More Stuff We Do That’s Not In the Bible

This is a follow-up to my post last week called “Extra-Biblical Christianity (or Stuff We Do That’s Not In the Bible).” Go read it first, if you haven’t already…I’ll wait…

I had some awesome responses from readers, things to add to the list…plus there’s a couple more I can add myself. (Again–these are about things we do as Christians or churches that are extra-Biblical, but not necessarily anti-Biblical; so today we’re not commenting on whether any particular practice is right or wrong. )

FIRST–some of the highlights that readers have added to the list:

• order of worship/order of service
• Christian education
• Sunday morning costumes
• church covenant
• membership class
• altar call
• sacred space
• steeple
• bowing heads with eyes closed

Looks like some of you borrowed a few pages from the book Pagan Christianity. 😀 )

NEXT–Some of the suggestions could not be classified as extra-Biblical, because they are found in the Bible. However, their meanings and/or applications today might differ from how they appeared in Scripture–and in some cases there is disagreement on how they should be implemented. That list includes:

• worship
• ministry
• the pastor/pastoral office
• tithes

ALSO–here are a couple more I am adding to the list…

• The Sermon. (I could get in a lot of trouble for this.) Our typical sermon format actually comes from the Greek art of oratory (persuasive speaking), not from the Bible itself. Preaching and teaching are both found in the Bible, but the sermon format we use is not. The “Sermon on the Mount?” Peter’s “sermons” in Acts? We are the ones who named them “sermons.” And nowhere in Scripture is it mandated that we have a sermon for every meeting.
• Christmas and Easter (and a few other “Christian holidays”). Now, I love Christmas, and no way am I getting rid of it. 🙂 But the practices of observing Christ’s birth and death at certain times of the year…those were added on centuries after the Bible was complete.
• Separation by age (i.e., children’s church/youth group). Has done some good things over the years (and been counter-productive at other times); but certainly no precedent for it found in Scripture.

AND FINALLY…a couple of honorable mentions:

• Kansas Bob for clarifying that “We are the bride of Christ” is more Biblical than “I am the bride of Christ.”
• Brother Maynard for submitting the term “born again”. (WHAT??) But I checked my concordance, and he’s correct! The Greek rendering is actually “born from above” or maybe “born anew”.