Namby Pamby Land

My boys just love the Geico commercial where the Rod Serling type character answers the question about whether or not Geico saves you money by asking rhetorically if a former drill instructor would make a poor therapist.

Watch here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaFy0x_Uixo

Their favorite, and oft-quoted gem, is bellowed by the ex-drill sergeant after the wimp on the couch assesses himself saying, “And that’s why yellow makes me sad, I think.” Sarge bellows, “You know what makes me sad? You do! Maybe we should chug on over to Namby Pamby Land and get you some self-confidence…!”

I guess it’s so funny because it strikes a chord with us living here in the Bible belt. It sometimes seems that we live in the midst of Christian Namby Pamby Land. Now, there are some really good things about living in a place where professors would quote scripture before a university debate, or a high school is willing to put up a sign asking people to pray for the family of a deceased student. That sort of thing might not happen much elsewhere, and especially wouldn't in some of the places I’ve lived. We have noticed that Bible belt living comes at a high price, however. The man we bought our house from said it best when describing our overly-churched community, “Have you noticed that since everyone is a Christian, no one is a Christian?”

I think the answer to "unChristian Christianity" lays in a person’s salvation experience and the lack of effect it has on their lifestyle. I never fail to be amazed when a person calls himself a Christian, and continues to live just like the unbelievers (or in our case quasi-believers) around him. It just seems logical (and biblical) that a radical conversion would be followed by a radical change of life. How can someone claim a conversion and never “convert” from living like unbelievers?

One of my shockers, and I mention this because of the season, has been meeting people in churches and Christian circles who continue to celebrate Halloween. What?! Dumping all-things-Halloween was no-brainer number one when I became born again. Why would a person who claims the blood of Christ continue to celebrate the highest holy day of satan? Not only that, but many do in the same way that pagans from centuries past have--with jack-o-lanterns, costumes, “scary” imagery, and justify it because it’s “so much fun for the kids.” Well, so were drugs and alcohol when I was an unbeliever but I recognized the dangers and prohibitions in scripture when I became born again, and I “put those things away.”

Living in harmony with satan doesn’t seem like a wise way to “train up a child” according to the Word. When the Lord himself commanded Israel to not practice divination, sorcery and witchcraft, did he exclude New Testament believers? If so, then why did many which formerly practiced sorcery burn their books and scrolls in Acts 19:19? I feel the scripture is showing us what radically saved believers put out of their life when they became born-again. But, welcome to Namby Pamby Land where the "sacrifice" of putting away carnality may stand in the way of our children's "fun." What better time to stand up and instruct our children than to desensitize them to wickedness, especially in the form of a satanic holiday...(holy-day).

I stand convinced that there are many similarities between living in Christian Namby Pamby Land and living during the time of the Exodus or Constantine’s day when Christianity became the official religion of Rome. Since everyone was forced to “become Christians” under threat of Roman government punishment, the pagans brought their beliefs and practices into the church and caused the initial weakening of Christianity. During the Exodus, the “mixed multitude” (former Egyptians and false-god-worshippers) caused the Israelites to sin repeatedly by bringing their pagan practices into their midst.We have a mixed multitude with us in our churches today, with one foot in the church and one foot in the world and this causes the weakening of Christ’s body on earth. As radically-saved believers, who are new creatures in Christ, we ought not behave like, dress like, think like, or be entertained like the mixed multitude in our assembly.