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The June 6 "Sole searching" article not only jogged some of my teenage churchgoing memories, but the picture showing the grape stompers propped up on a church pew reminded me of one of Paul's exhortations for Timothy to instruct female members of the assembly at Ephesus to adorn themselves in modest apparel, be they in church or the local store.
The article contains a number of interesting quotes. Ms. Cathy Shaw of Lanier Hills Church stated, "I don't think that clothes and attire make where your heart is." In my opinion , if these are prevailing trends in the contemporary church, any type of clothing-optional policy should work just as well.
Regardless, in teen church years, preachers who badmouthed people based upon attire rather than sin and shortcomings were lambasted as "clothesline preachers." Apparently these reverends traveled about the community during the week for the sole purpose of looking for laundry hanging out to dry. Based upon these observations, they formulated their Sunday morning sermons accordingly.
Thank God for our modern dryers. Imagine, if you can, the content of a Sunday morning sermon based upon the likes of wonder bras, short shorts and thongs.
However, all is not lost. Contemporary preachers still develop sermons based upon the old clothesline mentality. Instead of driving through the community collecting data, they simply recline in front of their TVs and imbibe information presented in news programs. Come Sunday morning, these right reverends manipulate scripture in such a way as to serve their own distorted concept of righteousness.
From the indications, the most frequent sermon topics gleaned from the evening news are abortion, homosexuality, same-sex marriage and prosperity, or the lack thereof. Neither of these subjects should be of concern to a member of the body of Christ.
Each member of the body of Christ has the God-given ability to determine if a sermon coming from a church or TV studio pulpit is from God. Even babes in Christ are able to perceive if a sermon is based upon scripture or the evening news. Be ever mindful that it is one thing to recognize error coming from a pulpit and quite another to respond to the error.
Years ago, the story goes, one of two brothers was converted during a tent revival meeting. The following Sunday, he went to a local church. When he returned home, he commented to brother that he was not going back to that church because the preacher didn't preach the Bible. His brother ridiculed him, saying, "You don't know anything about the Bible, so how do you know he's not preaching the Bible?" The new babe in Christ replies, "I don't know how to play a fiddle either, but I sure as heck can tell if someone else knows how."
No shame in not knowing how to play a fiddle. However, shame on members of the body of Christ who allow themselves to be duped by some charlatan regurgitating news about the evils of society.
Solution: Stay at home Sunday morning and spend an hour or so with your family reading scripture. Attend to your God-given responsibility for the spiritual welfare of your own family.
William P. Clark
Flowery Branch
Questions for court nominee
There is no use to criticize Judge Sonia Sotomayor for telling the truth. She hints that a person's upbringing will influence their vote. Which is correct.
Here are my questions to Judge Sotomayor:
Will your Catholic faith prevent you from letting females be the masters of their bodies through birth control and first-trimester abortion?
Will your Catholic faith prevent you from approving stem-cell research and animal and human cloning?
Does your Catholic faith prompt you to believe in heaven, hell, souls and other religious concepts?
Do you think so called psychics can know the future, communicate with the dead, etc.?
Have you ever seen a UFO and do you think beings from other planets are already here on our planet?
Jimmy David Haynie
Gainesville