This morning I read a section in The Amish Way discussing the prohibition of business on Sunday and it reminded me of a similar practice in the Holiness churches I grew up in.
The Holiness people lived by a strict set of behavioral and clothing rules they called the holiness standards. Not Amish-level strict, but they made folks noticeable. These were (nearly) universal and violation of the standards was considered sin.
There were also some disagreements between churches about rules considered at the level of holiness standards—wedding rings, for example. Jewelry was universally held to be sinful. Some folks made exceptions, though, for wedding rings. Fellowship was typically continued in the spirit of “agree to disagree.” At the same time, while some of the strictest churches would fellowship with some of the less-strict ones, they might not allow members of those less-strict churches on their pulpit (also known as the “platform” in other churches).
(Aside: Rachel and I were not married with wedding rings. When we left those churches, we bought first a cheap JC Penney set and then a set from a divorced friend. We wore them for a few years but we never had an emotional connection to them. And they were uncomfortable. So for the last several years we’re once again ringless. In all those ringless years, not a single woman has tried to pick me up! So strange!)
So there were universal standards and standards about which there was disagreement. There were also “personal convictions.” These were matters of conscience for an individual, and were not to be imposed on others. Depending on the person and the strength of the conviction, they may or may not have believed that it was a matter of sin if they failed in them. A classic example here is the refusal to eat in a restaurant that severed alcohol.
Another example was “Sunday dealing,” a.k.a., buying or selling on the Sabbath. For people who held this conviction, it also necessarily entailed the refusal of Sunday work. There were also some people who refused to work on Sunday but would certainly go to Long John Silver’s after church. Let a thousand flowers bloom.
The ban on Sunday dealing was always a minority position in my time there and I suspect it is held by even fewer now. I don’t say this with any blame, simply with interest in how these things change over time.
Though taking a day off the money economy probably wouldn’t be the worst thing…