Family Stores expose Christian lie

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This past Sunday afternoon, as evangelical Christians gathered around innumerable Pizza Hut tables across the country for a time of "fellowship" and "edification" following their morning worship service, I wonder how many of them debated or even discussed the decision by Family Christian Stores to open their outlets on Sundays. I imagine at least a few pepperoni-stuffed mouths expressed disgust that the nation's largest Christian retailer would dare to desecrate the Sabbath. Such talk is exactly the kind of hypocrisy that makes our faith appear so weak and meaningless to those outside the church. When will we learn?

According to a letter from Dave Browne, the CEO of Family Christian Stores, posted on the company's web site: "Being open between services on Sunday also furthers our ministry of providing guests with the Bibles, books and other Christian resources that meet their needs-whenever their needs arise."

You see, this decision has been driven by the most basic of business principles – that of supply and demand. Family Christian Stores is supplying the Christian community on Sundays because that community is demanding it. We, supposedly "Bible believing" people, are out and about, shopping and eating and going to movies and yes, wanting to buy the latest from our favorite Christian authors and musicians – shopping for all of the things that Browne's stores have been making available the other six days of the week at over 325 locations in 39 states.

Don't misunderstand me. I think Family Christian Stores have made a wrong decision. In his letter, Browne describes what the company does as "ministry" – probably in an attempt to help justify the company's bad decision. After all – isn't it ok for pastors and choir members and ushers to "work" on Sunday since they are doing "ministry"? But I hope that all Christians see their role in the workplace and marketplace as a form of "ministry" and I certainly don't hope that they'll be anxious to extend that ministry to Sundays.

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Jesus dealt with this specifically in Matthew Chapter 12. He gives three examples of lawful "work" on the Sabbath: the work God commanded priests to perform in the temple, the hungry feeding themselves, and the saving of an animal or man from danger or injury. I'm afraid that the work that many of us justify as "ministry" on the Sabbath does not fit into our Lord's categories of necessity, mercy or piety. They rather fit into our own categories of convenience and commerce.

But I'm sure that Family Christian Stores is taking plenty of heat from other corners of our hypocritical evangelical community. Therefore, I'd like to focus my attention on those of us who have undermined the holy observance of the Sabbath.

Do I wish that all stores and restaurants were closed on Sunday? Yes. With the rare exception of merciful operations that meet urgent needs, such as hospital emergency rooms and police stations, I wish that our nation would shut down and observe the Lord's Sabbath.

But don't get me wrong. Do I believe that stores and restaurants and movie theaters should legally be allowed to operate on Sunday? Absolutely! If a Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist or Athiest/Humanist business owner wants to operate their business on Sunday, then who am I or who is the government to tell them not to. However, if you believe that the Bible applies to your life and that God's commandments contained within it still direct your actions, then I hope that you would stop and understand the sin of your actions if you defile the Sabbath by either working on the Sabbath or causing others to work on the Sabbath, either as their direct employer or as their customer.

If this were the case, and if our country would hold onto the Christian heritage that the vast majority of immigrants to this country brought with them, then it would be very difficult for most businesses in America to justify being open on Sunday. But, unfortunately, this is not the case. We, as citizens, have largely abandoned the faith of our fathers, and even we Christians have abandoned the commandments of our heavenly Father.

I wonder how many Sunday School classes now teach the nine commandments. After all, even among liberal "Christians" who have dismissed the validity of the scriptures, I think the vast majority of those who claim to follow Christ would say that the stone tablets given to Moses on Mount Sinai still apply to our lives.

Six of the commandments are pretty easy for all of us to accept:

• Honor thy father and thy mother.
• Thou shalt not kill.
• Thou shalt not commit adultery.
• Thou shalt not steal.
• Thou shalt not bear false witness.
• Thou shalt not covet anything that belongs to thy neighbor.

Three of the commandments are more of a struggle for some, although I think most Christians would at least claim they try to keep these:

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• Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
• Thou shalt not make an idol or bow down to an idol.
• Thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain.

But apparently, there is one commandment that American Christians have chiseled off of that stone tablet. I'm guessing that God knew that we would try to find loopholes in this one law because, when He gave it to Moses, He used lots of words to make sure He was being clear:

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it."

Oh that we would obey God. That we would not defile the Sabbath of the Lord our God either by working when He has commanded us not to, or by expecting others to work to serve us, as He has commanded us to not allow our servants to work on this day that He has hallowed.

"Pass the parmesan please. How 'bout them Cowboys?"