This is another reflection from my recent trip to Israel.  I should write more of these reflections before I forget what I think about it.  Oh, and prepare yourself for the random thoughts.

I was not expecting to see so much Roman influence while we were in Israel.  I have been to Rome, and it was fascinating to see the ruins and the inevitable effects of the passing of time upon a place.

It was quite interesting to see how much of the Roman influence was still present in the few places that we visited.  Of course, there was quite a bit of time where the Roman Empire was present everywhere.

At one particular site, one of our leaders – Rich – made a quick comment about the theatre at Beth She’an.  His quick comment was that – the theatre was where you went to learn how to think.  In the little towns in the Galilee, you went to the synagogue to learn how to think.

The places where you hear the best stories shape culture.  A long time ago in the little towns in the Galilee, it was the synagogue.  A long time ago, those little Galilean teens would visit Beth Shean and be wow’d by the theatre.  It was awesome and huge and they told the best stories there.

It’s still the same today.  Our movie theaters are packed with people.  Hollywood tells the best stories.  People would rather check out the big awesome theaters, and consequently, that’s where you learn how to think.  I wonder if that’s the reason why we tend to make our churches look like big theaters.