You better be good for goodness sake!
Sure, that's Santa's line, but it's also exactly what the Pastor thinks. He sees good behavior as linked with belief. If you're really a follower of Jesus, he says, you'll keep things on the up and up and not go around sinning your little butt off. It's partly because God likes a well-behaved group of followers, but it's also because he wants to look good to outsiders. If Christians act all moral, loads more people are sure to join. Not a bad plan, actually.
Questions About Morality
- Why would God want people to behave a certain way?
- Are faith and morality tied together? Can believers do bad things? Can non-believers be morally upright citizens, too?
- Do the Pastor's thoughts on good behavior still influence us today? Are there things he thought were bad that we don't worry about so much? Or things we think are evil that he didn't think were such a big deal?