The odds are that most churches do not generally discuss Deuteronomy 20: 16-17 or 1 Samuel 15:3. Most churches do not want to deal with the Old Testament verses that call for the genocide of the Canaanites or similar passages that call for death, destruction and revenge. It is far easier to preach about turning the other cheek or loving one’s neighbor. Unfortunately, those unpleasant verses are just as much part of the Bible as those that describe how Jesus rose on the third day. Churches need to address the very real concerns and questions that such violent passages and stories conjure in Christians. People today are aware that blaming a woman for her rape, taking part in slavery, participating in human sacrifice and carrying out genocide are horrifically wrong. So, why are such things not condemned in the Bible? Any Christian who has tried to defend their faith has been asked those questions, and many Christians have been scolded by church authorities for picking and choosing which parts of the Bible they will follow. This means, however, that church leaders need to truly address what those unpleasant verses mean, and how Christians should approach them. Otherwise, they have to accept that each individual will create their own interpretation of those verses or do some extremely complicated mental gymnastics to handle them.