Dear Sir,
Stephen Kneale’s article on ‘The surprising problem of freedom’ (en Feb. 2020) provided three examples of where Christian practice seems to be based on tradition and/or personal preference, namely Sunday evening services, quiet times (I’m glad he used the plural) and attending a church near one’s home.
He argued that none of these is biblical and therefore are not mandated, but rather are imposed by tradition. If he intended to give a metaphorical black eye to those who ‘encourage’ others with ‘I missed you at the meeting yesterday evening … have you had your quiet time today? … why do you drive ten miles to that big church when there’s a small church near you?’ then I am right behind him. I’ve had some of this aimed at me in the 55 years I have been following Christ. Sadly there are some folk in church who seem to take pleasure from making others feel guilty. So if Stephen is arguing against a mindless rigid legalism which imposes patterns of behaviour inflexibly irrespective of changing culture, then I would agree. It can produce stress and guilt, especially if accompanied by heavy shepherding. But I have important caveats. To take these in turn:
