If "Christianity" were taking off today, I don't believe we'd be reading the letters from Paul to the Ephesians. We'd be reading his daily blog as he traveled from country to country. While he was in prison his lawyers would be doing press conferences as to his daily status, and he'd be making collect phone calls to Barbara Walters to make sure that everyone knew what he was going through. It would be televised daily on Court TV as to what was happening to him. I don't believe this to be true only if he was in the U.S.,I've read some interesting blogs from people in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
This is what my behavior is based on. As Christians, a major part of our behavioral mindset is based on letters from one guy (Paul,Timothy, etc.) to a bunch of people. Letters to the editor have more audiences than these people's did, until the were published into what is now known as The New Testament. I'm not bashing my faith by any means. Matter of fact, it's not my faith I'm refering to specifically, rather the way in which we act out our faith. I can imagine how different preaching would be if the only thing "christians" had were the gospels and the "Old Testament". Most Christians don't even have an understanding what purpose the Old Testament serves.
So many times the Bible has been translated, yet while we've updated the language, we've not updated the leaders of faith. I'm not applying to do this job, just making an observation. If someone decided that we were going to replace the books following the gospels with more current teachings, I wonder who would make the list. First, we have a whole world now to enter the race. Second, I wonder what teachings would be obsolete Are there any Christians of any culture who would still tell women to keep their mouth's shut and ask their husbands any questions they had when they got home. Assuming of course it is only married women who go to church! Third, who would be accepted. While I mentioned the whole world could enter the race.....are there any mainstream teachers from across the globe respected in the U.S. We know it would be the U.S. that would spearhead this thing if it were to be respected! And HE would be a republican! We do have priorities.
If I look at my faith, I realize the only facts I would be willing to argue in some sort of court of law would be Jesus' 'Messiah-ship', and the story of His life and being in the gospels. I don't know that I find a lot of other things FACTS so much as advice for the current times of the spread of Christianity.
Jews, Christians, and Muslims all stake their lives on the same thing....faith. I have three keys on my key ring. One goes to my mother's car....it's a Chrysler, and the key has the Chrysler symbol...so there's no arguing what make of car it belongs to. The other two are copied house keys. They look very similar in shape. One opens the door to my mother's house, the other to my grandparents house. Only because I have used them enough do I know which goes where...but if you ask which goes where you would believe me assuming I know what I'm talking about. It's not until you were to actually open one of the doors would you personally know. I believe my faith is not like the car key, but like the house key. Thousands of years after the creation of the earth, thousands of years after the man we know as Jesus walked the earth, I'm sure I'm going to find out some things were not quite the way I've read them, but I will find out which key I hold. Metaphor aside, I live by faith.
A friend of mine said once, had she been born and raised in a different country she probably would not have grown up Christian...rather, perhaps a Muslim, or a Hindu. Everyone lives by faith, and at some point it becomes their own. Theirs to experience and share.
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