Not since the time of the Reformation has there been an upheaval in organized religion such as we are experiencing today. Doubt, disbelief, and dissension are undermining many denominations, and books tearing at the very heart of long-accepted theological doctrines are receiving wide attention. The demand voiced on every side is for a religion suited to the needs of the age. What mankind should realize is that God does not change to fit changing times but that our times change as our understanding of God deepens and grows more meaningful. Theology is not shaped by world events, but a spiritualized concept of Deity shapes our world.
It is true that many beliefs about God, handed down from one generation to another, no longer satisfy the spiritual hunger of a civilization driven to the brink of world disaster. To be valid, theological explanations must answer today's questions regarding world upheaval, the relationship of individuals to each other, the why of evil, and so on. The failure of religion to answer these questions has bred agnosticism and atheism.
Nearly twenty centuries ago a man known to his neighbors as a carpenter's son gave us a theology that met every need of his times, and every need for all times to come if men would but accept its doctrines. In simple terms Christ Jesus preached of an all-loving Father, God, and of man as His eternal likeness. He taught that meekness, compassion, and brotherly love are essential to harmonious relationships. Most important of all, he gave daily proof of the worth of his teachings by healing sickness and sin, by overcoming lack, by thwarting hatred and mob violence, and by raising the dead.
