I think the church has turned a corner of understanding that started with the information about the history of our world and how it relates to understanding of scripture. As we understand the people God used to explain God to us, our leaders began understanding more of scripture. So far, these scholars who are learning about this are in our theological schools, not in the churches we attend. I've tried to take some of their classes, so far the price they charge for their classes is very high, but it is beginning to filter down to you and I. There is a class in our town, now, on archeology in the Holy Land, a step toward this understanding right in my quite small town. Lots of the information has to do with the culture of the people when Christ was with us, lots of it has to do with ancient Hebrew culture. They are understanding the clash between Hebrews and gentiles, better.
I think the Lord leads in everything. Have any of you thought about how strange it is that the dead sea scrolls were in open caves for way over a thousand years and just now found? They opened up much of this. It has taken years of study of them to learn from them, it is quite recent that it has made a difference.
It seems to me that if there was a forum like this 50 years ago, there wouldn't be the controversy there is now, or the amount of bickering, there wasn't the change in understanding of scripture there is now. I was 38, 50 years ago. I remember.
I realize this is not main stream thinking, sorry. Maybe some of you will think about this explanation.