Christians are united to a certain core body of beliefs that inherently define what Christianity is all about. They affirm the existence of God as a Trinity, the deity of Christ, human dignity and depravity, the Church, and so on.

But Christians are also divided regarding certain issues. One of the issues is how moral or ethical principles are supposedly related to certain standards we uphold. Must a girl wear a skirt in order to uphold the moral virtue of modesty? This might sound like an easy question to answer when you look at it at first blush. But, no! Of course not!

This is one issue among many others that I can only briefly touch on. Before I get started, it's always important to define our terms as carefully as possible. By standard, I mean a particular social practice that is binding on a person or group of people that has at least some moral basis to it.

The online dictionary gives a decent definition of what a principle is: "a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning."

For example, the principle, "Be generous towards others," is the basis for condemning acts of hoarding things for oneself and praising someone who shares what he has with others.

A virtue is a good character trait that is produced by good habits. Habits that are good can form good character. Love is a virtue and learning by practicing to love others - including those we really dislike - is a central way to becoming a loving person.

With that being said, I should note that I am not intending to present my views on these issues but simply to help you consider them carefully for yourself.

Issues of Conscience

There's a famous passage in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 8) where the Apostle Paul considers the problem of eating food that was sacrificed to idols. Paul says that those who know better with a stronger conscience shouldn't engage in eating food sacrificed to idols because it could cause the weaker Christians to stumble in their faith.

In essence, stronger believers are not to eat food that was sacrificed to idols in the presence of others whose consciences are weakened.

But, as I hope you'll see, there are some important questions that don't seem to be addressed in this chapter, such as the following that don't directly relate to Paul's issue:

(1) Am I responsible for causing a weaker Christian to stumble if I'm unaware of their struggle?

(2) How do we tell the difference between issues of conscience (that aren't intrinsically wrong) and things that are inherently wrong?

(3) How do we settle disagreements among fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as far as what counts as an issue of conscience vs something inherently wrong?

These questions are designed to be general enough to address questions about drinking, watching R rated movies, certain social behaviors involving the opposite sex, certain music one listens to, and what books one reads.

Moreover, in reference to standards, consider the fact that people of good conscience disagree over what standards to enforce in the home about raising their children.

I think it's reasonable to say that one should not try forcing someone to do something that they in good, sincere conscience cannot do. Or by condemning someone for a standard that you disagree with, that they enforced in good conscience.

Consider the issue of dating. When should parents allow their children to engage in romantic relationships with the opposite sex? Is there a legitimate cutoff point? Is a child not "ready" to date if he/she is mature enough but isn't 18 yet?

These are not easy questions to answer and it's my view that reasonable and wise parents (assuming they've thought it through carefully) should not be criticized when they allow their children to date if we disagree with their standards.

Generosity and Purity

The Bible praises generous and joyful giving (2 Corinthians 9:7) and those who uphold purity in general (Matthew 5:8) and in sexuality (1 Thessalonians 4:3; Romans 13:13). But we still have a problem. What standards are we to enforce in order to uphold these particular virtues? Are we justified in whatever standards? And, must we justify our standards to others?

Two fathers might love to donate to charity and tithe (whether tithing is itself - it is not the same as giving - a command from Scripture is another issue altogether that I cannot address here) but does it follow they should give the same amount each week or month?

A young man and girl might mightily struggle to abstain from sex if they're alone together in a room as opposed to another couple who have the strength to abstain despite both having the same level of attraction for each other.

Are both couples obligated to avoid being in the same room despite one being weak vs the other being strong in order to uphold sexual purity?

Should guys and girls be obligated to avoid intimate non-sexual contact (full hugs) in order to uphold sexual purity? Many people disagree.

Let me clarify a potential misunderstanding here. I do not claim that these complex issues imply that moral truths are therefore relative or not true for everyone. What a moral virtue and principle are will always be universally true for everyone. However, it doesn't follow that every standard is necessarily universally binding for everyone. Some are and some are not.

Next time I will suggest some ways of working through these problems. Until then, stay tuned!