Embracing Secularism is Tricky

Right now, it is the beginning of the hours of my Sabbath. Also right now, I am listening to the progressive rock band Angels & Airwaves on my iPod.

I hear a lot of opinion from the camp of Sabbath-keepers advocating that Christians be held to a high standard of behavior and media consumption within the Sabbath hours, as they are God's specially designated time for us to worship him.

I really appreciate these viewpoints, and I can really see where they are coming from, and even sympathize with them to a degree. However, I have a slightly different outlook.

There's an oft-quoted Bible verse that is often used to categorize and gauge which things Christians should do and use on the Sabbath, among other days. You know the one I'm talking about: "Whatsoever is noble, think on these things." However, I think this verse has a great deal of leeway in terms of nobility and goodness.

Now don't mishear me as saying that I believe this verse is so nebulous as to purport that whatever we deem to be pleasing and enjoyable is permissible on the Sabbath and other days. However, I do think that there is a fair amount of material out there that can be uplifting without being inherently Christian. For example, as I write this, I am hearing themes and values in Angels and Airwaves' music that rivals many "Christian" groups and bands (even praise-oriented) in terms of merit and virtue.

I just think that the "Christian" label is somewhat useless in the big picture. I think that we (myself included) need to be much more involved in the selection process when it comes to the behaviors and media to be done and used in our lives. I think that contemporary label is quite thoroughly used up, especially when I see mainstream rockers more perfectly reflecting God's character than some of his own self-professed servants.

Oh, and strangely enough, the song I am listening to is entitled "Heaven."