Dad’s Follow up on McDonald’s and the boycott

Comments

1. Perry C. says:

   August 10, 2008 at 8:50 pm

   Deanna thanks for the question!

   The short answer is I do believe the Sabbath still applies in some sense. This is not intended to be a complete apologetic for my Lord’s Day belief’s and practices, yet I hold that based on what we find in Genesis a one in seven day of rest is a creation ordinance (like monogamy) that must be honored by God’s people.

   How we honor it is another question. I suspect my answer will not satisfy you because (i think) you are approaching it from a Saturday-Sabbath perspective – feel free to corect me if I’m wrong.

   My answer is best summed up by other folks:

   Firstly I am influenced by The Westminster Divines in their WCF
   Chapter XXI

   Of Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Day

   VII. As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in His Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, He has particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him:[34] which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week: and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week,[35] which, in Scripture, is called the Lord’s Day,[36] and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.[37]

   VIII. This Sabbath is to be kept holy unto the Lord when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts about their wordly employments and recreations,[38] but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of His worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.[39]

   [34] EXO 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. ISA 56:2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. 4 For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant. 6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; 7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

   [35] GEN 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. 1CO 16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. ACT 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

   [36] REV 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet.

   [37] EXO 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. MAT 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

   [38] EXO 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. EXO 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. 25 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the Lord: to day ye shall not find it in the field. 26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 29 See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. 31:15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. ISA 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words. NEH 13:15 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. 16 There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. 19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. 21 Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. 22 And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.

   [39] ISA 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words.

   gratefully taken from http://www.reformed.org

   My views are then tempered by John Calvin and RJ Rushdoony. Calvin I quote below again from reformed.org and I recommend Rushdoony’s Institutes of Biblical Law which can be purchased from http://www.chalcedon.org

   M. Let us come to the fourth commandment.

   S. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.

   M. Does he order us to labor on six days, that we may rest on the seventh?

   S. Not absolutely; but allowing man six days for labor, he excepts the seventh, that it may be devoted to rest.

   M. Does he interdict us from all kind of labor?

   S. This commandment has a separate and peculiar reason. As the observance of rest is part of the old ceremonies, it was abolished by the advent of Christ.

   M. Do you mean that this commandment properly refers to the Jews, and was therefore merely temporary

   S. I do, in as far as it is ceremonial.

   M. What then? Is there any thing under it beyond ceremony?

   S. It was given for three reasons.

   M. State them to me.

   S. To figure spiritual rest; for the preservation of ecclesiastical polity; and for the relief of slaves.

   M. What do you mean by spiritual rest

   S. When we keep holiday from our own works, that God may perform his own works in us.

   M. What, moreover, is the method of thus keeping holiday?

   S. By crucifying our flesh, — that is, renouncing our own inclination, that we may be governed by the Spirit of God.

   M. Is it sufficient to do so on the seventh day?

   S. Nay, continually. After we have once begun, we must continue during the whole course of life.

   M. Why, then, is a certain day appointed to figure it?

   S. There is no necessity that the reality should agree with the figure in every respect, provided it be suitable in so far as is required for the purpose of figuring.

   M. But why is the seventh day prescribed rather than any other day?

   S. In Scripture the number seven implies perfection. It is, therefore, apt for denoting perpetuity. It, at the same time, indicates that this spiritualrest is only begun in this life, and will not be perfect until we depart from this world.

   M. But what is meant when the Lord exhorts us to rest by his own example?

   S. Having finished the creation of the world in six days: he dedicated the seventh to the contemplation of his works. The more strongly to stimulate us to this, he set before us his own example. For nothing is more desirable than to be formed after his image.

   M. But ought meditation on the works of God to be continual, or is it sufficient that one day out of seven be devoted to it?

   S. It becomes us to be daily exercised in it, but because of our weakness, one day is specially appointed. And this is the polity which I mentioned.

   M. What order, then, is to be observed on that day?

   S. That the people meet to hear the doctrine of Christ, to engage in public prayer, and make profession of their faith.

   M. Now explain what you meant by saying that the Lord intended by this commandment to provide also for the relief of slaves.

