion in any way
4. Landmarkers today should practice consistently - it is not enough to preach the truth and then practice like a Protestant congregation.

ABA Meeting

How many of my fellow bloggers are going to the ABA meeting in Springfield, MO? Hope to see you there.

Fellowship With Southern Baptists

When God's people in ABA attend revivals at SBC churches, etc., they bid them god-speed. They sanction their beliefs, practices and encourage them in what they are doing. Every landmarker should thoughtfully and prayerfully consider the need for separation. Those who fellowship with SBC churches uphold their errors and are partakers of their sins. Such participation approves open communion, private communion, alien immersion, clinic baptism, and pulpit affiliation. Such participation endorses women preachers, interpretative dance in worship, different worship behavior (clapping, stomping, etc.), the convention system that lords it over local churches and the use of new (corrupt) Bible versions. Fellowship with SBC does not make them more like us (ABA), it makes us more like them. God forbid.

Moral Relativism

Moral Relativism Sweeps Away Unsuspecting

Moral Relativism Sweeps Away Unsuspecting

Moral relativism is the idea that truth may be interpreted according to one’s feelings. Since my opinions and feelings are different than yours, what I decide is right for me may not be right for you. Each person’s feelings concerning what is right or wrong are equally acceptable and replace biblical principles that make a division between right and wrong. At this point, moral relativism replaces truth in practice. Moral relativism sweeps away unsuspecting pastors in the following areas: 1) In forsaking context for word definition, correct interpretation is abandoned. When we interpret Scripture based on alternate word definitions, we get a wrong interpretation. Even with the right definition, everything must be put into context. 2) Truth is interpreted according to one own feelings. 3) Right or wrong in practice is determined on personalities (how the issue affects my family or friends). When we abandon absolute truth, fellowship in a scriptural association becomes shifting sands as we move from issue to issue. Several current issues are a) what is appropriate in worship behavior, b) what kind of music in worship, c) what Bible translation to use d) what missionaries, pastors and deacons qualifications are important e) what youth program to use and f) what literature to use. When there is no absolute truth, the Bible no longer means what it once did to many. Those who should be standing for truth based on studied out biblical principles concerning what is truth and what should I practice are flying by the seat of their pants from circumstance to circumstance. Correct interpretation may be explained away. A scriptural association may unravel or splinter into several issue groups.
Consider the following parody. “In these days, there is no absolute truth in the association, and every preacher interprets the Bible according to what seems right in his own eyes.” Such a sad state of affairs may be termed moral relativism. This influence results in preachers being unwilling to take the tough stands for truth. Such a viewpoint results in a pastor’s ministry bouncing all over like a pinball from issue to issue, feeling to feeling and personality to personality. While unsuspecting preachers are jumping from one side of one issue to the other side of another issue, the Lord’s work suffers,
extrabiblical ideas filter in and the commitment to practice the truth sneaks away. Good men still preach truth, but practice moral relativism.
God’s unchanging truth is not an option to be considered, it is the absolute gold standard. The days of moral relativism prophesied in the Bible have arrived. 2 Timothy 4:3, 4 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” When anyone rejects taking a stand for biblical principles of truth for whatever reason, he practices moral relativism.