A Little Lesson from Pagans

Often in our culture we look at other religions as “evil.” I, by no means, agree with this, however, I also think that (as we continually discuss in class) we should look into the cultural context of things. In Acts 19:23-41, the silversmith Demetrius incited a riot against Paul and his mission team. He was angry for the sake of Artemis; but is this any different from our fervent offense for the sake of Christ? When we watch movies or hear jokes of sacrilege, we become offended because it is an offense to us because of our Lord. But would we not also be offended if we were believers in Artemis, our Patron deity (who fell to us from the sky)? I believe that we would be offended. I believe that Demetrius is commendable for his anger for the sake of his god. As we also discussed in class, the citizens of Ephesus did not riot because Paul was preaching the Gospel and putting a damper on silver shrine business. They were truly angry for the sake of Artemis. I believe that though he was wrong in his fervor and the deity where he placed his faith, I do believe that we often fail to be THIS emotionally defensive for OUR God, the ONE TRUE GOD! I once again commend Demetrius, and I challenge us all (myself included) to be offended for the sake of Christ!

Zach Pyron