   S. That some relaxation might be given to those under the power of others. Nay, this, too, tends to maintain a common polity. For when one day is devoted to rest, every one accustoms himself to labor during the other days.

   M. Let us now see how far this command has reference to us.

   S. In regard to the ceremony, I hold that it was abolished, as the reality existed in Christ. (Colossians 2:17.)

   M. How?

   S. Because, by virtue of his death, our old man is crucified, and we are raised up to newness of life. (Romans 6:6.)

   M. What of the commandment then remains for us?

   S. Not to neglect the holy ordinances which contribute to the spiritual polity of the Church; especially to frequent sacred assemblies, to hear the word of God, to celebrate the sacraments, and engage in the regular prayers, as enjoined.

   M. But does the figure give us nothing more?

   S. Yes, indeed. We must give heed to the thing meant by it; namely, that being engrafted into the body of Christ, and made his members, we cease from our own works, and so resign ourselves to the government of God.

   Cheers

   PerryC

   Reply
2. Perry C. says:

   August 10, 2008 at 8:19 pm

   Sarah, on August 4th, 2008 at 11:27 pm Said (in part):

   ” What if we didn’t only talk about tough love? What if we cried with those who are gay when they lose someone they love? What if we shared a meal with them? What if we helped them when they were sick? What if we listened to them? I agree with and appreciate your post; and I realize that many believers are already demonstrating this kind of love. It just doesn’t get mentioned very often, and I want people to know that we are strong enough in our faith to reach out to a needy (please do not jump to condemn me for calling anyone else needy; we ALL have needs) world without embracing its value system for ourselves.”

   Sarah I couldn’t agree more. One of the ways the church made inroads into heathen cultures in the past is to build schools and hospitals. These were ways in which meeting the needs of the local population gave them opportunity to spread the Gospel by example and deed.

   Great points! Thanks

   Reply
3. Perry C. says:

   August 10, 2008 at 8:11 pm

   Anne, on August 3rd, 2008 at 10:43 am Said:
   “I am curious how you feel about 1 Cor 5:9-13?
   God never said we are not to associate with the immoral of the world, only those who are “Christian” and immoral.”

   Well Anne for one thing it’s why I am not a member of the ECUSA and no longer a member of the ELCA (that and being presbyterian).

   Seriously though – I didn’t join a boycott of homosexual people – unless they are Christan and then their churches ought to boycott them using this old fashioned procedure called “Church Discipline” if they don’t repent.

   I joined a boycott of a CORPORATION a business who uses their money to support non-profits that aggressively promote the gay and lesbian lifestyle. In free markets dollars vote. Now how to deal with unsaved homosexuals that’s a totally different question.

   Preach repentance unto life and show them an example of “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father” by how we treat them.

   The second great commandment still applies to gays and lesbians.

   Reply
4. Perry C. says:

   August 10, 2008 at 8:03 pm

   Erik Engstrom, on August 2nd, 2008 at 2:40 pm Said:

   “Well said friend. I look forward to enjoying a Whataburger with extra jalapenos with you sometime soon, Lord willing. Who needs McDonalds. Thank you for keeping sharp.

   Under the same mercy,”

   Erik,

   If I head that way maybe I can figure out how to bring one with me…..:D

   Keep the faith brother.

   Pc3

   Reply
5. Perry C. says:

   August 10, 2008 at 8:00 pm

   hm, on August 1st, 2008 at 11:56 pm Said (in part):
   “Just FYI have you looked into Fords? We bought one last year not knowing what they do with their money but it falls inline with McDonald’s and Walmart and to be honest they give more money than those two companies do……”

   hm,I don’t know if you’ve heard about this but earlier this year (i think) the AFA lifted their boycott of Ford (http://www.afa.net/emails/transform.asp?x=ford_031008&s=browser&y=2008&m=03)

   Personally I think the Ford boycott is a great example of why the AFA is an effective organizational tool for Christians to be aware of – although like your family we don’t buy new vehicles.

   Reply
6. Perry C. says:

   August 10, 2008 at 7:51 pm

   Folks I really should have made this #8 in my post.

   8.) It’s such and easy small thing to go somewhere else. It’s a relatively small sacrifice to choose another fast food restaurant in this day and age. (besides i prefer whataburger)

   Reply