And now for something completely different....

As I drive around the Dallas Metroplex, I'm shocked at the aggressiveness of people's driving. Of course, one would think that as Christians we might project a kinder, gentler face, but such is not the case. I recently had a conversation with another brother who stood out among his peers by the very fact that he was even questioning the purchase of a radar detector. So, is it wrong for us as Christians to own and use them?

From what I can tell from the scriptures, I believe that the Bible makes it pretty clear that we are to follow the laws of the land (which would definitely fall into the category of "doing good"). It does this in James 4:17 (ESV: So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.).

So one might take it to be a moot point that we should be doing something as simple as driving below the posted speed limits or coming to a complete and full stop at stop signs...if for no other reason than it affects our witness for Christ. Does this sound like I'm going off the deep end? Allow me to elaborate if I may.

Let's start at home. If our sons and daughters in the car see that we have little regard for laws which inconvenience us, or see that we "interpret" the laws in our own ways, our ability to take a stand against moral relativism in other areas is impacted. In fact, such behavior clearly communicates to the world (not just our kids in the back seat) that we Christians, like everyone else, have little to no regard for laws unless they seem important to us...the very definition of moral relativism. By not coming to a full stop at a stop sign, even and especially if no one else is in the intersection, we are in effect saying "It's OK to break a law in certain situations". It is a very short ride from there to "It's OK to steal if they won't miss it", or "It's OK to lie as long as no one gets hurt".

I believe that this translates directly from the physical to the spiritual. If we are so rebellious that we can't drive at or below the posted speed (breaking one of man's laws), will we even hesitate in breaking one of God's laws which do not violate man's laws....especially if we feel that we can justify such behavior to ourselves. That isn't really the stretch it may seem. In 1 John 4:20 the apostle tells us that "If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.". The concept of out-of-sight, out-of-mind all too often plays into our behavioral model.

Purchasing a radar detector goes one step further though. This act blatantly admits that (a) not only do I have no respect for the law (speed limits), but (b) I fully intend to break the law so often that I'm willing to spend some of the money with which God has blessed me so that I can more easily get away with it. Which teaches our children (and other non-believers) that it is perfectly acceptable to take overt steps to avoid the punishment for breaking a law even while that act is only in our hearts.

And we sit in church and wonder why the unbelieving world feels like we preach one way and live another. These things may be small, but small things are often the very things of which the big things are made.