October 08, 2024

233. Should Christian Fans Really ‘Avoid the Appearance of Evil’?

1 hour

“Judge not” gets twisted to shut down God’s Law.[1. Photo by Peyman Shojaei on Unsplash.] The phrase “money is the root of all evil” gets twisted to shut down biblical ambition. And “no eye has see, no ear has heard” often gets twisted to shut down a longing for Heaven. But what twisted Scripture most often gets used to reject Christ-exalting fantastical imagination? This top text may be 1 Thessalonians 5:22: “Avoid the appearance of evil.” But does that text actually say to avoid not just actual evil, but anything that appears evil in the eyes of … someone?

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Concession stand

We are speaking here against a deep Bible misconception.

For a moment, you may feel like we’re denying actual gospel.

The myth is so common that even Google AI refers to the Scripture twist:

Some commentaries on the meaning of this verse include: . . .

Avoiding not only the identical evil thing itself, but all shows and resemblances of it

Terminating contact with any place, action, language, or relationship that gives people the impression that you are doing something wrong

Notice our frequent use of the word someone. That’s by design.

And that’s because some unknown someone often haunts this topic.

Who is the someone? Why are we following his/her notion about “evil”?

1 Thessalonians 5:22 says:

Abstain from all appearance of evil. (KJV)

Reject every kind of evil. (NIV)

Abstain from every form of evil. (ESV)

Stay away from every kind of evil. (CSB)

1. 1 Thess. 5:22 only refers to actual evil actions.

Nothing in this verse, in English or Greek, means not evil but looks like it.

The verse speaks only about avoiding actual evil wherever this appears.

So many misread this that we address it fully in The Pop Culture Parent:

Some Christians believe we must not only avoid committing actual sins but also avoid anything that could appear evil to someone else. However, a quick study of the full chapter in 1 Thessalonians shows that the term eidos (“appearance” in the King James Version) has nothing to do with someone’s opinion of how something looks.

Paul tells Christians to respect teachers but also test them, no doubt by comparing their teachings with Scripture and the gospel. They must avoid false teaching—not what appears to be false but what is actually false. The King James Version’s “appearance” is better translated into current-day English as “form” or “kind” of evil. In fact, no modern Bible translation uses “appearance” here, and original readers of the KJV probably took appearance of evil to mean actual evil.

The Pop Culture Parent, page 82

2. One does not simply avoid things that look evil.

Recently we saw this standard applied to the so-called Billy Graham rule.

But for most people (especially outside non-vocational) ministry, it’s impossible to never be technically “alone” with an opposite-sex person.

If we tried to do this, we’d be subject to unbiblical notions of “evil.”

Some people claim the Bible itself is evil. Should we avoid that too?

Not even Jesus Christ himself followed this “rule” to the letter.

Indeed, to misread [this verse] as meaning “anything that might look evil” leads to an absurd standard no one could keep, not even Jesus. He ate with sinners and talked with prostitutes, and the Pharisees thought his actions appeared to be evil. Jesus claimed to be the great I Am, and the Pharisees picked up stones because it appeared that Jesus had committed blasphemy.

The Pop Culture Parent, page 83

3. If we try doing this, someone will be haunting us.

We see many bad Christians manipulate others with this “standard.”

They always assume (not prove) that they are the haunting “someone.”

But why should their special view of “appearance” control everyone else?

This toxic brew will only generate worsening cycles of fake “morality.”

We also see many non-Christians impose fake “morality” in this way.

Too many sincere Christians are fooled into pleasing humans, not God.

And for Christian fans, we often select/avoid stories based on this “rule.”

Our recommendation: reject the “rule” as antibiblical and fake “holiness.”

Christians must not let a misreading of this verse restrict our freedom to enjoy certain things with thanksgiving to God. Moreover, if we misuse this verse, we may be fueling hypocrisy, teaching our children that we value outward appearances more than the truth.

The Pop Culture Parent, page 83

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