Religion and Theology

The book of Acts 19 23-41 deals with a number of issues which are relevant both in the times of Apostle Paul and in our contemporary society. In this chapters apostle Paul had just finished his three year ministry in Ephesus when a conflict erupts. Normally, in his ministries Paul would endeavor to leave behind a strong church before he moved on to another place. In this case the church he had established threatened both the economy and culture of the Greeks (Price, 2005). From time in memorial a temple had been dedicated to the worship of Diana, a virgin goddess. The people of Ephesus depended on trading silver shrines to the goddess worshippers for their livelihood (Brosend and William, 1996).

There were many silversmiths employed in the trade. The decline in the worship of goddess Diana meant a sharp decrease in the sale of shrines. In order to safeguard their trade, silversmiths led by Demetrius decided to protest over the influence of Paul in the region. In his speech Demetrius accused Paul of undermining their god and at the same time leading the people against the worship of Diana (Ward, 1998). The mob was influenced by Demetrius and with much excitement ended up acting irrationally. In great confusion they started a quest for Paul, instead got hold of his two companions. Even as they were to be led to a public trial the message reached Paul. He hurried to the trial scene intending to stand in defense of those arrested and his ministry but was held back by friends. Again, inside the theater were local political leaders who did not want Paul to appear inside the theater. They too feared for his life.

There was a Jew by name Alexander who was intended to speak (BibleGateway.com, 2010). This Jew, apparently a non believer intended to show hostility to Paul. He was put forward just to confirm that not all Jews are sympathetic of Paul and his ministry. Nevertheless the crowd did not want to hear any of it. This hints to the fact tat the crowd was anti-Jewish.

Finally, the town clerk who was aware of the illegality of the meeting calmed down the crowd. He reminded the people of the greatness of their goddess and tolerance of other religious perspectives. He also pointed out the apparent consequences of the meeting to the higher authority. The clerk diffused the peoples anger after reminding them of the existence of a legal avenue to settle their grievance (BibleGateway.com, 2010). Since most of them were simply following the mob and were hysterical, they retreated. The Christians were thereafter left alone.

Meaning and Significance in Contemporary Society
There is much in this story that applies and continues to happen in the contemporary society. First and foremost the continued persecution of Christians is still a reality in our society. There are still regions in the world where Christianity is not tolerated. Christians continue to live in fear. In most of these regions the church does not depend on the state to be represented in the conflict. Most governments are separate from the church thus the church might not be well represented in some policy issues (Swanson, 1995). In the story for instance the town clerk states that Christians do not demean Diana. This is contrary to the teachings of Paul which affirm clearly the existence of one true God. Similarly, in our society politicians are more than willing to twist truth in order to see an end to a crisis (The Moorings, 2009). In most cases they reason out about legal terms that the population hardly understands. In political campaigns for instance there are many pledges being made by politicians. Since the crowds are emotional and desperate to solve their problems any kind of reasoning is enough to convince them. It is therefore common to solve the problem just for a while but sooner or later the truth downs on the people. Just like the town clerk who was trying to calm the crowd and at the same time manage his political influence it is true with politicians in contemporary society. Most of them turn to church and attempt to quote scripture in order to appear righteous among the people. In this attempt they end up misrepresenting the truth or use it for their own selfish purposes.

Truth does not need defense or justification. In the story the doctrine preached by Paul was the cause of all the mayhem in the city. Even though Paul was ready to offer clarification and defend his ministry against false accusations the problem is solved sooner than expected. Paul and his companions had to do practically nothing (Sherwin-White, 1963). In the same way there are many advocates of truth in the contemporary society. Most of these activists and supporters of particular courses often want to be noticed through protests and demonstration. It is important for them to realize that the truth needs no defense. Christians must endeavor to obey the law and live in harmony with each other. At one point or another people will come to understand and discern right from wrong.

In our society the citizens tend to be blinded and controlled by businessmen. There are few leaders if any who have managed to do away with partnership with business people. In most cases businessmen help political leaders in their campaigns expecting their interests to be protected once in power. Failure to do so would mean constant friction with businessmen. Since they got a lot of influence and machinery on their hands, businessmen appeal to emotions of the people. They use whatever power is on their hands to fight a particular legislation, ideology or new idea. The mobs on the other hand acting on hysteria goes on protests and unsuspectingly shows solidarity with the view of the businessmen. In doing this they are not aware of the selfish interests of those trying to win their support. This is similar to what Demetrius did with the Greeks. It is apparent that he cared much about his business interests than anything else (The Moorings, 2009).

