So here's a question: Should Sabbatarians watch the Super Bowl this Sunday? Notice I did not say "Christians" because that would mean I would have to defend the practice of keeping the Lord's Day holy: something that has already been satisfactorily done by Joseph Pipa and even the pope. But assuming that you believe the Lord's Day should be sanctified along the lines of the 4th commandment and the summary of the commandment in WCF 21.8 and LC 116-121, then I will make what is perhaps a bold statement: watching the Super Bowl is inconsistent with biblical Sabbath keeping. The reason, in short: the 4th commandment states that "You are to do no work" and then goes on to state that one's family and animals are also under the purview of this injunction. What is more, "the stranger who is within your gates" is also forbidden from doing work. (As one of my professors has said, the Sabbath is not just about receiving rest, but also giving rest to others.) It seems to me that by willingly (even enthusiastically) participating in watching others work, we are not following the spirit of this law, which is to both rest ourselves and to give others rest as well.
The objection may arise (and I've heard it many a time): "refraining from watching is not going to prevent them from working, so it's not an issue." Firstly, the logic behind this seems like "Well, the stranger who is within my gates will work elsewhere unless I let him work here, so I better let him work here on the day of rest." Secondly, one must again question the assumption behind this statement. For the main concern is not whether one's watching is forcing someone to work or not, but whether one's participation is at the very least an implicit approval of others working, which Sabbatarians do not believe is appropriate on the Lord's day.
It seems to me that if we as Christians want to be "counter-cultural," then resting on the Lord's day is a good place to begin...
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I've heard it suggested, "You can always tape the Super Bowl and watch it on Monday."
But then I think, yes, but even on Monday, I'd be enjoying watching a game that was played on a Sunday.
Which goes to. . .can I enjoy music that was composed on a Sunday? An article that was written on a Sunday? Can I wear a sweater that was knitted on a Sunday?
Usually, of coure, I don't know when this work was done. But sometimes I might.
Thankfully, I'm not much interested in the Super Bowl. That doesn't solve the philosophical question, though.
One my our philosophy professors in College loved football, so he indeed would tape the games on Sunday, get up at midnight and watch them.
By no means am I seeking to bind people's consciences here. I do think that there are a lot of aspects of Sabbath keeping that have to be left up to Christian conscience and not blanket law. I guess I want to solve the easier matters (perhaps "weightier"?) and then move on to the details, such as the ones you brought up.
Firstly, I would say that we should make a distinction between the significance of the Lord's Day for the church and God's people, and for the rest of society. I think it's important to emphasize that primarily it is to be kept by Christians in the sense of resting in the Lord, fellowshipping with the saints, etc. Secondly, if there is an application in the secular sphere, it needs to be grounded in creation rather than redemption. Put simply, there are certain elements of the Sabbath that seem universal precisely because it's a creation ordinance.
That said, I'm thinking that enjoying music or wearing a sweater made by Sabbath-breakers falls under the "common-grace" realm, where Christians are able to enjoy the temporal goods in common with the world even if the world produced them in rebellion against God.
Those are my initial thoughts...
Well, we can't tape the super bowl because it would be making my vcr do the work. And believe me, my vcr is a stranger in my gate.
(This is a joke; I'm a giddy mood.)
Good post.
Ken, what do you think is the difference between supporting someone playing a game for money and knitting a sweater for money on the Lord's Day? Is it just our ignorance about stuff like sweaters and music?
I like your blog. But I wish you would use quotation marks. On the quote from Lolita, I thought it was you talking for a second and I was like, What????
Post a Comment