IT'S BLACK. IT'S WHITE, OR GREY IS OKAY

I'll clear the air immediately. This post is not a reference to E. L. James erotic romance trilogy titled, Fifty Shades of Grey. Nor am I thinking about Michael Jackson's hit song, 'Black or White' in which the refrain repeats, "but, if you're thinkin' about my baby, it don't matter if you're black or white." James and Jackson do not own basic colours. I will however, talk about blacks and whites and greys. I do this because opinions about ethics and morality and actions and attitudes emerge from one's colour commitment. That's a metaphorical allusion to the sin vs. righteousness, black vs. white association often made by principled people with a background in scripture. It's understandable. In the Bible, black is primarily associated with the negative aspects of human experience, including death, disease, famine, and sorrow, all of which are bi-results of sin. On the other hand, white is a color of purity and righteousness, refinement and health, even victory.

With that contrast from a trusted source, some people may as a default, view almost everything as either black or white.

That doesn't capably navigate the space between legalism and freedom. It doesn't apprehend the subtleties of greys. There are greys and greys have a valid place. God blessed the earth with colours. Black and white are two of the colours. Natural factors modify those poles with transitional greys. God can see black and white and grey, too. He permits grey. Grey is okay.

I began thinking about this because of black and white comments to my grey suggestion that at times, a Christian may be compelled for personal reasons to leave his or her local church, and even to stop going entirely perhaps for months or longer.  The grey was immediately dismissed by some writers. Grey areas in scripture are those about which there is no specific dogmatic position. The Bible grants some liberty. Many Christians have recognized that grey areas include such things as dating, kissing drinking alcohol, clothing, music, movies, television, birth control, dancing, smoking, spending money, home schooling, working moms, etc. Every one of the topics mentioned above are either never specifically discussed in Scripture or are discussed only briefly.  People have argued about these because scripture does not specifically address them. Scripture does not teach that any of these things are categorically sinful. The liberty that is granted, however, is always to be practiced within the boundaries of other biblical principles that help to make good and righteous choices. The bottom line is whether one is glorifying the LORD by the action. It seems reasonable to me that a person may have to leave a local church. It seems sensible to me to grant liberty to that person, recognizing that having left a local church, they have not left Christ's large definition. And it seems responsible for me to pray that this person will become rooted with other local believing people so there will be ongoing spiritual nurture going both directions.