Have you ever experienced a Holiday experience called a “turducken”? This delicacy is a blend-word, or portmanteau is a term given to a duck, turkey, and chicken meal combination first made famous by John Maden in 1996 on Monday Night Football. The combination is a rich and indulgent meal. Although fun and fanciful to the senses, this never makes for a healthy meal. Too much of a good thing is not always a good thing. We love this for the Holiday Season, but how does this “blending” affect us in other areas of society?
In names, we have “Branjolina”. In art, we have “animatronics”. All very harmless and often cute. But what about when it comes to religious usage? Some would argue the need for portmanteaus in the practice of Christianity. Many seek a religious “experience” and truly believe one “can never have enough”. They often expound that the Bible does not warn about such practices, but it does. The Hebrews are evidence of this (Romans 15:4, NKJV). God cautions Israel immediately upon deliverance from Egypt to not have “other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). He knew in advance our temptation to take on other things that could and would condemn. Our Father in Heaven clearly states comingling of His commands and the desires of men are not acceptable (Colossians 2:22).
This is “will worship’, something which pleases the sense and ignores clear messages of obedience on High. We often hear the argument, “It is not clear on this subject like it is on other topics”. Really? Maybe, it is just a matter of how we decipher and understand Scripture (2 Timothy 2:15). For example, it took almost 1500 years before we saw a major influx in the use of instruments to accompany God’s music in the Church (Colossians 3:16, Ephesians 5:19). Why is that? Were there no instruments available? Maybe they were too expensive? Could it be no one was talented enough to perform? None of the premises are correct. God knew what He desired for worship in the past, present, and future (Deuteronomy 4:2). The Apostle Paul teaches us to love God and pursue what is best for us from a “pure” (non-blended) heart (1 Timothy 1:5- 7). What makes this possible is less pursuit of things that look good and are potentially fun for oneself, as well as trust and hope in God, which saves the soul (Isaiah 1:16-17). Give it some thought,
-Archie R. Green
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