Think About It

Should our religion change with the times?   As I stare at that question, I can see it being answered in so many ways depending upon how and when it is answered.   On one hand, there is an appeal to doing things the same way the New Testament church did things, but technology and social capabilities have changed through the years.   On the other hand, we have to be relevant to an ever-changing world if we want to have any hope of reaching the lost.   If we never changed our worship would probably need to be conducted in house-churches, listening to the gospel being preaching in Greek or Aramaic while chanting the psalms, but if there is nothing sacred,   then there can be no limits on how far (or how far-out) we can go. It is difficult to balance those things that must remain constant with those that open to adjustments.             Through the years I have tried to develop a mindset that allows me to feel comfortable with my understanding of religion.   At the heart of the approach

          A few weeks ago I was doing some preparation on a series of lessons from the Old Testament book of Judges when I came across this passage, “ Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them ( that is , all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan;   only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly).”.   (Judges 3:1-2)   If you have ever studies “Judges” you are probably familiar with the cyclical nature of the nature of Israel during these times: Israel sins, God sends an oppressive nation, the Israelites repent, God sends a deliver (judge) and the Israelites live in peace (for a while).   Yet, there seems to be another reason for the conflict in the land – for the Israelites to be successful in carving out their place in the Promised Land, they were going to have to fight for it.   They had been slaves and nomads for the decades preceding this time period, so they needed to