Andy Naselli's "Romans 14 Issues" - Which have answers in the Bible?

Having written about the meaning of the Romans 14 and 1 Cor 7-10 texts, I have been preparing to discuss the practical application of the understanding I’ve presented. A couple years ago, Andy Naselli gave a sermon on Romans 14.



It was discussed on SharperIron here: Andy Naselli: How to Disagree with Other Christians about Disputable Matters. Andy gave a long list of “disputable matters,” which I have transcribed (below).



HERE’S WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO:



After each “disputable matter,” I have put “# The Bible commands this” and “# The Bible forbids this.” I want you to replace the # with a number according to this grading scale:





0 = The Bible doesn’t say this at all - No one thinks that it does.
1 = I’ve never heard of anyone who thinks this, but I can imagine it.
2 = I have heard of believers who see this, but no one I know applies it that way.
3 = There is a Biblical argument for this; I know believers who do it with a clear sense of obeying Scripture.
4 = There is a Biblical argument for this; I apply it that way - for myself.
5 = This is explicit in Scripture - or obviously by principle. It is NOT a “disputable matter.”





I’d love it if a bunch of you did all 100 questions.



––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––—



For Example, here’s how I would fill a few of these out:



Education
homeschool?
3 The Bible commands this. (Some in my church do this in obedience to Scripture.)
0 The Bible forbids this. (I don’t think that I know of anyone who thinks the Bible forbids HomeSch.)



public school?
4 The Bible commands this.
3 The Bible forbids this.
(On School, I know people who see Scripture commanding public school, and others who see it commanding HomeSchool)



or drink alcohol in moderation?
1 The Bible commands this. (I suppose someone could say that communion elements shouldn’t be changed.)
3 The Bible forbids this.



Epidural or natural?
0 The Bible commands this.
0 The Bible forbids this.
(I don’t think the Bible commands or forbids this.)



––––––- Don’t use [Quote: ; Just copy and paste what is below. ––––––-



Sabbath
how should Christians treat Sunday?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



is it ok to go to a public restaurant?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or shop at a grocery store?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or watch a football game?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or play a football game?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or do yard work?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or work for pay?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Entertainment
should we play video games?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or go to movie theaters?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or watch movies?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or tv?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or read novels like the Harry Potter series?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Language
what kind of language is wrong - what is inappropriate?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



is it ok to say words like shoot or darn or gosh or other euphemisms?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



is it wrong to watch a film or read a book that uses a curse word?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Dress
what’s appropriate and what is modest?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



how dressed up should we be for a Sunday morning service?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



how should we dress throughout the week?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



should men wear hats inside a building?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or [men wear hats: while praying?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



may ladies wear make-up?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



and jewelry?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



If so, what kind and how much?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



may men have facial hair?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



may ladies wear pants?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



shorts?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



sleeveless?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



how tight is too tight?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



how short is too short?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



may guys and girls swim together?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



what should wear if we go swimming?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



what about body piercing?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



33-and tattoos?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Smoking and Drinking
may we occasionally smoke cigars?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or drink alcohol in moderation?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Money
should Christians give more than 10% of their gross income to their church?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



is it ever ok to be in debt?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



should christians live as frugally as possible so that they can give away the rest to advance the gospel throughout the world?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



what size home should we live in?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



how much money should we put in savings now?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



and how much should we give away immediately?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Holidays
should we celebrate halloween?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



should we go trick or treating and give out candy in our neighborhood?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



should we participate in Easter egg hunts?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



should we open presents on Christmas day?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



should we have a Christmas tree?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



should parents perpetuate the Santa Claus myth and not get credit for presents that they selected, paid for, and wrapped?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Having Children
when should married couples start having children?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



how many children should they have?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



may they use non-abortive forms of birth-control?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



should they have a homebirth or hospital birth?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Doula or doctor?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Epidural or natural?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Parenting
is attachment parenting ok?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



should we follow the book Growing Kids God’s Way and immediately put kids on a strict schedule?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



when should parents start disciplining their children?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



exactly how should they discipline their children?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



should they feed their children only organic food?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



is it ok to eat fast food?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Chick-fil-a (Christian fast food)?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



should parents give their children primarily homeopathic medicine?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



is it ok to use antibiotics?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Education
homeschool?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



public school?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



private school?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



private Christian school?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Guy-Girl relationships
dating or courtship?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



when may such relationships begin?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



how much parental involvement should there be?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



how far is too far in a physical relationship prior to marriage?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Church meetings
how often should a church meet?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



only Sunday AMs?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



is saturday night ok?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



should it be Sunday AM, PM and Wed PM?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



are multiple services with the same sermon ok?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



may a church have more than one campus and display the preaching on a screen by a video?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



should churches have small groups?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Sunday School?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or organized programs for evangelism?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Teaching about the end times
are the Left Behind novels theologically accurate?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



must we embrace a pretribulational rapture?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Music
should we avoid certain music because of its associations?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



and/or its morality?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



is a rock beat bad?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



what about some forms of Christian hip-hop?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



what forms of dancing are acceptable?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



what instruments should a church use in their services?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



what songs should they sing - primarily psalms and old hymns?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



should the singing be only congregational?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or may it include prepared music such as vocal solos?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



when Christians worship God through singing is it a good thing to express themselves physically such as lifting up their hands or clapping?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Bible Translations
should we use only the KJV?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or ESV?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



is the NIV ok?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or the NLT?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Politics
should we vote for only republican or democratic candidates?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



is abortion such a paramount evil that we should be single-issue voters?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



is a democratic republic the least worst system of government?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



is capitalism better than socialism?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



how should we think about immigration?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or gun control?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or Fox News?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or Rush Limbaugh?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



or Rachel Maddow?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



Environment -
how should we care for God’s world?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



should we recycle?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



how should we think about global warming?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.



is it ok to have an SUV?
# The Bible commands this.
# The Bible forbids this.