Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Thursday September 13, 2007

For many years I religiously read the syndicated column written by the late Sidney J. Harris. He had a way with words, which is helpful if you are a writer.

Sidney loved to poke fun at the starched shirts, though he wore one, and today's quote is right up there with the best:

"Once we assuage our conscience by calling something a necessary evil, it begins to look more and more necessary and less and less evil."

Most preachers and Christians and I think the Jews have the same tendency to practice noting the evil in others and then a few enlightened ones look in the mirror and see themselves engaging in the same self deception.

If you want to engage in an interesting diversion take a pen and paper and begin making a list of the things you consider to be a "necessary evil" in your life.

The trouble with necessary evil is that this concept grows and this should not be a surprise to any student of the scriptures. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:9:

"A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump."

It dawned on me as I pasted the above verse that many of my younger readers do not have the remotest idea as to what leaven is or what it does. The nearest modern day baking ingredient is called yeast and when a little cake of yeast is added to bread dough in little warm while the yeast infiltrates the dough and it begins to swell, rise is the correct term, and you end up with a risen dough that should, when placed a properly heated oven, produce the best yeast rolls this side the city celestial. It is observable that many who hold a little "necessary evil" closely soon begin to swell up with pride, children out of wedlock and only the dictionary has enough words to describe all of the pain brought in the human race through engaging in practices considered a necessary evil.

The myriad of things we put up with and justify with the disclaimer, "Well, this is one of those necessary evils" are what Solomon called the little foxes that creep in and spoil the vine.

I have been actively around churches for 45 years and things that were considered abhorrent then, about 35 years ago became necessary evils to support the many ministries and now a generation later are not even listed as "necessary evils" but are considered "normal practice."

One group of men violated a clear command of scripture and justified it as a "necessary evil" to save the institution. Ole Sid had a good handle on things as the above practice is becoming more necessary and less evil.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with credit.

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