Featured Traditions of the Elders

The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the TRADITION OF THE ELDERS. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other TRADITIONS, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)

So, the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the TRADITION OF THE ELDERS instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely HUMAN RULES.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to HUMAN TRADITIONS.”

Jesus continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe TRADITIONS OF MEN. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God) then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. Thus, you nullify the Word of God by your TRADITIONS HANDED DOWN.” [Mark 7]

Many of us Fundamentalists have been infected with "TRADITONS OF THE ELDERS", that is, rules, standards, practices that were accepted/promoted by a previous generation but are not given or implied in the Word of God. Some are relatively harmless and more of "preference" or "we've always done it this way". Others are spiritually dangerous, leading some to follow such man-made ideas as a measure or a means of supposed godliness.

We should be able to look at these traditions oft-promoted in Fundamental Baptist circles and laugh or weep. And maybe learn from open discussion on how such TRADITIONS OF MEN have harmed the Fundamentalist movement.

 

"We don't dance or drink or chew
Or date the girls that do."

 

Church traditions NOT in the Bible to bemoan or chuckle at found in many Baptist churches:
[these are not all BAD; they have just become a habit passed on by tradition of the elders]

Communion only 1st Sunday of Month
Communion using Welchade and oyster crackers
Sunday Worship at 11 am
Sing verses 1,2, and 4 of each song (ignore the ophan v. 3)
Pass the plate offering by the 'Hushers'
National flag on platform and singing patriotic songs
Week of Evangelistic Meetings each Fall
Mission Conference each Spring
Hand-raising at invitation, never during singing or prayer
Coats/Ties for men, dresses for women

 

Three wives? Three Chevy's? Three Bibles? Three tithes?

Inquiring minds ...

 

Visited a church recently and they use grape flavor-aid (too cheap to even use real Kool-Aid), an Confd stale saltines. Truly hard to feel spiritual about such.

But still closer than the Youth Conference in San Diego in 1971 where they served Pizza and Pepsi . . . for real.

 

If they wanted to just use common elements of everyday life (their claim to why Jesus used "stuff on hand" during Passover), then they should have had milk and wonder bread.

 

Assumed it was some famous BBF type like Jack Hyles, Tom Malone, John R Rice, Bob Gray, et al. But disheartened that he didn't make it "Seven fit for Heaven"

1. Sunday School
2. A.M. Worship
3. Training Union
4. P.M. Service
5. Mid-Week Bible Study
6. Thursday Soul Winning
7. Saturday Bus Calling

 

Expensive, but I've used those when taking mission trips, Israel trips, etc.

My son pastors in Obamaland with horrific Covid regs on churches. They STILL have to have "individually packaged" juice and wafer.

BUT they are an inner-city mission church so have ladies meet ahead to time and put caps on little medicine cups of "mystery juice" and break up crackers and wrap in saran wrap - all by hand, touching and coughing on the elements.

AND then they pass them on trays down the rows with people touching everything

OBEY the letter of the government overreach mandate, while dissing the spirit of the so-called law