When the Bicycle Threatened the Church
In 1896, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church condemned bicycling on Sunday for enticing parishioners away from church and violating the Fourth Commandment:
The Sabbath, the Lord’s Day of rest for the body, and of worship for the soul, is especially threatened by many unscriptural innovations…Sunday bicycle pleasure riding…
Hard to imagine in our modern world isn’t it? I can’t remember the last time I heard someone describe the bicycle as such an amazing innovation that it puts the Sabbath in jeopardy 
But to me, this passage isn’t just an interesting bit of history. It speaks volumes about how the Church reacts to innovation at times. Instead of embracing it and looking for ways to leverage it, we feel threatened.
Can you think of examples where today’s Church is reacting in a similar way?
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This is from the “Believe it or not” file. This past summer we were looking for a new meeting place and several of them had low ceilings. I said something about it not working because we would be unable to use the Power Point, etc. Someone piped up: “the church got along for years without that we can do it again!” Yikes! Gave me goosebumps to think of hymnbooks, etc. I am still shuddering. Fortunately, no place worked out. Dodged a bullet on that one.
Bobby. I am a daily reader, but comment very rarely. This may be one of the best posts to date. I have too many examples to cite - some funny, some silly, and some just plain sad. Let me just say that I have worked in many environments where innovation is often mocked and ridiculed as an unnecessary activity. It just really makes me sad that churches are often so behind the curve and resistant to innovation. It is almost laughable when they do finally come on board, generally several years too late.
The older I get the more ecclesiastical the world gets… at least through my own eyes. That is good stuff!
I don’t really know if this qualifies as an innovation or an epiphany, but partnership among churches is one of the biggest mind-hurdles I see in today’s Church. Wherever your church stands on the “Traditional - Modern” spectrum working with churches and understanding we’re all working toward the same goal is difficult.
I’ve heard it termed Kingdom-mindedness.
This is definitely something to pray for.
Now for one that will scare you, break your heart, and still at some level just the ubsurdity of it will make you laugh here’s a news story from AP on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FkbgeR8LKs&feature=player_embedded
I wonder what they might think of YouVersion?
I don’t think it should be an all-or-nothing proposition. As a church we don’t have to chose between rejecting innovation or embracing it. Instead, we should measure everything carefully by the scriptures. Clearly banning biking was a exegetical stretch – and as such, that particular condemnation holds no water today. It makes a lot of sense looking back, but I wonder if it would have been as clear if you were there in that day.
Clearly technology and the Internet is a major innovation and challenge for those of us who do church. I’ve been exploring the implications on my blog if anyone is interested. http://www.thejakers.com/tag/digitalists
Other examples I have found are the church’s condemnation of forks and anesthesia.
The sad part is that people who reject innovation for the status quo fail to realize that the things they currently accept (e.g., buildings, hymnals, Sunday school) were at one time rejected as needless innovation.
For the longest time I think music was the taboo thing that was not allowed in the church. I still see a lot this today, but it seems that more churches are starting to embrace the idea that there is no such thing as Christian music, just the label. But I still think that music is highly contested innovation.
This is a great dialogue for the haters of the multi-site movement. I have been in dialogue with a lot of the organic, hippy, homechurch type guys. They say these multi-sites are not biblical and are destroying the church. Sounds like the bicycle, huh?
Love this, Craig! I’m a Presbyterian pastor who is an avid cyclist. If they hadn’t figured this out I’d be hunting for a new denomination right now!
Sorry Bobby, just noticed you wrote this one!
A few weeks back I had to put the breaks on video one of our creative guys did… “please turn of our cell phones”. He was concerned about phones ringing, which I understand, but he reverted back to old school no phones in church.
I reminded him that just two weeks prior we showed the clip talking about using your cell phone as a Bible, Youversion. He laughed and trashed his video clip.
It’s easy for us to slip in to old school mentality. We need to constantly ask the question, Why can’t we do that?
Believe it or not, I see this guys heart.
Too many times we use the Lord’s day as a day to catch up on things we have not done during the week. We use it for bicycle riding, weightlifting, other fun activities, whatever. I rarely hear of families spending the day in family worship, prayer and Bible Study.
