I live in the middle of downtown San Francisco, and every major club worth going to is within four or five blocks from my house
I am not judgmental, and I think dancing is a lot of fun, but after having been in club environments at various points in my life, I have to ask: as Christians when we go to clubs, what do we get out of it?
Dude, I Got Sooo ______ Last Friday
I have nothing against having a good time, but if we are not at a club to:
- Get totally wasted and fall all over the place
- Wear short skirts and dance on tables for attention
- Gawk at women in short skirts
- “Score”
- Listen to music with blatant sexual messages
- Feel validated because of the way we dress (or don’t)
Then what are we really there to do, have a conversation with our friends at the top of our voice as whomping hip-hop/techno thunders in the background, or are we there to dance and have “a good time”?
Why Do People Say Christians Are Boring; Are We?
There is a fine line when it comes to having fun with our friends as human beings and as Christians, and I do not see why people say that Christians have no fun, but I also do not understand why so many Christians put themselves in environments they don’t feel comfortable in either
For example, I don’t see anything wrong with drinking socially, but there are issues with drinking to the point of losing control as it can lead to doing/saying/thinking things that are not part of who we are striving to be
Ephesians 5:18
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit
In a lot of cases, the difference is not always super obvious when it comes to just having fun with friends and going over the line to a place where we would no doubt be embarrassed if Jesus walked up and tapped us on the shoulder
The key is to just think about our behavior and surroundings in an objective light, not just throw around blanket statements like “oh that is always bad!” or “who cares, it doesn’t matter, I am still a Christian”
Personally, I like not being thought of as a stiff, boring person who isn’t capable of having fun with my worldly friends, but I also enjoy not compromising my morals in the process–and all without being judgmental, boring, or “weird”
If We Don’t Party With Our Friends, Will They Still Be Our Friends?
When people mutually respect each other and are true friends, they won’t be upset if their points of view don’t totally line up as not everyone thinks the exact same way
My friends are great for this, as they all know my boundaries and respect the things that I will not participate in, just as I respect their inclinations without any sense of judgment
If your friends don’t act like that, well, then they really aren’t good friends
So, if you decide that you don’t want to get totally obliterated, hop up on a table so you can show off what you bought at Victoria Secret, or listen to things that you genuinely find offensive, then quite simply: don’t!
1 Corinthians 9:22
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some
Very valid points, Nathan. I think that Christians should be the people who get the most fun out of life, but not necessarily in the way that the world judges “fun.” Discernment gives us the “spirit of wisdom and understanding” so that we know where to draw the line. If we are in tune with the Spirit, we will know what is the cut-off point for us (and yes, it may very well differ for each of us). But deep down, we all know when to say when…
Hi Alison,
I totally agree that we know when to draw the line, God’s spirit within us is usually pretty clear when we have gone too far
And yes, the cut-off point for everyone is fairly different, though it is not always about our threshold for temptation, but also how others view as Christians in the world, and their threshold for temptation as well
1 Corinthians 9:22
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some