The High Carry

Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself? Ecclesiastes 7:16

My wife and I were watching an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger. In the early days of the show, Christians were shown in a bad light. The program was into Indian religion at that time. Later, Christianity was ok. Maybe sponsors objected, or they got new writers.

But this early episode featured a very stern, hypocritical, preacher. He really acted the part. He had a self-righteous look, and he carried his Bible in what you could call "the high carry". This is done a lot in movies too. In case viewers are a little dense, they make it obvious that the carrier is super-religious.

Not sure I could pull off the high carry myself. My arm would get too tired, and I prefer to show my faith in other ways.

A friend and I were walking into a restaurant when we passed a table where a Bible was placed. It was a family, no doubt raised by a very pious father. I thought, What a drag, especially for the kids. The waitress would come to your table and ask, "May I warm up your coffee?" Someone would shush her. "Dad is reading Ezekiel. Please don't bother him."

My friend, eternally naive, said to the man, "I see there's no dust on that Bible." The father glowed with pride. I had a different reaction. Relax, let the kids enjoy their french fries. Methinks you are more interested in looking religious than in praising the One who died for you.