Traditional or Contemporary?

Am I traditional or contemporary? Strange question? Common question today. Someone asked me that question the other day. I said, yes. I’m both. Many people, I believe really don’t understand the meaning of the words. Traditional means: “the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction. An inherited pattern of thought or action as a religious practice or a social custom.” Contemporary means: “happening, existing, living, or coming into being during the same period of time. Marked by characteristics of the present period, modern.”

As a Christian I hope I’m both. Jesus was. He appreciated and respected the traditions of his forefathers (at times) but lived and ministered to a people of his time. He used real life situations to teach people that true happiness and peace come from a life found only in Godly living.

The words traditional and contemporary have been “twisted” and used incorrectly for many years. Today in the church you can cause a great controversy by bringing up those two words. The majority of religious people like what they are use to. What they grew up with and what they were taught and instructed to do. It makes them feel comfortable.

Dick Marcear, a retired minister, wrote an article a few years ago entitled the Trouble with Traditions. Jesus ran into some serious problems with the Jews over traditions that had become so much a part of their lives that they had put them on a par with, or even above, the scriptures.

In Mark 7:1-8 for an example. The question arose over the washing of hands. Mark explained that the washing of hands was a matter of tradition, not hygiene. Jesus received their wrath because he did not keep their traditions.

We often have the same problems today. We have accepted some things in the church as “biblical” concepts which in reality are just traditions. In the coming blogs I hope to explore some of those issues to see if they are matters of tradition or Scripture.