Off with the beard!

A former pastor of mine would go cat fishing on Sunday afternoons between the AM and PM services to think and relax. That is until some jackleg complained to the deacons. The deacons supported him but he refused to go anymore because he didn't want to be a stumbling block. I could understand his reasoning but I'm not sure I agreed with him. I would imagine this had nothing to do with being a stumbling block. More so, it was about controlling the pastor. Same goes for the beard thing and cutting the grass on Sunday, etc.

 

Don't people in the pew think that giving sermons on Sunday is not a workday for pastors?

 

I suppose they would say it's God's work. Then they go out to eat and make people serve them at a restaurant.

 

Isn't there complaint much like Jesus picking grain on the sabbath?

 

This pastor sounds like a gem. He was willing to forego an trifling, vain and non-essential activity so that the he could present the truth of the Gospel without hindrance. He showed that he loved this individual. We need more men like that in our churches—especially in the pulpit.

 

Aaron if you want to be controlled by some little old lady in the church then by all means be my guest.

 

Who is Lord? Man or God?

Who decides what we should or should not do? Man or God?

Are you wanting to please man, or God?

 

The Beard, Listen To These Sermon's Fully And Read This Info Fully, Then Comment!

http://playmp3.sa-media.com/media/8130715917/8130715917.mp3

http://playmp3.sa-media.com/media/88071715/88071715.mp3

http://playmp3.sa-media.com/media/1210362019/1210362019.mp3

http://playmp3.sa-media.com/media/7130895486/7130895486.mp3

Here Is Every Reference To The Beard In Scripture Starting With The New Testament Decending Through To The Old Testament!
Beard
Leviticus 19:27
Isaiah 50:6
Ezekiel 5:1
Jeremiah 48:37
Jeremiah 41:5
Isaiah 53:5
Isaiah 15:2
Ezra 9:3
2 Samuel 19:24
Leviticus 20:13
Leviticus 14:9
1 Peter 3:4
2 Corinthians 5:21
1 Corinthians 15:1-58
1 Corinthians 14:34
1 Corinthians 11:14
Acts 18:18
Acts 2:38
Luke 3:1-38
Matthew 1:1-25
Ezekiel 44:20
Jeremiah 49:32
Jeremiah 25:23
Jeremiah 9:26
Isaiah 53:1-12
Isaiah 7:20
Ecclesiastes 9:6
Ecclesiastes 1:1-18
Proverbs 20:29
Psalm 133:2
Job 1:20
2 Samuel 10:4
1 Samuel 21:13
Judges 13:5
Deuteronomy 22:5
Deuteronomy 14:1-29
Numbers 6:18
Numbers 6:5
Leviticus 21:5
Leviticus 19:1-37
Leviticus 11:7
Exodus 21:1-36
Genesis 41:14
Genesis 5:1-32
Genesis 3:19
Genesis 1:27
Genesis 1:1-31

