“Legalism Scale”

How legalistic are you?

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS: Print this off then mark TRUE or NOT for each statement as it represents your own position (or your church’s if you take it twice), then see questions at bottom. 

 

LEVEL SIX LEGALISM:  “Radical Separatism”

“We believe in being radically separate from the world—ffollowing the “old paths.”

TRUE

NOT

 

 

 

Our men do not wear neckties at all.

 

 

Our men don't wear flashy colorful neckties

 

 

Our women do not wear "toeless shoes."

 

 

Our women do not wear gold or silver-even pins.

 

 

Our daughters do not show their legs—they wear long stockings.

 

 

Our men do not have long hair

 

 

Our women have long hair-not "bobbed."

 

 

Our women do not wear pants.

 

 

Our men do not wear short sleeves.

 

 

Our women always wear long sleeves.

 

 

Our women do not wear ear-rings

 

 

Our women do not wear lipstick.

 

 

We do not attend sporting games.

 

 

We do not go bowling.

 

 

We do not go to Carnivals.

 

 

We do not go to amusement parks.

 

 

We don't have TV sets.

 

 

We don't go to any dances at all-ever.

 

 

We don’t go to the movie-houses—ever.

 

 

We do not gamble ever-even on the stock market.

 

 

We do not ever purchase things on Sunday—ever, even the Sunday paper.

 

 

We don’t have “dice” our games—only “spinners” No playing cards either.

 

 

We do not drive our car on Sunday—except to go to church.

 

 

We do not allow children to "play" on Sunday.

 

 

We do not even allow the ringing up tobacco sales even as a clerk.

 

 

We expel people from our church who have had sexual affairs.

 

 

We expel Christians in our church who have homosexual relationships.

 

 

We don’t even drink out of bottles-avoiding even the appearance of evil.

 

 

We do not use any alcohol-even Nyquil.

 

LEVEL FIVE LEGALISM: “Moderate Separatism”

“We aren’t radical legalists; we are sensibly conservative”

TRUE

NOT

 

 

 

Our women do not wear jewelry but can wear gold pins.

 

 

Our women wear do not have to wear long sleeves if they were ¾ length sleeves.

 

 

We have a TV but only watch a Christian DVDs or use it for home-schooling.

 

 

We don’t attend movies but we have shown Christian videos to our youth group.

 

 

We don’t allow our children to dance—any kind of dances.

 

 

We can play “Rook” or “Uno” but we never use “Playing cards.”

 

 

We don't gamble at all.

 

 

We do not allow children to play outside on Sunday—but inside is OK.

 

 

We do not permit Christians to get divorced in our church-ever.

 

 

We expel Christians in our church who have homosexual relationships.

 

 

We will not go to a restaurant that sells alcohol.

 

 

LEVEL FOUR LEGALISM: “Adapting conservatism”

“We are not legalistic but we are far from a mainstream church”

TRUE

NOT

 

 

 

Our women occasionally wear pearls, but not other necklaces.

 

 

Our women wear short sleeves sometimes but do not wear sleeveless blouses.

 

 

None of us wear shorts but women can culottes sometimes.

 

 

We wear shorts but never to a church event.

 

 

We have TVs but we watch only news or uplifting programs.

 

 

We attend only Christian movies or Billy Graham movies.

 

 

Our children might wear wedding rings only—not the adults.

 

 

We allow our children to go to the Prom, but they don’t dance.

 

 

We don't gamble but we allow the use of “dice” in our family games.

 

 

We only buy meals on Sunday when traveling and it is “necessary.”

 

 

We might allow our kids to work as a clerk where they sell tobacco—but we wouldn’t.

 

 

We discipline people for affairs and remove them from leadership.

 

 

We expel Christians in our church who have homosexual relationships.

 

 

We use alcohol only in medicine.

 

 

LEVEL THREE LEGALISM: “Conservative Mainstream”

“We are a conservative-but-mainstream church”

TRUE

NOT

 

 

 

Our women can wear ear-rings but generally they do not get their ears pierced.

 

 

We have TVs but are careful to not watch titillating shows.

 

 

We attend “G” movies and an occasionally PG movie

 

 

We wear wedding rings, but not excessive jewelry

 

 

We allow our children to go to the Prom but no other dances.

 

 

We go out to eat on Sunday but never shopping.

 

 

We would allow for a Christian clerk to ring up tobacco

 

 

We reject divorce in almost all cases.

