Growing up in a straight-laced family had its benefits:  conscientious parents, good enduring friends, hospitality, stability, and protective morality.  Hard work and integrity were DNA-like in their influence.  The thought of disappointing others was as compelling as the fear of going to Hell.

But the same things that functioned as a moral compass could also morph into something ugly.  Call it legalism or self-righteousness, it is the tendency to become superficial in regard to the big, nuclear virtues like love, compassion, and faithfulness.  Jesus called it “straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel.” Continue reading →