Our newspaper carries the "Miss Manners" column, in which Judith Martin offers counsel on mannerly behavior. When someone questioned the need for training children in the rules of etiquette, Miss Manners observed that civilization is always only one generation away from extinction. If civilized behavior is not actively taught and valued, it will disappear.

The same might be said for Christian behavior. If we neglect to teach the implications of following Jesus in our day-to-day living, should we be surprised if the next generation abandons them?

One Generation. Make no mistake about it. The Seventh-day Adventist church is just one generation away from abandoning the lifestyle to which God has called us.

And today, it seems, the process is already well underway. Perhaps only half a generation separates us from the time in which our lives will be almost indistinguishable from those of people who have never felt the "civilizing" influence of the Holy Spirit. In some areas it is possible to go "church shopping" for the Adventist congregation that fits one's lifestyle preference. And some members are actively calling for us to change our standards, get with the times, come out of the Victorian era, and not be so "picky" about lifestyle matters.

"It's legalism," they say. "The gospel is not about movies, jewelry and such, but about love, compassion, and forgiveness. These are the important things".

Those are the important things, more important than the other concerns. But Jesus' rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees is instructive here: "You tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others" (Luke 11:42). Matthew quotes Jesus as referring to the "weightier matters of the law" (Matt 23:23). Rather than draw the contrast, "Do this and forget the other," Jesus gave important place to both: "These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others".

We must never forget the "weightier matters of the law". If our religion consists mainly of policing one another's lifestyle while we neglect justice, mercy, faith, and the love of God, we shall be cold and sterile, a poor advertisement for the Lord we profess to love. Yet if we profess to love Him but do not follow in His steps, is not our profession just as empty? Jesus put it this way: "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?" (Luke 6:46).

Lordship Revealed

In the last analysis, our behavior reveals who is our Lord. What is our behavior saying? Whose lordship do our stereos proclaim? To whose lordship does our choice of television programs attest? Whose lordship do we acknowledge when we use the money God has given us strength to earn to pay the entry fee under the theater marquee? Whose lordship is lifted up by what we play on the VCR? Can we Christians legitimately entertain ourselves with portrayals of the sins that took our Lord to the cross?

Whose lordship will people recognize in the type of clothing we choose, and in whether we decorate ourselves with "baubles, bangles, and bright shiny beads"? Whose lordship do we herald in our choice of what we drink, or of what we eat?

The things we choose to do, wear, see, hear, eat, drink, and say will influence and finally reflect our choice of Lord. So how we live matters to our eternal salvation, and to the salvation of others who are affected by our witness. This is precisely where Scripture directs when it calls us to "lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called" (Eph 4:1).

Case In Point

The point came home to me recently when I read that a student leader in one of our North American colleges had been caught stealing videotape movies from the local video and electronics store. He has subsequently resigned his position and been suspended from school, and he still has the legal implications to face. The young man appears to be dealing with the consequences of his action in a responsible manner. The student newspaper reported his apology and reflections. He is evidently not just remorseful, but repentant. He does not need our condemnation, nor will he get it. We are grateful for a Lord who lifts us up when we fall.

But his experience should raise some questions for all of us. Why did it happen? The young man himself does not seem to know. Apparently what he did was unplanned, impulsive. After renting two tapes, he picked up two others for sale at the register and walked out with all four. "Even as I was walking out of the store, I thought, 'This is something I shouldn't be doing," he is quoted as saying.

I too don't know why he stole them. But I believe there are dangers confronting the consumers of movies and videos which none of us should ignore.

Serious "Triviality"

The article that reported the theft names the movies he selected. They are standard theater fare, R rated, featuring ample doses of violence, and immorality. If we feed the mind on such a diet, in which the law of man, to say nothing of the law of God, is repeatedly violated by the featured characters, lawbreaking can begin to look easy, smart, and trivial. The effect on the mind need not be conscious to be devastating. In fact, it is the more dangerous the less the viewer is aware of it.

