#27 Apocrypha in Church?

The apocrypha is useful in church settings for many reasons. But it is especially if it used in a class setting. The apocrypha could be used in Bible classes to teach people to think more critically of scripture. Furthermore, the apocrypha could be used to teach the historical events and background of different biblical characters such as Daniel. In this use the apocrypha could help people realize that the Bible is talking about historical events. In sermons the apocrypha could answer some of the historical questions that may be asked of why something in the Bible is the way it is. Most importantly in my opinion the apocrypha could help biblical language students understand Greek and Hebrew better. By expanding students’ horizons beyond just reading the Bible, to include knowing the time-period they are learning.

Outside of the church the apocrypha can be used to either credit Christianity with weeding out wrong ways of thinking, or it may be used against the Church to showcase Christianity’s intolerance to other ways of thinking. This is really up to Christians though, because by studying the apocrypha today we can defend the past tomorrow. Furthermore, the apocrypha is important for modern Christians in that it allows Christians develop an idea of what they consider the biblical canon to be.