The bible is very clear in both OT and NT how believers should respond to pagan and worldly practices:

“Deu 12:1-4 NIV84 These are the decrees and laws you must be careful to follow in the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess—as long as you live in the land. (2) Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains and on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. (3) Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places. (4) You must not worship the LORD your God in their way.”

There is now a growing trend towards adopting pagan practices, but “doing them for Jesus”! Have the lines become so grey now that people cannot discern the difference between pagan and God-honouring? Are our sinful actions nullified provided our intention are honourable? I cannot help but wonder how the Israelites would have responded if one of their people decided to erect an Asherah pole (like the pagan nations around them), but with the stated purpose of worshipping Yahweh; the notion would have been so ridiculous back then, that I’m fairly certain the leaders would have ordered them to be chopped down with all the others!

We cannot take a pagan religious practice and “Christianise” it. The scripture above instructs not to “worship the LORD your God in their way”. Simple right? Consistently however, we see professing Christians adopting that same twisted mindset, yet culturally we seem very tolerant of such whacky notions. Try to point out the error of such thinking and you will be quickly labelled as a legalist, probably followed by an insinuation that you are “weak in the faith” and “don’t understand the freedom you have in Christ”.

How far we have fallen as professing believers. Those who try to live in obedience to the word are frowned upon and ostracised… whilst “easy-believism”…”greasy grace”…anything goes “provided we give God the glory”…or “our heart tells us it’s right” – are the commonly accepted norm.

So where does this slippery path of “Christianising Pagan Practices” lead? We see Eastern religious practices like Yoga widely accepted in churches. Does placing the word “Christian” in front of Yoga make it pleasing and acceptable in the eyes of the Lord? We see Christians celebrating detestable occult festivals like Halloween and clearing their consciences because they intend to glorify God through their actions on the evening? We see Christians participating in “colour runs” – the new global phenomenon which has Hindu origins to a demonic entity at its core, but because it is being done for “a good cause”, we embrace it?

We seem to have a misconception that sinful actions have an expiry date; that somehow despite having pagan origins long ago, the passing of time has removed the occult stigma. One has to look no further than Christmas to see that played out. I find it amazing that the “biggest event on the Christian calendar” has pagan origins – yet we who profess to be disciples of Christ watch idly while the world makes a mockery of the birth of our Saviour. Hijacked by commercialism and a little fat bearded man in a red suit, we host lavish parties with gluttony, excess and alcohol, make ourselves guest of honour (it’s all about my presents !) and all this in the name of Jesus…who detests those things!

Perhaps we would do well to be reminded that we are called to be Holy, set-apart, in the world but not part of it, not conforming to the patterns of this world, or following the detestable practices of those around us.

NO, we cannot just put the word “Christian” in front of any practice and assume that makes it right. The most radical example I’ve found summarises what I’m trying to communicate. I have found a YouTube clip which shows “Christian pole-dancing”…really? Pole-dancing for Jesus? Oh my goodness, whatever next…