There is also the numbing effect of addiction. The mind comes to crave the emotional stimulus of vivid portrayals. Can we carry scenes of violence, lust, and lawbreaking in our minds and not have our moral senses burned?

Witness Affected

And what becomes of our witness? A friend who lives near the college in question tells of talking with the owner of the video store, who expressed surprise that students from a Christian college would be looking at such videos. Even if no one knows what we look at, the stories we watch can still undermine our witness. In the 1970s, Insight editor Mike Jones offered a free gift to any regular movie goer who could rightly claim to have brought even one person to the Lord and church membership in the previous year. Apparently no one qualified.

Yet few seem to be talking about these things today. At another college I know of, on a designated night each week, dorm students need only indicate "Movies" on the sign-out sheet to qualify not only for approval but also for an automatic extension of the time to be back! We cannot make people's choices for them, yet we need not sanction, or even wink at, practices that erode the very faith we ought to be encouraging.

In This Issue

The starting point for the discussion of Christian behavior is not, "What's wrong with ...?" but rather, "What does God want me to be?". Thus Dr. Hasel's article on holiness provides a keynote for our issue. Many people want to be saved, but not many want to be holy. Yet the Bible urges us to "strive... for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord" (Heb 12:14). So it is time we looked at holiness and its implications.

Two of our authors examine the visual entertainment media. John Glass, a pastor from Ogden, Utah, is preparing his doctoral project on the influence of television and so is well qualified to speak on this subject. Mark Finley has just returned from a term of service as ministerial director for the Trans-European Division. He is well known for reviving public evangelism in Europe as well as for founding the North American Division Evangelism Institute (NADEI) in suburban Chicago for training ministers and laity in evangelism. Elder Finley speaks from wide soul-winning experience and a deep concern over the effects of movies and television on the mind and spirit.

Dr. Paul Hamel addresses the audio medium, music, from a lifelong interest. At the time of his retirement, he was chairman of the music department at Andrews University. He has written two books, The Christian and His Music and Ellen G. White and Music. Louis and Carol Torres, like Dr. Hamel, also have special qualifications to speak about music. Louis before his conversion was bass soloist in Haley's Comets, and Carol was for a time first violinist in the Long Island Symphony. On the basis of experience and research they discuss for us the effects of music on body, soul, and spirit. We hope many readers will write to them for their pamphlet, "Notes on Music".

Rosalie Lee is no stranger to these pages or to Seventh-day Adventist readers. She has written several Sabbath School quarterlies, including the one for the first quarter of 1991, and their accompanying books. She has also had a large number of articles published in denominational periodicals. As perhaps North America's premier Bible Instructor, she has a special interest in the work of soul winning. Her broad experience in presenting lifestyle matters shows up clearly in her article for this issue, a gracious presentation regarding adornment.

Jan Doward brings us a sobering message on a broader theme: What becomes of our religion, if we adopt whatever is going on in the culture around us?. The question brings us to the "flip-side" of holiness. Elder Doward has authored nearly a dozen books, including several devotional works and a Pathfinder manual. Among the positions he has filled, he has served for ten years in the General Conference youth department.

Dr. Mercedes Dyer, a member of our editorial board and former chairman of the education department at Andrews University, wraps up this cluster of articles with a challenge to be spiritually whole, not fragmented, to let our lifestyle reflect the commitment we have made to the Lord Jesus.

We always appreciate the letters that come to us, even when they take issue with something we have published. Many times they broaden our perspective, as is the case with a letter from Inelda Hefferlin regarding our article last time, "Where Have All the Mothers Gone?". We asked her permission to publish her letter as an article. It poses thought-provoking questions regarding our church's stance toward the family.

We pray that this issue will be a blessing to you. We long to see all ADVENTISTS—in this generation and in any other that may have to intervene before the Lord comes—AFFIRM the holy living to which Jesus has called us, and which only He can produce in us.