Church Etiquette 2

Church Etiquette 1 was a blog post that dealt with not DISREGARDing those who have joined us physically inside the building. Today’s blog will deal with the 2nd of the 7 summaries concerning ‘church etiquette’; that second attitude is: Do Not Disrespect. There are many different traditions that surface and sometimes are shared by church members. These traditions vary, as one would expect, in different places around the world (or around the corner), or even in the same place. This is true partly because traditions stem from various sources: the culture, the church, or even Christianity as a whole. Recognizing that would be the case, Paul gave instructions to view our causing a brother to stumble as something to be avoided. That requires us to place our own traditions or ‘freedoms’ a little lower down on the decision template [“just because you can, does NOT mean that you should”]. It will be true that certain traditions might NOT mean anything to us, BUT that is not a reason to trample on them as entirely meaningless for everybody. When we respect others, and show that respect in our behavior, we are demonstrating humility, deference, and love for others. Is it even possible to be Christ-like AND disrespect someone?

While we know that Cultural Traditions, Church Traditions, and Christian Traditions are not the same thing (!), we also know that ‘traditions’ are not the same for everybody. You do not have to believe in the tradition to, out of deference, observe it (e.g., men not wearing hats in church; women covering their heads; not running in the sanctuary; times of silence; etc.). But, showing respect for others and not causing them to stumble, should become a vital part to our worship and in our relationships with God and others. Simply put: elevate others above yourself & DO NOT DISRESPECT!

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