When he writes to the Corinthians, Paul must correct the church because of their behavior at private banquets (6:12-20). The issue here is going to banquets given by the rich and elite of the city. There is a great deal of evidence from contemporary writers about the types of things that went on at a Roman banquet in the first century.
Bruce Winter gathers a number of references from Plutarch describing the combination of gluttony, drunkenness, and sexual immorality that were a part of the “after-dinners,” as he calls them. There was an association between gluttony and sexual excess, as is seen from the well-known saying reported by Plutarch, “in well-gorged bodies love (passions) reside.” The writer Athenaeus said that the goddess Cypris (Aphrodite) does not visit the poor, “in an empty body no love of the beautiful can reside.” Plutarch also said that in “intemperate intercourse follows a lawless meal, inharmonious music follows a shameless debauch” (Winter, After Paul Left Corinth, 84). This behavior may have led to the vexatious lawsuits Paul addressed in 1 Corinthians 6:1-11.
These banquets would only have been attended by the rich elite of the city of Corinth. The poor were not invited, only those of some social standing. In Corinth there was a major city-wide banquet for all citizens celebrating the games. Not only would there have been pressure to attend these banquets on a social level, but there was also the added pressure to be a good citizen of Corinth and of Rome.
These sorts of banquets are in the background of 1 Corinthians. Members of the church are not visiting brothels as we might think of it today. They are attending meals with the elite of Corinth, either hosted in the home of a wealthy patron of the city or in a temple. The practice was considered not only acceptable, but in some cases required for social mobility. If one wanted to gain the favor of a wealthy patron to advance a business plan, attendance at the patron’s banquet was a necessity.
Why would the Corinthian Christians think that they had a right to participate in these banquets? Paul seems to have taught them that Christians are to be separate from such activities, and the strong Jewish ethic of many of the founders would have argued against going to a temple, eating food sacrificed to idols, and participating in the “after-dinners.”
It appears at the very least that some Gentile converts to Christianity did not see this kind of activity as “sin.” As with most of the problems Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians, the congregation was slow to depaganize and to think about these behaviors through the lens of their new faith. The practice of going to temples to share meals with the elite of Corinth was socially desirable for the wealthy (and “wanna-be” elite). Perhaps individuals in the church thought they had to fulfill their civic duty by attending the banquets (a virtue) and had not yet seen the additional practices as vices.
This is a very challenging point for contemporary church life. While I do not think that many evangelical Christians are participating in civic orgies, we do seem to tolerate immoral actions among those who are elite citizens (or think that they are elite). A very obvious application is attitudes towards people in public office. The ones who agree with our politics are held to a far less rigorous moral standard than those we disagree with. It does not take too long to think of many examples of this sort.
What are the sorts of behaviors that are accepted (or forbidden) by local congregations in order to better fit into contemporary culture?
This letter written by Paul needed to correct the church of its wrong doings. Private banquets were put on by the rich and for the rich. These Roman banquets consisted of many things that were ungodly which was concerning to Paul. Church goers back then were not just going over to families’ homes like some families do today. These are meals for the elite families in Corinth. Paul’s teachings tried to turn them away from these activities which were ungodly at times where they tend to get out of hand. Converts were not seeing the sin that this action brought due to the switch in faith and beliefs. There are many times in the Bible where Jesus explains that a few drinks here and there are not bad if soberness is still active. In 1 Corinthians 6:15 Paul says “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!” (1 Corinthians 6:15). Our bodies are members of Christ meaning that everyone that we do and put in our bodies should be approved by Jesus. Just like I had said in the last post, living in the image of God is probably the most important thing that we can do as Christians for ourselves and others around us.
The banquets of Roman society depict not only the radical social stratification among classes but also the rampant issues of gluttony, drunkenness, and prostitution. The throes of the church in the modern age emanate the same problems between gluttony and sexual excess, with professed individuals debauching their bodies through lawless meals and “intemperate intercourse” (Long, 2023, p. 93). It would be remiss not to notice people who swear upon their faith in Christ yet participate in the same raucous sin. Regardless of how one feels about Trump, it remains evident that political figures and public speakers preeminently abuse their religious affiliation for political profit and a few extra links in the food chain. Young men attended these banquets as a right of passage, beholden by the rich elite of Corinth (Long, 2023, p. 93). This appeal nestles snugly within the framework of Paul’s theology, since other congregations to which Paul has exhorted are beholden to pagan elements of similar cruciality. In addition, dimensions of Corinthian civic honor echoed across the city, such as the Isthmian Games (Longenecker & Still, 2014, p. 111). Corinthian participation in these cultural elements centered as a long-standing issue within the church. Longenecker & Still (2014) further explain that, as a consequence of their ‘sanctified’ status, “Corinthian followers of Christ should not be having sexual relations with prostitutes” (p. 122). Dr. Long (2023) describes that the “after-dinners” gave way to these sexual immoralities, combined with gluttony and drunkenness. A pressing parallel still remains today: Many Corinthian followers may have employed an “antinomian” or “libertine” attitude, justifying the practice through comparisons of sexual appetite to hunger (Longenecker & Still, 2014, p. 122). While some would argue from Galatians as a purview, Paul’s writings certainly were not yet compiled in the New Testament. That being said, how often do we slip into errant sinfulness? Is the modern believer, myself included, gullible enough to argue that blatant defects in moral code are permissible because we simply fell into them from a less troubling issue? This reasoning clearly resonated among the Corinthians, as “They may have imagined that, just as hunger is satisfied by eating, so too the sexual appetite is to be satisfied by indulging it in whatever way” (Longenecker & Still, 2014, p. 122).
