Living and Buying in a Fallen World

Richard Hollerman

The other day, I was in my car, driving not far from home. As I drove, I began to notice the shops along the way. As I saw these stores and establishments, I noticed their identifying names. Didn’t we live in a “Christian” nation? Didn’t we live in a respectable and honorable part of town? Didn’t our country profess to know God at least in a measure?

As I drove around the area, I wrote down some of what I saw. (Most of this was one after another and not scattered around—which surely would have increased the examples.) I suppose that the number could be increased a hundredfold but this is what I saw:

Smoke shop. What? Ever since the 1960s (and probably much earlier), we think that everyone knows that smoking is harmful to one’s health. Millions of people have not only been harmed themselves, their families, their working associates, and others, but have died from smoking tobacco and other tobacco-containing products. If this is true of America (with only 4% of the world populations), we know that there are other countries with a much higher rate of using tobacco. What about them?

Then there was “Pizza Hut” and we all know the damage that the pizza (and other nutrition-compromising non-foods) does to the well-being of the human body. But here this establishment was in plain sight! And millions of Americans succumb to the taste and aroma of this “food” source!

Next was “Cigar Lounge” and we earlier spoke of the dangers that tobacco poses to the human body. But, again, we ask, “Why was there such a place as this in plain sight when we all know that this harms the body? Wasn’t it plain to people?

After this was “J’s Restaurant” and we really don’t know what this place sold. But we do suspect that this was not a respectable and health-oriented place. We assume that this was a normal eating place where all sorts of high-fat, high-sodium, “white” items (white flour, white rice, white bread), and dangerous meat products are sold!

After this we came to a sign that said, “Liquors.” We know that there is a slight benefit in grapes but surely this place contained many, many venues that lead to drunkenness and other terrible sins. And this would lead to hell (cf. Galatians 5:19-21).

We then came to a place with the label outside that read, “Nails.” We can only image what is carried on in such a place. Is it a place that God would approve? Of course not. It must be a place where women (or perhaps men?) go to have their finger nails worked on. Surely this would be a violation of 1 Timothy 2:9-10; 1 Peter 3:3-4; and other places.

Again, we come to a location called “Smoke Shop.” We have noticed above the violation of such a place, from the standpoint of God and His Word. Why do we find this?

The next is called “Haircuts.” Although there may be some redeeming element here for there is a place for men to have someone to trim their hair, we assume that many women also frequent such a place, in violation of principles that we would find at 1 Corinthians 11:3-16.

We will not belabor this point (that could be increased tenfold or more), but we think that the point has been made that we may be living in a nation that professes Christ but, sadly, we find so much that must grieve His heart. At least a certain portion of the world population knows this.

Do you agree?