I don’t want to jump into the legalist camp, as bicycle riding is not unscriptural at all. On the other hand, when was the last time we encouraged people to search the scriptures for what IS the scriptural way to honor the sabbath day? I am more and more concerned with the level of Biblical illiteracy in our congregations. One of the things I have done about it is to encourage my people to dedicate Sundays to Bible study and family worship at home. So far, it has gone a long way toward building strong family identities in the Lord, and promoting the Supremacy of Christ in our lives. I am not afraid of innovation, but I also know that there is plenty on innovation that has lead our churches into lukewarm waters. I just encourage everyone to be careful, and be Biblical.
I see what you’re getting at. I’m all for knocking down fence laws as much as the next guy. I’m also for innovation. However, I’m not for blind innovation. As weird as it is to say it, bicycles were a technology that changed us. AS did planes, trains and automobiles ((those aren’t two pillows!)) Now, I’m not sure it has to be the innovator who has to do all the reflection and more than it’s the theorist who needs to innovate. But the two must be willing to listen to each other.
innovation not only changes us, it changes the gospel. I wouldn’t actually say that this is a bad thing (or a good thing). I do know this, that technology and innovation isn’t neutral.
bikes, phones, video, eyeglasses etc. it all changes us and the gospel changes as well but let’s not ignore it.
A few weeks I was visiting a small country church in rural Alabama. When the pastor asked us to open our Bibles, you should have seen the odd looks I got when I pulled out my iPhone instead. I almost wanted to stand up and say, “Have you heard of YouVersion?”
As with any technology, there are always going to be early adopters, and those who take a bit longer to understand. But I’m thankful that we see innovation as a tool instead of a hindrance when it comes to the mission of the Church.
Coming from a person gifted with vision with innovation, this is a great post Craig!
Today one could say Music in church, Videos, wardrobe? Shucks it’s denim jeans for some Churches right now..Have you heard about the Pastor who wants to burn books and bibles that aren’t King James Versions? CRAZEEEE.
People struggle with change when it challenges THEIR world view of “normal”. God has no limits, he see’s no boundaries, HE SENT HIS OWN SON TO DIE, How is that for CRAZY LOVE!
Innovation. Bold. Daring.Inspiring.Few discover it.
I think there is something else going on here. Today we see bicycle riding as a purely enjoyable activity. But in 1896 it was more than enjoyment (although some rides were clearly enjoyable). Bicycle riding was more of a transportation method that allowed people to move further than just walking (or other transportation options). So riding a bicycle allowed you to get further away from your “parish” (physically further from your church).
In an era when people don’t think anything about driving 20 or 30 minutes to church it would be very odd for us to think that riding your bike would allow you to go to different churches or get further away from your home to do something else (either work or enjoyment.) But I would think that is at least part of what is going on here, as much or more than being a luddite as a church.
Change and religion
About as compatible
As light and darkness
Isn’t it all about the motive of the church? It seems that the fear of new innovations is that it may make the church more like worldly culture. What is essential to understand, and you all at LifeChurch do this so well, is that “innovation” whatever it may be can be a tool for advancing the kingdom. What is the motive for embracing a new innovation? When the motive is ungodly, then it’s wrong. When godly motives are criticized as ungodly, then the critics are wrong.
As Gamaliel said in Acts 5, “Consider carefully what you do…if the purpose is of human origin, it wall fail. But if it is from God, you won’t be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
-Looked up on Youversion from my iPhone.
I sure hope riding a bike is not breaking the Sabbath because I ride mine just about everywhere including to church on Sunday. I think that innovation is something that can not be avoided but should be tested according to the Word before it is applied. I went to a church one time when I was traveling. My Bible had gotten stolen at the airport and I had not ahd time to get a new one. I was given mean looks when I asked if the church had an extra for me to use.
Aren’t all innovations little foxes that divert our heart, time and treasure. Some foxes can be caught and somewhat domesticated but they are still foxes; be ware. The reality is one God and one person; everything else is a help or a hindrance.
However, there has been an intrusion into the sanctity of Sunday morning in some areas of our land with a proliferation of triathlons or bike club rides that always seemed to be scheduled on Sunday mornings. Also taking parents along for the ride in weekend travel ball tournaments (soccer, baseball, softball, etc), Sunday mornings are filled with other competing attractions. Yeah, I know one answer is that worship can occur at times other than just on Sunday mornings, but what about the clergy and their family??
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