I wrote a post recently called "Repeal Bible Laws" where I asked a simple question. Are there any laws in the Bible that you do not agree with? I asked this question because I have found that opinions associated with some issues (e.g. family values, what constitutes marriage, ...) seem to fluctuate from generation to generation. What might be viewed at one time as sacreligious or detrimental to society, might at a later time be tolerated with grumbling and strong debate, and finally accepted as just another lifestyle choice among various alternative choices. Majority opinions can and do fluctuate. Depending on the age, what is black can be accepted as white and what is white can be accepted as black.Several folks commented to me on my earlier post with a viewpoint that struck a chord with me. They stated that if the church and its teachings do not keep up with the times, it is bound to be left behind as an archaic and irrelevant institution. Hmmm. I always thought that the Bible, the word of the living God, was a manual for our lives constructed from unassailable truths. Tenets that were inscribed deep into solid bedrock, not in the clouds. One is a universal truth, the other subject to change with the wind. Seems to me that a religion with a sliding scale of what constitutes sin is no religion at all. It is a feel-good movement, a popularity contest. Indeed, such a "religion" rests uneasily on a slippery slope that allows popular opinion and the latest prevailing trends to be the real god that is worshipped.
Sometimes I worry that people just do not understand what Christianity really is and what it is not. You can be a great person, an upstanding member of the community, loving and warm and giving. You can donate your time, money, and energy. You can even feel spiritual toward people all over the globe. But, this doesn't necessarily mean that you are a good Christian. As I understand what the Bible teaches, if you do not follow its teachings, you are sinning in the eyes of God. It doesn't matter if you like it or not. It doesn't matter whether you agree with it or not. The laws of Christianity should not have to keep up with humanity, instead, we must keep up with them. It's not that Christianity will be left behind, instead, we risk being left behind.
