I grew up in a time when a traveling evangelist would come to town and everyone would turn out to hear him preach--every night for a week.  Sometimes two weeks.  And if the preacher was a youth evangelist, you could count on him preaching against 1. smoking, 2. drinking, and 3. dancing.  I didn't smoke.  I didn't drink.  But I did love to dance.

Everyone (I mean everyone) in school used to go to Teen Town on Friday nights to the dance--chaperoned by the parents and sanctioned by the City Council.  Kept us off the streets, and probably kept some kids from smoking and drinking.  (Which was forbidden at Teen Town.)  Kids didn't want to take a chance on not getting in.  They might fail the "sniff" test and the jig was up.

So it came as a shock to me when I read the scripture in Proverbs about the things that God hates. Those three things (smoking, drinking and dancing) didn't make the list.  They weren't even in the Ten Commandments!!!  I thought I was being pretty good at being pretty good.  But when I read Proverbs 6:16-19, I found out that I was busted.

"These six things the Lord does hate, yes, seven are an abomination unto him:  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.  A heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet that are swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaks lies, and he (she) who sows discord among the brethren.

Nothing about smoking and drinking and dancing.  All seven things named in Proverbs are about how you treat other people.  Which Jesus covered when challenged by the Pharisees.  "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul.  And love your neighbor as yourself."

My knowledge about what constituted sin was very shallow when I was young.  I thought it was a list I could follow.  Come to find out it was a lot more than that.