Here Is Some More Beard Research,
[SIZE=+4]To have a beard, or not to--[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+4]what saith the Bible?[/SIZE]
or
[SIZE=+2]Not by the Hair of Their Chiny, Chin, Chins![/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]By Herb Evans[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]Ezra 9:3[/SIZE]
'[SIZE=+1]I rent my garment and my mantle,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]and sat down astonied.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Job 1:20, 22[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]"Then Job arose, and rent his mantle,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground,[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]and worshipped...ln all this Job sinned not[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Crusading for, or against, beards is not much to our interest. We think it is a brother's business whether to shave his beard/head or not. Still, a little booklet, Why Do I Wear a Beard?, by a good brother, has prompted us to write on the matter. At first, the booklet makes it seem like it is only providing a rebuttal to overzealous detractors of beard wearers. Still, seemingly under Amish or Mennonite influence, the booklet slyly ends up concluding that it is wrong, effeminate, and unscriptural for Christian men to shave.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+2]GOD GROWS THE BEARD ARGUMENT[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]The English have an argument that if God had wanted us to have a decimal system He would have chosen "ten," rather than "twelve" disciples. The booklet uses this kind of reasoning, maintaining that God put facial hair on the male and not on the female (obviously, the writer has little contact with other than Anglo-Saxon females). Well, God also put hair on a man's head, causing it to grow as long as a woman's, if left alone. Still, man is expected to cut his hair to keep it from getting long (Ezek. 44:20, 1 Cor. 11:14). As far as God "silently" ordaining the beard to be a gender distinction, the only admonitions which we find, in the word of God, are clothing distinctions and the length of one's head hair. (We hope that our women do not refrain from "shaving" their legs and underarms, just because God put it there.)[/SIZE][SIZE=+1][/SIZE]
[SIZE=+2]THE FATHERS WORE BEARDS ARGUMENT[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Another argument, in the booklet, or wearing beards, is that the great old time preachers wore beards. Well, that would be called "tradition." But then the great old time preachers also wore their hair long. The booklet, in regard to hippies, says, "We are not to stop doing right just because a wrong group does a right thing in the wrong way." Well, we are not going to stop doing anything because a right group (old time preachers) did a wrong thing (long hair) and a neutral thing (beards) while preaching the right thing.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+2]THE BEARDLESS EGYPTIAN ARGUMENT[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]The booklet tells us that ancient paintings show Egyptians clean shaven, due to their pagan religion, and Israelites with beards, due to their obedience to God. This, we are told, is why Joseph, the compromiser, shaved before appearing before Pharaoh (Gen. 41:14). We are not told whether Joseph also compromised by changing his raiment, in order to appear before Pharaoh, to satisfy a pagan practice.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]While correct about Jews wearing beards, the warped truth, in regard to the Egyptians not wearing beards, is skewed, to say the least. Often, the Egyptian slaves and lower classes may not have worn beards, but the Pharaoh's certainly did, as is evidenced, by ancient pictures and unearthed mummy coffins, with the Pharaoh's bearded (rectangular) likeness carved upon them. The booklet does not tell us why Lev. 18:3 applies to shaved, unbearded Egyptians (not to do after the doings of the land of Canaan and Egypt) but does not apply to bearded Egyptians, Canaanites, and Assyrians.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+2]THE DEMONS WORE BEARDS ARGUMENT[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]The appeal to the demonic beings of Rev. 9:7-9, is the silliest argument, which we have heard. It amounts to a real strain to produce a proof-text. We are confident that these devils were not trying to uphold God's human distinctions, between men and women, if because they had the faces as of men means that they wore beards. For they surely had hair as of women's hair. Teeth as of lions. Shapes likened unto horses. Locust wings. Tails like unto scorpions. They remind us more of a duckbill platypus.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+2]THE JEWISH BEARD ARGUMENT[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]The booklet argues Jewish beards. But rather than a command for Jews to wear beards, which there isn't, there is only a command not to round the corners of their beards or heads (Lev. 19:27, 21:5). Simply, no bowl haircuts and no Egyptian or Hollywood beards. This command neither assumes a rule against shaving the face nor shaving the head. Are beard wearers consistent with not trimming or cutting the corners of their beards, thus resembling shaggy, orthodox Jews or should they be expected to keep quiet? Still, Jewish typology, ceremony, and ordinances do not apply to Gentiles, unless issues of idolatry and morality are involved (Acts 21:25).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+2]THE AMMONITE INSULT ARGUMENT[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Another argument that is used against "shavers" is the fact that Hanun insulted God's people by shaving off half of David's messengers' beards and bared their buttocks (2 Sam. 10:4, 5; 1 Chron. 19:4, 5). The writer does not say why shaving off half the beard is worse than shaving off the whole beard, which would make them altogether wrong, effeminate, and unscriptural, rather than only half wrong, effeminate, and unscriptural. We suspect Hanun knew more about marring the corners of Jewish beards than any anti-shaver.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+2]THE TYPOLOGY ARGUMENT[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]The booklet takes great pains to demonstrate a typology that is always negative, in regard to shaving. It, still, ignores the passages, in which the actual shaving off of "all" body hair is not bad but good. Actually, the typology of shaving off one's body hair is in the same vein, as sackcloth and ashes, a sign of repentance or remorse (Ezra 9:3; Job 1:20, 22; Jer. 41:5; 48:7; Acts 21:24) and a type of cleansing (Lev. 14:8, 9; Num. 6:9, 18, 19; 8:7). Even God and the son of man (Ezekiel) are barbers, cleansing the land (Isa. 7:20 and Ezek. 5:1).[/SIZE][SIZE=+1][/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]We, therefore, conclude there isn't a scriptural demand one way or the other.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]We can't allow Mennonite/Amish fetishes to be imposed on us.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Not by the hair of their chiny, chin, chins![/SIZE]

 

Ninja, my response isn't a Scripture quote, but rather hearkens to logic.

Herb Evans is nuts.

If he argues against something, it's probably fine.

 

Ok, I'm finally convinced that the lady that sells books at my Christian bookstore is not acting contrary to Scripture because she has a mustache. However, there is a lager issue looming over the heads of many of the readers of this forum!!!

Cats are not mentioned in Scripture. There is absolutely no biblical approval of the ownership of cats. And don't sugar-coat the issue by saying that tigers and lions are cats. That's a straman and you know it.

Repent of your cat ownership.
:laugh:

 

We seem to justify those things which we do even when outside the realm of the Bible.

1. Wearing a beard is a matter of separation. Come out from among them and be ye separate. Do you realize that if you wear a beard you put yourself in the same camp as every Islamic teacher and leader, who must wear a beard. You might be mistaken for a Muslim. It is a matter of separation. Learn not the way of the heathen.

2. Have you ever heard the ditty:
"God treats all men equal and fair.
Some have brains; others have hair."

Therefore don't grow a beard; it only adds to your academic plight. :laugh:

 

Bald men are always jealous of other men's beards.

Isn't that right, Saheb Spurgeon?

Cheers,

Jim