It is common with those who are rejecting the gospel not to say anything against it but try to appeal to their self- interests and pride. Just as Demetrius many people are much interested in securing their place on earth as opposed to siding with the truth. In pursuit of money, status and influence a number of groups and societies continue to reject the truth. There are those that fail to go to church simply because they are working. In trying to justify their action it is common to attack the preachers. Most of them accuse preachers of stealing from the people in a pretext of receiving offerings, preaching outdated doctrines etc.

Strong emotions have led many people astray (The Moorings, 2009). In a group it is easy to get swayed and be made to compromise once beliefs and practices. This happens all the time when people have but little understanding about an issue. In Ephesus most of the town people were unaware of the reason behind the demonstration. They were simply following the multitude, shouting without knowing the reason. As much as expression of strong feelings is necessary people must understand the reason behind their feelings. In our society today it is common for the mob to show dissatisfaction with an idea or protest about an issue (Chaplin, 2000). Those in authority, who are truthful and sincere, need not be scared of the mob. It is interesting to learn that the mobs are not always aware of what they are protesting against. They are simply serving the interest of a few individuals. This is an encouragement to the Christians not to be scared of the mob.

Christians in the contemporary society face a lot of challenges. There are times when they are actually forced to hold demonstration in order to protest and show solidarity about certain courses. For instance in order to put an end to smoking of tobacco which is harmful to health, alcohol, drugs etc a number of protests have been held. However, it is important for Christians to learn that fighting these evils head on does little to end their spread and influence. Just by understanding the gospel and being truthful to the word of God is enough (Cadbury, 1979).  Once this objective is achieved there will be less need to fight against some of the injustices and evil practices.

Even in the early church we see anti-Jewish sentiments among the people.  Alexander who is portrayed as having been against Paul is denounced by the people when he is given a chance to speak to the multitude. Despite Paul being a Jew, still there are other Jews who were opposed to his message and mission. In a similar manner Christians all over the world should not always expect cooperation and support from those closest to them. There are brothers and sisters who will always be hostile to the gospel (Mueller, 1965). Persecution and opposition can come even from those close to Christians. Just like Paul was willing to join his companions in captivity, defend them and his ministry Christians should stick together as a group to overcome the temptations they encounter on a daily basis (Withering, 1997). A good number of Christians in the society need encouragement and support for the difficult stands and decisions they have taken.

Despite the opposition that Christians face in the community there is need to get involved in a number of social services. Some of this includes construction of schools, hospitals, philanthropy and giving sponsorships, entertainment etc. Whether or not this would lead people to be converted to Christianity does not really matter. However, it is debatable whether or not Christians need to be involved in politics. It is true that most politicians claim to be Christians but there interests and stand on some issues do not represent those of the church. Just as the town clerk in Ephesus misrepresented the true gospel preached by Paul, Christians should also be weary of politicians. Their statements only serve a particular purpose or situation but soon things return to normal.

There is no weapon formed against the church that can prosper. God is still in absolute control of the church. As much as the leaders might not be in position to stand up and defend their ministries, God will still defend his church (Aune, 1987). It is common for instance to find church leaders deeply involved in scandals, corruption and injustices. This should not be perceived as the fault of the entire Christian population. Sometimes people take personal stands on issues that are far much opposed to Christianity. At the end of it all church continues to proper and win many adherents.

Conclusion
There is much which Christians and the general public can learn from the conflict in Ephesus. One of the most notable is the fact that after facing a hard time in Ephesus, Paul was still willing to continue with his mission. He was more than determined to visit other towns in order to spread the gospel. In the same vein Christians are not to be discouraged by the opposition they face in society.  It comes a time when the authorities are very negative and everyone seems to oppose the progress made by the church. Christians should not be frightened by opposition coming from the public. Instead they need to be encouraged and continue to spread the good news for the common good of all.

Similarly, there are instances where Christians are persecuted such that they are tempted to fight back and defend their course. This move as exhibited in Ephesus by Paul and disciples is not always the best option.  Some battles are fought best in faith and doing what is right. Occasionally in order to appear to show concern and solidarity with Christians, authorities will misrepresent the truth. This happens in government circles and sometimes not always with good intentions. Politicians want to use the church as a stepping stone towards their political ambitions.  As much as Christians are required to trust and respect for those in authority, they must be careful that church doctrines are not twisted for selfish ends.