 

 

We severely discipline people for homosexual affairs—no leadership again ever.

 

 

We do not use alcohol—but we would eat at a restaurant that serves it.

 

 

LEVEL TWO LEGALISM: “Moderate Mainstream”

“We are a tad bit more conservative than many Christians”

TRUE

NOT

 

 

 

We attend movies but avoid those with excessive sex or violence

 

 

We allow our children to go to the Prom.

 

 

We permit kids to dance but only wholesome dances like Square dances or ballet.

 

 

We don't gamble other than an office pool or an occasional lottery ticket.

 

 

We might shop for “necessities” on Sunday—but nothing else.

 

 

We wouldn’t judge a person for a rare cigar like when someone's child is born.

 

 

We discourage divorce but we sometimes "live with it."

 

 

We discipline people for homosexual affairs and remove them from leadership.

 

 

We might allow for drinking alcohol in punch at an office party at Christmas.

 

 

LEVEL ONE LEGALISM: “Christian Consensus Minimalism”

“We only forbid what almost all Christians everywhere would forbid”

TRUE

NOT

 

 

 

Our men and women dress modestly according to the changing culture

 

 

We have TVs and CATV but we avoid any really raunchy shows.

 

 

There are a few movies we won’t attend, but most we can accept.

 

 

We permit kids to dance except those vulgar Spring Break type dances.

 

 

We go occasionally to a night club and dance with our spouses.

 

 

We don't gamble in casinos but sometimes do among friends.

 

 

We try to make Sunday different in some way.

 

 

We don't make tobacco a big issue other than for the health issue.

 

 

We highly discourage divorce but we help people going through it to recover

 

 

We counsel people going through homosexual affairs and help them to wholeness.

 

 

We only allow an occasionally glass of wine.

 

 

LEVEL ZERO LEGALISM: “No-Rules Relationalism” 

“We just love people—it isn’t about rules it’s about relationship”

TRUE

NOT

 

 

 

We dress like anyone else in the world—dress is not a Christian issue.

 

 

We watch whatever we want on TV or CATV—what does this matter?

 

 

We attend any movie we want to—what do movies have to do with being a Christian?

 

 

Dancing has nothing to do with Christian living—so what?

 

 

So what if people buy lottery tickets or go to a casino—it’s fun.

 

 

We go to whatever amusements anyone else in the world goes to—who cares?

 

 

We do on Sunday what anyone else in the world would do—why not?

 

 

Some of our people use tobacco, others overeat—big deal.

 

 

We think affairs happen—so does divorce; we help people through this hard time.

 

 

What does alcohol have to do with being a Christian—so what?

 

 

Homosexuals are like any other sinners—we help them and love them just as they are.

 

 

SCORING: Go back and make a judgment call into which level you (or your church) mostly fall.  Compare with others.  Discuss some of these questions:

 

To think about and discuss

1. Have you ever met people at level one—tell about it.

2. Have you (or your church) moved through your lifetime?

3. Has your movement tended to be in concert with the culture’s move—the distance from the world is the same though you still moved?

4. Which one of the “rules” above do have clear Biblical support?  Which don’t?

5. To what extent do people expect to move part way in this process then “freeze in” change claiming everything above their point on the list is “legalism” while everything below are “clear Biblical commands?” (e.g. some would argue that there is more in the Bible about wearing gold and silver than using alcohol—is that true?)

6. When an older generation moves from the first or second level to level three or four, why should they not expect their children to move at least one or two levels beyond them?

7. Are these things purely up to an individual and “no business of the church” or does the Christian community have a “right” to tell its members how to live in these areas?  Why?  Why not?

8. We have called this a “legalism scale” however if you are in level 1-2 person you would have called it a “worldliness scale.”  What is “worldliness?”  Is worldliness “sin?”  Is there any place for putting distance between the Christian and the world—even if the thing isn’t “sin?”

9. To what extent are these “standards” a matter of sociology—identity matters for a group?  Is that wrong?  Foolish? Good?

10. What Scriptures would you cite to support your own (or your church’s) standards?  What Scriptures do you have to wiggle out of for things you permit?

 

Let’s chat about legalism, worldliness, and personal and collective convictions…

 

 è Click here to respond the first seven days after the date it is posted                                 Keith Drury  April 9,  2006

Responses are open for one week after the original column is published—after that they are posted next to the original column)                                    

 

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Why I designed this test: http://www.drurywriting.com/keith/holiness.manifesto.htm