Reviving Blue Laws?

One of the baptist distinctives is separation of church and state. I think this tends to stretch that a bit. Christians disagree on this principle and even disagree on if the focus should be on Saturday or Sunday. I rest on Saturday, not because I agree with the Adventists, but because as a pastor, Sunday is an important work day for me. Many pastors take off Monday. It take the day off as a gift from God, not because I believe I am under the law and required to do it. Others would disagree with my position. It is not the government’s job to settle these theological disputes. That is also why I do not think it is the governments job to settle the theological disputes on religious exemptions over vaccines either.

I don’t have any issues with Blue Laws per se. But I am concerned with the thought process behind them sometimes. The author sums it up in the article as,

“Advocates for Blue Laws are admirably seeking public policies through which Christians might spiritually reinvigorate America as part of their vision for a more Christian society”

The issue is that policies will never spiritually reinvigorate anyone. It is only the Gospel and Christ that spiritually reinvigorates anyone. While that may seem to make perfect sense to many on here, it is definitely how too much of evegelicalism thinks in regard to this topic. If we can just outlaw abortion, liquor, drugs….. that somehow we can get the country back on track and blessed by God.

Christians in US are inconsistent re “Sabbath” avoidance practices:

• We read the paper
• Watch TV
• Go out to eat after church
• Travel
• Buy gas

Et cetera