Getting Slimed
A few years ago Zack and I led a home group that met in our house in Westport. Sometimes we invited others to join us for a prayer walk through the gallery district downtown. We weren’t doing outreach, but doing what we do best, praying for spiritual renewal.
One particular night, there was a woman who joined us who vehemently expressed her desire to avoid environments that ‘defiled’ her. She questioned the wisdom of walking through the gallery district and ‘getting slimed.’
I’ve often heard this sentiment, but I have some serious questions about whether or not it is an accurate description of what is actually happening to people. Are they really being defiled by walking around a few galleries?
A few verses come to mind, Jesus says, “it’s not what goes into a man, but what comes out of him that defiles him.” I know that in context Jesus was talking about dietary restrictions - but he also makes a secondary point: we need to look at our speech as a primary place of defilement in order to call the Pharisees out of false religious notions of defilement. They had focused too much intensity on a single means of defilement that was in some ways secondary to the real problem.
Another verse that comes to mind is when James describes true religion as serving ophans and widows and keeping one undefiled from the world. The question here is, how do we get defiled by the world?
Personally, I think the idea that prayer-walking the gallery defiling someone is absurd; especially when we consider the amount of non-Christian (and some ’so-called’ Christian!) media that most Christians consume. If being around non-Christians defiles believers, than this world is left without any hope. If defilement comes merely from contact with unbelievers we should cancel all missions trips to Hindu lands, Muslim countries, and secular college campuses.
What is it that people mean when they say they feel slimed? I think there are several options.
First, I think some Christians have not been in much contact with unbelievers. They are deeply dismayed by the depravity and confusion that surrounds secular culture. It disturbs them to see the hopelessness of people living without God. That can feel ’slimy’.
Secondly, I think that against the backdrop of this hopelessness, many believers suffer a painful encounter with their own spiritual barrenness. They witness the darkness around them and their own inability to bring any change. They are overwhelmed and feel defeated by the difficulty of the task. That could feel ’slimy’.
Finally, I think that some Christians experience powerful temptations. They feel seduced by the dark ideals and immorality that are normal for secular culture. Facing brazen, unapologetic sinfulness can be a serious temptation to any believer. We should never put ourselves in a situation where we know we will be tempted. That can definately feel ’slimy.’
There are many environments that most Christians should almost never enter (bars, nightclubs, pagan festivals). I think many secular environments can become a snare to us. However, let’s not put the blame on non-believers. Instead, let’s embrace the truth: we have a weak conscience and feel tempted by the world. That will lead us to freedom. Admitting we feel slimed because we feel tempted will give us wisdom to confess our weakness, and run away from the temptation. Let us admit the truth, it is not being around a bunch of ‘dirty artists’ that defiles us. It is a struggle in our sinfulness, not a struggle against ‘their’ sinfulness.
For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’
