ARTICLES WRITTEN FOR THE GLASGOW DAILY TIMES BY PASTOR MIKE PADGETT


What If...

What if we lived in a perfectly honest society where everyone did what they agreed to do and what the law demanded? Wouldn’t that make for a much cleaner cultural environment in which to develop relationships?



If everyone upheld the principles of honesty, everything were black or white and there were no shades of gray, life would be so much easier. If all things could be decided absolutely and there were no room for disagreement or argument about truth, life would be less complicated.



In some ways we make or choose our own environment in which we function. In a highly mobile society, we can choose to move to a community where our values match the values that are prevalent. Even within a diverse cultural setting we can maintain our own identity and enforce our convictions in our sphere of authority.



Our children have the opportunity to grow up in a culture of our choosing as parents and thus obtain that particular background and foundation for their lives. Our example and our conscience efforts to influence them goes a long way in their development.



Nearly nine out of ten parents of children under age 13 (85%) believe they have the primary responsibility for teaching their children about religious beliefs and spiritual matters, according to a Barna study ( www.barna.org ).



And nearly all parents of children under the age of 13 (96%) contend that they have the primary responsibility for teaching their children values. Just one percent said their church has that task and another one percent assigned that role to the child's school.



But what if.... but what if we in Glasgow/Barren County are relying too much on the “Bible Belt Culture” to train our children and maintain the Biblical standard? What if we only give lip service to the necessity of parents teaching their children values? What if the society we have chosen is plastic? What if things are not the way they seem? What if it is “a front”? What if on the inside our community is not true to the truth it expounds?



What if parents teach one standard and live by another standard? What if certain groups and individuals are allowed to “skirt the issues”, “live above the law” and get away with things that are clearly contrary to the “preached”, publicized and legalized local norm? What if certain people are mistreated and demeaned because they are “not from around here”? Or, they are the “wrong color” or don’t speak our language?



What if our children learn the truth? What if they see through the “acting”? What if they begin to hate the hypocrisy exhibited by the adults that surround them? How will they react?



As a parent and as a born again believer in Jesus Christ, I desire my life to be transparent and true to the principles and teachings of my Lord. I desire truth in my life and the life of my family. I desire my community to expound and maintain a consistent standard that is Biblical.



It is our privilege, it is our mandate, it is our right in the United States of America to speak out and to demand certain standards in our community and of those who govern us and who pretend to direct us. It is only the truthful thing to expect that the local laws and the local cultural convictions be maintained even at the most lucrative events and in the most elite locations.



As believers in Glasgow/Barren County, we have some difficult days ahead. Will we expect our community officials to enforce the laws on the books and maintain the Biblical cultural standards we have long enjoyed or will we stick our heads in the sand and play like nothing is wrong?



We can decide to go with the flow and change the laws like other counties near us. We can continue to play like everything is all right in “Mayberry” and accept the “practice” of ignoring certain laws and activities when it is convenient and profitable. Or we can demand the consistent enforcement of the law and the maintenance of the “Bible Belt Standard”.



What if... what if we stood for what is right and stood against what is wrong and did it very publicly, consistently and vocally? What if all the pastors and preachers would stand on the Word of God and preach it straight and preach it long?



What if laymen and deacons and politicians and Sunday School teachers demanded that consistency be the order of the day instead of expediency and compromise? What if no matter where we were in state or out of state, in county or out of county, our lifestyle remained consistent with the Biblical values we pretend to embrace at home?



What if... what if you find a problem or an inconsistency in our community or in your personal life? Will you simply ignore it and “live and let live”? Take a stand. Walk the talk. Rock the boat. Speak up Glasgow/Barren County Christian! What if you don’t? Where will we be in ten years?




Pastor Mike Padgett
E-mail: mpadgett@glasgow-ky.com
Church Web Site: www.GlasgowBible.org
Phone: 270-678-5972