After Solomon’s Temple was destroyed and the Jews were hauled off in the Babylonian exile, they could no longer come together at the temple in Jerusalem to worship, so they began to develop these local meeting locations where they could come to gather throughout the Babylonian Empire for prayer, to read scripture, and to receive instructions in God’s ways. As we move forward in time, by the third and second century BC, synagogues had become widespread throughout Judea, Asia Minor, Egypt and … [Read more...] about The Pharisee in Us
Self-Righteousness
Confidence, Esteem and Self-Image
How a person envisions or defines himself is one of the most influential facets of a person's world view and his place in it. This image is intertwined with his confidence which enables him to face adversity, meet challenges, and focus on threats unfettered by the shackles of fear. If one does not have a proper image or vision of his place in life, his confidence suffers along with his ability to cope with life. The result is fear or anxiety. People can become more depressive or aggressive … [Read more...] about Confidence, Esteem and Self-Image
The Purpose of Righteousness
Even within Christian churches that look fairly homogeneous doctrinally-speaking, we can find diverse attitudes. For example, there are currents of more liberal or fundamentalist approaches to religious practice. One such current that can be problematic within churches is self-rightness. I don’t mean the arrogant presumption that one is perfect. I mean the tendency to let “righteousness” become an idol. It’s an easy trap for any of us to fall into so we need to examine our motives … [Read more...] about The Purpose of Righteousness
Spiritual Equilibrium
It’s difficult to maintain our spiritual equilibrium in the moral and ethical chaos of the world we live in. As followers of Christ, we are to have balanced relationships with those in the world. Jesus said that we are to be in the world but not be of the world. We’re to live life as a positive example, not allowing the world to return to mold or shape us negatively. We are not to jump head-first into the world’s value systems; however, we are not to withdraw into isolation … [Read more...] about Spiritual Equilibrium