Christians sometimes fall prey to wrongly seeing everything in two categories: the good and the evil. If we think something is a good (mistakenly or not) we tend to think that, in all circumstances, we should have it, and then any claim to moderation is a limitation on the good itself. Conversely, if we deem something less good, it becomes evil in our eyes. There is a better way. Virtue is often a balance between excess (too much) and defect (not enough). Some things are unequivocally evil, like adultery, but most things are not good or bad based on the thing itself, but rather on how you partake in it.
We share lesser goods with unbelievers, not in how we do them – Christians feast to the glory of God, or ought to, while unbelievers do so to the glory of some other god – but things that are natural goods are open to all. The “world” that John warns us against is the world of flesh and the devil, and not the world of common, earthly goodnesses, such as art, food, human love, and a good beer.
The more liberal Christians (not the woke church Christians, but the more in-house “worldly” ones), feel judged, since after all, often what they are partaking in is not evil. Enjoying some Taylor Swift might not be a moral offense (it could be unwise). However, if you are partaking in and agreeing with her explicit praise of evil i.e. the music video of You Need to Calm Down, then you would be in sin. There is a fine line between the sinful and unwise, and this group should be more cautious to steer clear of both.
Conversely, the conservatives sometimes seeing lesser goods as something evil, think any connection with such things is a moral wrong, and thus lose the right to speak with wisdom to the culture around them. “All things are lawful for me,” writes Paul, “but not all things are helpful,” which is something those with conservative tendencies should bear in mind.
The joy of this balanced view is the ability to give up a lesser good, not because it is bad, but to achieve more of a greater good. Food is a good which should be fully enjoyed; therefore, some people think that any limitations on food must be evil, and yet our Lord wants us to fast (Matt. 6:16) which is a letting go of a lesser good for the greater good of encountering God more fully through the volitional act of self-denial. This is why historically the church fasted during Advent and Lent. Sacrificing lawful pleasures can be a way to realign the soul (and maybe you’ll find you are better off without some of them).
As the Advent season begins, I will be joyfully giving up beer, fasting from certain foods, and not watching movies. Not because those things are bad, actually, they are goods to be enjoyed (in moderation), but so I can better experience the greater good by focusing on the longing for the incarnation. Then at the feast of Christmas, wine will be flowing and sweets will be eaten in celebration of the King who has come.
Enjoy lesser goods when you can do so in good conscience. Remember that they are not the goal of life, only a gift for earthly enjoyment. And when the time comes to let go of those things to more clearly focus on the greatest good of knowing God with fewer distractions, do so in a spirit of joy, knowing that great will be your reward.
Reflective Wanderer 