Don’t pray in public. It’s embarrassing to those of us who want to be taken seriously as Christians.
Don’t go to church every time the doors are open. You are just demonstrating to everyone that you are a little bit unhinged. Once on Sunday is quite enough to send the message you are a devout Christian.
Don’t read your Bible like a book. Too much boring stuff to do that. Just read your daily devotional passage. You won’t miss anything important and you’ll cull out all that unnecessary stuff.
Don’t worry about tithing. That’s an Old Testament thing that God could care less about today. Your happiness is what God cares about; not your adherence to an ancient practice.
Don’t talk about sin in church. We’re all guilty of minor indiscretions. Church is supposed to be about encouragement; not trying to get people to deal with their slip-ups.
Don’t try to start a prayer meeting. Honestly, of all the ministries and programs a church endeavors to initiate this is the least vital. Everybody prays all the time anyway.
Don’t speak the word ‘Jesus’ at any time or place. He’s too controversial. He was all over the map religiously and theologically and all you’ll do is inflame someone if you start talking about Jesus. God wants peace; not division.
Don’t bring politics into church or take Christianity to society. Religion doesn’t delve into politics and Christianity is only suited for church. It's personal!
Don’t talk about being ‘saved.’ Salvation is only for backwoods uneducated types. The only ‘salvation’ people need is from their own ignorance.
Don’t consider other religions to be any less viable than Christianity. All religions are just culture specific expressions of humanity’s need for spiritual expression. Each religion is salvific in its own way.
Don’t embrace Creationism over evolution. Evolution is a scientific fact and in this day and time only kooks suggest otherwise. If you think Adam and Eve were real and God created the universe in 7 days you need medication.
Don’t publicly stand in opposition to anything or anyone. Christianity is about getting along with people. Christians who cause strife by their opposition to things haven’t read the Sermon on the Mount.
Don’t ever talk about sex. Whatever people want to do with whomever they want to do it with is of no concern to the Church. If God made people that who are we to say it’s wrong?
Don’t say anyone is wrong about anything. Who are you to judge? Didn’t Jesus tell people not to judge others?
Don’t try to stop the direction culture is going. If it were really important to God, don’t you think He’d intervene and stop the current trends?
Don’t say “no” to anybody. “No” implies something is wrong and confronting people with that revelation can lead to shame, pain, and angst. Again, Christianity is supposed to be about bringing affirmation and giving support; not pointing out anyone’s deficiencies.
Don’t force your religion on anyone during the Christmas season by using the word “Christmas.” “Christmas” is a very exclusionary word. Have a “Holiday Celebration” instead of a Christmas party and greet people with “Season’s Greetings” instead of Merry Christmas. Inclusivity is especially important during the month of December.
Don’t confuse people with the facts. It doesn’t matter what actually happened in history or what anyone wrote for posterity. Moving forward culturally and ideologically cannot be hampered by the truth when it doesn’t fit the current narrative.
Don’t support a preacher or go to a church that preaches that hell is real and judgment day imminent. Both are fairy tales concocted by those who want to control the lives of others.
Don’t worry about evangelism. We pay people to take care of that for us.
Don’t take your religious faith too seriously. Just take a look at what’s happening in the world right now. Its people who take their faith too seriously that are causing most of the problems here and abroad.
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Interestingly, all those “don’ts” have come from people who claim to know Jesus and follow Him. Let me respond with a few I’m familiar with:
“Don’t be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” (Romans 12:11)
“Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)
“Don’t love the world or the things in the world.” 1 John 2:15
I’ll take my three “don’ts” over all of theirs…forever.
