My Source:
\n THE REMINDER
\n October 3, 1999<\/p>\n
Author: Roger D. Campbell<\/p>\n
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MAYBERRY MORALITY
\nby Roger D. Campbell
\nganroger@juno.com<\/p>\n
This is the title of an article that I recently read in a periodical. The article was written over a year ago, but the practices mentioned in it continue until the present hour, even in the state of Tennessee. There are some relevant matters in this article that deserve our attention.<\/p>\n
In June 1998 a congregation of the Lord’s church in Huntsville, Alabama \u201cbegan a weekly Bible study based on episodes of The Andy Griffith Show.\u201d A recent article in the Cleveland (TN) Daily Banner (9-1-99) indicated that a denominational \u201cministry\u201d called \u201cHeart of Atlanta Network\u201d has also started using \u201cThe Gospel according to ‘The Andy Griffith Show’\u201c approach. In addition, the newspaper article said some 50 \u201cchurch congregations\u201d have contacted the Huntsville, AL church about using this form of \u201cstudy.\u201d The original article that our brethren published last year about the church in Huntsville reported that the class \u201cbegins each week by watching a 20-minute episode of the classic sitcom.\u201d Then, the class discusses moral issues, based on the TV show they watched. At one point the article’s author spoke of the actions of sheriff Andy Taylor in one of the episodes and made this observation: \u201cThis is a Christian example, admit it.\u201d<\/p>\n
First of all, though some of the characters in this often hilarious TV series may at times have acted in harmony with the teaching of Jesus Christ, to my knowledge there is no indication in any of the episodes that any of the characters portrayed were Christians. Thus, it is certainly out of place to refer to their behavior as \u201ca Christian example.\u201d The New Testament uses the word \u201cChristian\u201d in three passages (Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16). We must be certain that we use the word \u201cChristian\u201d only in reference to those who are truly in Christ (Galatians 3:27), and thus members of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). To apply the word \u201cChristian\u201d to individuals who are not in Christ is to fail to speak \u201cas the oracles of God\u201d (1 Peter 4:11).<\/p>\n
Second, this \u201cMayberry mentality\u201d shows us that some brethren have simply lost track of what attracts people to Jesus Christ. \u201cMayberry Morality\u201d smacks of trying to draw people by the ways of the world (1 John 2:16). One can come to the Christ only if the Father draws him. How does God draw or attract men to His Son? \u201cAnd they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me\u201d (John 6:44,John 6:45). Through what do men hear and learn from the Father? Through the teaching of the Scriptures. Thus, God draws or attracts men to Christ through the Bible. The early church continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42). Have we \u201cadvanced\u201d so far that we cannot see the difference between Barney and the Bible, or Andy and the apostles’ doctrine? What does it say about our hearts when we want to turn to a secular program instead of the Book?<\/p>\n
Third, spiritual shepherds of the flock of God have the God-given duty of feeding or tending the flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1,1 Peter 5:2). With what must the elders do this feeding? With that which makes the sheep (members of the church) grow. What is that? The word of God. \u201cBut desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby\u201d (1 Peter 2:2). Paul’s exhortation to first century overseers is still appropriate for bishops today: \u201cI commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified\u201d (Acts 20:32). The design of \u201cBible classes,\u201d which are under the oversight of elders, is to teach and study the Bible, not watch some sheriff smile and laugh at a drunk man in jail!<\/p>\n
Fourth, all the foolishness that is taking place in the church today under the guise of building up or edifying the church ought to make us all renew our commitment to a serious study of the Bible. Jesus charged the Jews of His day to \u201csearch the Scriptures\u201d (John 5:39). Our Lord constantly prefaced His remarks with \u201cIt is written\u201d (for example, when He was tempted, Matthew 4:4,Matthew 4:7,Matthew 4:10). It is he who meditates in the law of the Lord day and night that is blessed (Psalm 1:2). These passages and scores of others point us to the word of God, and not to some modern invention of men, for our guidance and strength. It is time for all of us to give more diligence to be people of the Book.<\/p>\n
Fifth, it is high time for a number of congregations seriously to analyze what is being taught and just what goes on in those periods that are supposed to be devoted to Bible study. True, most congregations of the Lord’s church are not yet ready to begin using Andy Griffith episodes in their classes as an attraction to draw a crowd. But the fact remains, some materials published by supposed \u201cChristian\u201d publication houses contain error. It is just as wrong to teach error by using a textbook as it is to preach it from the pulpit. Elders need to be certain that the Bible class materials that are being used are sound. Yet other material that is used in Bible classes is extremely weak, and is just not very challenging to those in the class.<\/p>\n
Also, I can tell you from the experience of my children, that even in some of the teenage classes of sound churches, on occasion there is time wasted and time spent talking about non-biblical topics. My kids have sat in Sunday morning or Wednesday night classes in which a lot of time was spent talking about Michael Jordan and sports, or some other modern entertainment. I personally do not take kindly to turning my kids over to a teacher, fully expecting him to teach them the Bible during the whole class period, and have him \u201cfiddle around\u201d in class. If our young people turn out to be imitators of those Israelites who lived after the death of Joshua (\u201cAnd there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel,\u201d Judges 2:10), then surely part of that ignorance is going to be because some of our Bible classes have not done an effective job.<\/p>\n
Are we totally against television, and Andy Griffith in particular? Not at all. But in our search to find what pleases Jehovah, we are to hear Christ, not Andy (Matthew 17:5), the gospel, not Aunt Bee (Romans 1:16).<\/p>\n
_____________________<\/p>\n
Note: All quotations in this article re: \u201cMayberry Morality\u201d are from WINESKINS (July-August, 1998, pages 20-22). At the time the above-mentioned \u201cMayberry Morality\u201d article was published, this periodical was co-edited by Mike Cope and Rubel Shelly, two outspoken \u201cchange agents\u201d who have done extensive damage in the church.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My Source: THE REMINDER October 3, 1999 Author: Roger D. Campbell ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: MAYBERRY MORALITY by Roger D. Campbell ganroger@juno.com This is the title of an article that I recently read in a periodical. The article was written over a year ago, but the practices mentioned in it continue until the present hour, even in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1913,1915,1914,397,736],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6503"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6503\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}