Archie Bunker on Shoes and Socks

If you can't see the imbed below, check out this link to a Classic clip from the show All in the Family before reading on.

Every time I put on my shoes and socks I think of this scene from All in the Family. It’s amazing how today, if you want to get a glimpse of a show from the past, all you have to do is Youtube it. For this one, I typed in “Archie Bunker shoes and socks” and there it was.

How awesome is that!

But before I ramble on about the virtues of Youtube—though it is uber-cool to pull up the past in living color so easily—I really wanted to talk about how people were made to think differently.

Okay, I admit it. I’m still not as progressive as Meat-head (that’s the brown-haired dude to those too young to remember this show). In fact, I still clothe my feet, socks on both first, then shoes. But I have often wondered if it would be more efficient to complete one whole foot before moving on to the other? That way I wouldn’t have to move each foot back and forth as much.

Anyone else wonder this?

<crickets chirping …>

Anyone?

<crickets chirping louder>

Bueller—I mean—Anyone?

<bullfrog croaks>

Okay, I’m the only one pondering the order of how to put on shoes, but this got me thinking about a lot of things. Why do most people put socks on both feet before moving on to shoes? And why does Meat-head’s way, though possibly more efficient, seem so odd.

Maybe because Archie’s method is how it’s always been done.

There are lots of ruts we get into like this one. Kind of like the Pharisaical laws. First, there were God’s laws, but then the teachers of the law threw in a few extra to help the sinners in obeying the first. But instead of being suggestions to help, they became laws themselves, proscribing judgment and punishment for not following them. I’m sure many of us can think of church rules and mores (pronounced morays) in some of our congregations today that have been elevated beyond their due. That is not to say some are not helpful suggestions, but we should not call it sin when these new things are not adhered to.

I remember seeing a video years ago based on a classic novel where a congregation protested the addition of the new-fangled organ replacing hand-held instruments used for worship. The argument was that the organ, being different, was “devil’s music.” I was floored that such a thing could be true considering some churches today have protested the organ giving way to worship bands (using hand-held instruments).

As Christians, it’s always important to consult the Bible in order that we act according to His Will. We need to do it for two reasons. Not only that we ensure what we DO honors God. But also that we don’t stifle our creativity in using all our gifts simply because what is being suggested has never been done before, or looks different from what we're used to. By knowing the whole book, what is and is not proscribed, we can’t allow it to be used in such a way.

God is an amazing, creative God. He is boundless. We should not keep Him in a box—nor His creations—that He did not design.

Another good reason to study that big-ole Book yourself. You never know how freeing that knowledge can be.

Other posts you might like:

Jake, The Encourager

When A Christian Music Artist Loses His Voice

What Did Moses Do Anyway?