Holy Braids, Brandy, & 8th Day Adventists

Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions." Colossians 2:18

"When 3 walk together, 2 are my teachers; I emulate the good and avoid the bad." Confucius [子曰：“三人行，必有我师焉：择其善者而从之，其不善者而改之。” ] Confucius

I love Xiamen International Christian Fellowship's great unity, in spite of our great diversity (2oo people from over 30 countries). In fact, our diversity usually seems to actually unite us. Even as we marvel at our Father's imagination in nature, we admire how different he made us, and our cultures, and our languages. I appreciate his sense of humor too (I'm reminded of it every time I face myself in the mirror to shave). But we also face the same conflicts that the very first church faced.

Holy Braids, Brandy, Veggies & Smokes In the local Chinese churches, some believe women must show their spirituality by wearing their hair long, in two braids. They do so humbly, of course, but in a way that those without braids know they're further down the spiritual rung. There are also the vegetarian Christians. I'm vegetarian myself, but for health reasons, not spiritual, yet some talk of nothing but their dietary disciplines. I'm also very strongly against smoking, and I don't drink--but many Christians (Americans, especially) are shocked to learn that famous Christians like C.S. Lewis and Spurgeon smoked pipes and cigarettes heavily (it killed Spurgeon), and Lewis ended every evening with his glasses of brandy.

8th Day Adventists Some folks' spirituality revolves around making sure everyone knows that they worship on a different day than everyone else. (I saw large highway billboards in America that urged folks to phone an 800 number for proof that worship on Sunday is serving the antiChrist). I don't understand all the theology here, but I asked one man why he didn't worship on Sunday since in China, the 7th day is Sunday, not Saturday, and most Christians were, in fact, worshiping on the 7th day in China. He said China had changed the days. days. [Note: I am not referring to most 7th Day Adventists, at least in Xiamen, who do some wonderful work here; the one who lectures me the most is not even an SDAer].

Don't Eat Don't Touch! There are countless other unique observances I've seen right here in Xiamen, amongst both Chinese and foreign Christians. These may or may not be important. I don't know! But I suspect that when we let any observance separate us from our relationship with God and our fellow believers, something is wrong. We may well be right, but in our attitudes and actions, we may be wrong. Almost 2000 years ago, Paul warned New Testament Christians about coming under bondage to manmade rules:

"Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. Colossians 2:20-23

Paul said these "religious" rules and rituals were worldly, not spiritual, and led not to humility but pride--as, I'd imagine, the ancient Confucian scholars felt as they obeyed their 3,300 rules of decorum. But I must be careful, because it is easy for me to become proud that I am not like those proud people! And as Confucius said, even those who harp on pet peeves can also be my teachers. They often have wonderful insights behind their wall of exclusive spirituality. I just need discernment to select the good and discard (not attack) the bad. And I hope others will do the same with me, because just about everything I post on the Noodles makes some happy and others angry--and today I'll probably annoy the vegetarians and smokers and teetotalers and ....

Well, as Confucius once said, "C'est la vie!" This is life! Life is exciting because people are so diverse. It would be pretty boring if we all thought the same way. It would be scary, in fact--like some of the cults I've encountered, where people all have the same plastic smile and spout the same lines. How happy I am that as we serve our Father, he wants us to be ourselves, and not some cult or denomination's ideal of what a holy person should look like. That's not to say that ideals and beliefs and doctrine are not important. Far from it! But I also remember that Lin Yutang said that not one Chinese ever became a Christian because of a foreign missionary's doctrine, but because of their love.

I'm probably worshiping on the wrong day, eating the wrong food, and wearing my hair the wrong way, but my Father loves me anyway, and I'll try to love others, even if they are strange (and just about everyone except me is a bit odd).
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