Distorted Messages

The telephone game is often used to teach people about problems in communication. The original message gets distorted because one of the messengers mishears what is said. If you play the game with children, though, you know that they will often intentionally change the message. This ruins the whole exercise. In similar fashion, some distortions in the way people think about the gospel are due to problems with their hearing. Other distortions are the result of an individual or group intentionally changing the message. Paul devotes many of his letters to correcting both kinds of errors. But he is most passionate about the ones that are intentional.