While talking with a friend today, I was offered to buy an Xbox with a little bit of added features. It had a 20 Mb hard drive installed as well as a devise that would allow you to play any Play Station game you wanted ( I think he called it an emulyzer). Plus it had about 40 different games downloaded onto it and a DVD burner. This bad boy was fully loaded. All yours for only $380. Not a bad price for an illegal product, but I was assured that all of the games were legally rented from Blockbuster. A little later in the day we were talking and he wanted me to go somewhere I did not really want to go. Finally I caved in and replied, "dammit, alright." In shock he said, "What did you say?"

   My apologies to my friend, but this is a great example of how Christians can take something that is not necessarily wrong, and raise it to a level of sin, while at the same time, turn a blind eye to something that is obviously wrong. We see this all the time with issues like drinking, smoking, and yes, language. In the example above, it should be clear to everyone that pirating software and games is illegal (music is too by the way). But Christians don't seem to mind breaking such an "artificial" law. They seem to ignore the decree in scripture to "obey the laws of the land." "Surely the Bible can't mean this law?"

   In the second part of the example, we see a subjective statute becoming a generalized objective rule. "Christians ought not to curse…ever." While I will agree that it is wrong to use vulgar language in front of the queen, that does not imply there is no place for that type of rhetoric.

   My point is not banter about the oughtness of vulgarity, but to raise the question, what is on your A list, or, what things do you consider important? A while back my pastor told me that I needed to be careful to keep my A list clean of things that should be on my B list, C list, or even D list. That is, do not make things more important than they ought to be. I see this problem in the stanch theological realm. I have known people to not attend church because there was no church in the area that believed the exact same way they did. For them, everything was on their A list. Whether or not one was able to drink alcohol was right next to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. This type of thinking is not biblical.

   We as Christians are to seek after righteousness, but not at the expense of unity. (As if seeking after righteousness could cause fraction.) We are to continue daily in prayer and the working of our salvation, both in deed and thought. But while we do this, let us be careful that our pride and selfish desires do not cloud our minds and elevate non-essentials, as well as illegal and immoral activities, to a level that could separate us from the fellowship, the holy catholic church (little "c").

   Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.—Psalm 133