A lot of cultural traditions attach themselves to Christian holidays ... and there are cultural holidays and traditions unconnected to Christian themes also. That's true not only in the United States but in other countries as well.
This week's Electric Gospel thought comes from a friend of mine from Antigua, Joyce Christmas, who talks about one of the cultural traditions in her country -- and the freedom Christians have to participate in cultural events in a wholesome way. We need not turn away from all things within our culture that are not themselves a part of the Christian tradition. We have freedom to enjoy life in our communities and display our "good behavior in Christ" for all to see (1 Peter 3:16).
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Christian
Freedom
by
Joycelyn Christmas
Every year in Antigua and Barbuda, the
country celebrates a cultural event called Carnival. The historical idea behind
this event is celebration of the abolition of slavery in the 1800s. It is said
that upon emancipation, freed slaves took to the streets with pans and drums and
celebrated by beating them and dancing freely and wildly. Nowadays, many
islanders have come to the conclusion that Carnival has lost its true meaning
and people use this time as an excuse to party and get drunk. Based on the
society in Antigua, Christians are told not to go to Carnival celebrations. Some view participating in the steel pan music
competition or Calypso competition as excessive revelling. They think that the
Bible has an unwritten law which forbids people from dancing to cultural music
or playing the steel pan to secular music. These people think that Carnival
celebrations do not honour God and therefore are sinful.
How can people with this mindset say this
is God’s word? The Bible does not say that
a person must refrain from cultural celebrations. It is similar to the fact
that the Bible does not tell us what we should eat. Instead, what the Bible
informs us, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the
glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). There are areas of our life where God has not
given a command to do something; neither has he given a command that forbids us.
Such areas are known as adiaphora. We are to exercise Christian freedom in our
daily lives. People who do not understand the idea of adiaphora do not
understand why we can go to watch the Carnival parade of people dressed up in
colourful costumes dancing in rhythm to sweet soca music.
Essentially, the reason why we are able
to participate in the celebration of our rich culture-- namely, Carnival--is as a
result of the ultimate freedom we have in Christ. Christ’s death on the cross
did not only free us from the bondage of sin, death and the devil but it also freed
us from the old covenant. As a matter of fact we were not even bound by the Old
Testament cultural laws because they were intended for a different audience, namely the
chosen nation of Israel. Christ came to
fulfil the law in our place (Matthew 5: 17). Obedience to laws or rules does not make us
righteous. Those who rely on a legalistic system by obeying laws or rules to
win God’s favour are in for a rude awakening.
The true law of God reminds us that we can never meet God’s demands.
This does not imply that we are to disregard God’s will and do as we please.
What it means is when we practice our Christian freedom we are to remember our
justification and sanctification. A sanctified life will make decisions which
bring glory to God.
In exercising our Christian freedom, we
are to be open-minded in thinking about our neighbours and how our actions will
affect them. We consider new converts and how weak their faith might be, so we
proceed with care that we do not cause them to stumble in their faith. At the same
time we explain the concept of Christian freedom to those who are ignorant of
it. The purpose of this knowledge will give insights into God’s Word and steer
people from making laws where there are none.
A Christian can participate in Carnival
without going against God’s will. One might question such a statement as
Carnival is often associated with revelry. Arguably, that is true for some
people; but it is not so much as where you go but how you act or the manner in
which you conduct yourself. How is a
person bringing dishonour to God by going to listen to steel pan music or by
being part of a steel pan group which plays cultural songs? When did God say
that persons cannot celebrate their heritage? The situation is different if a
person goes to Carnival and gets caught up in the drinking so much that they
become consumed with alcohol. Although the Bible does not forbid drinking of
alcohol we are reminded by Paul that we should not want to be “mastered by
anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12). Excessive drinking leads to intoxication.
In matters of adiaphora, it also is the case
that we think not only of ourselves but of those around us: “‘I have the right
to do anything,’ you say – but not everything is beneficial” (1 Corinthians
6:12). We are considerate of our brothers
and sisters in Christ because we do not want to create a stumbling block for
them. So we limit the amount of alcohol
consumed during festive activities and in that way honour Christ, who said, “Let
your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify
your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Basically, you can have a good time with some
clean fun without bringing disgrace to God’s name. Indeed, you may well be shedding light on the
way one truly lives in Christ and celebrates a cultural event in a proper way.
God help us to share the knowledge of
the freedom we have in Christ—even freedom in our daily life activities—so that
the society we live in can understand rather than make judgments about us.
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