Tracking the vision of the biblical narrative involves coming to terms with the less appealing realities of Roman culture and their allure to the faithful. There exist several charges against sexual promiscuity in the Bible, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3 ESV). While Corinthian believers were “trying their best” to turn from pagan institutions, rituals, and customs within their city-state, does that truly matter in the context of excuses, degeneracy, and persistent departures from Christ? After coming to a saved faith, baptized by the Holy Spirit, conscious sin elevates from the label of “mistakes.” Sexuality, as argued by Paul, is bound up in spirituality as a unioned display (Longenecker & Still, 2014, p. 122). As a faithful Christ follower in the modern era, subscribing to a dilapidated lifestyle while claiming a holy mind and desirous heart are conflicting spheres that cannot be reconciled; as such, one of them must give, and it is up to the twenty-first century follower to decide which one departs.
There is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9) This is the verse that comes to mind after reading this blog. It has been a little under 2,000 years since this letter was written, and many if not all of the issues the church of Corinth faced, we still wrestle with to this day. More specifically regarding behaviors that are tolerated by the church to fit in with the culture there are too many to name. I would say Maverick City music is probably one of the biggest examples of this. There was a controversial video that came out a few years ago, where a member from the band was getting drunk and listening to a secular artist known as “Bad Bunny”. That was really embarrassing. People overlook a lot of shady things pastors and musicians do, if you have enough talent folks will compromise. Anything to put butts in seats and cash in the offering basket. Besides, people can do whatever they want, although one day we will be judged. Also, when it comes to drinking alcohol a lot of Christians actually think it is completely fine. Man, I wish the Apostle Paul could come and set the record straight on that issue. Good thing we have the Holy Spirit that guides us. I think the fact that modern Christians have no problems watching horror movies, drinking liquor, smoking cigars and listening to ungodly music says a lot about the times. “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.” (1 Corinthians 10:21)
I think one of the biggest ways Churches have begun to adapt to contemporary culture is by softening their view on sexual immorality. For example, I remember a couple years ago, we had a friend of my dad come visit us and he was all upset that same sex marriages were now being allowed in his church. The thing that confused me is that he had divorced and remarried, so I did not really understand the issue. I think the church has softened its view on both these issues. Why is it ok for someone who had been divorced to get remarried in the church, but not ok for a gay couple to get married in the church? I guess I don’t really understand the difference. They are both sinful. Personally, I think the church needs to stop redefining what sin is. I think the Bible is pretty clear about both of these issues in that they are sinful. On the other hand, I had a friend, and we were talking about attending weddings and because sometimes I like to get controversial, I asked what her thoughts were on attending a divorced family member’s wedding. She said no problem with that (which I expected to be the case). The next thing I asked was whether or not she would attend a gay family member’s wedding, and she said absolutely not, that is terrible. Again, what is the difference? Personally, I would (and have) attend both a wedding for a divorced family member and a gay family member. I do not think that either wedding should be held in the church (as it could glorify sin), but I see no problem attending one myself. It reminds me of how Jesus hung out with sinners, but he didn’t sin with them. Going to a family member’s wedding is not an attempt to celebrate sin, but rather it is a time to love on another human being.
For how big of a problem gluttony is in America, I am surprised we do not talk about it more in the Church. For the Corinthians, gluttony and orgies were a rite of passage to the elite and wealthy. Fortunately, or unfortunately for the poor, this was not the case. I am sure despite this, the layman in Corinth still could have participated in fornication with prostitutes. Despite this, Paul’s emphasis on our bodies being a temple of the Holy Spirit is very pivotal to the Corinthians. When a pagan in Corinth thought of the temple, they probably thought of exactly what Paul is warning against. Acrocorinth, the temple of the goddess Aphrodite, dinner parties, and orgies. But Paul now takes this temple language and uses it in a way that they would understand, trying to communicate that our bodies are the temple of something greater, and we should live our lives glorifying God. This is a great example of how to do ministry and share the gospel in a way that your audience would understand, communicating in a language the people are speaking.
This piece of Scripture also gives us insight into who was in the church at Corinth. If there was no elite that may have been practicing these things, then Paul probably would not have to address it to this point. From Acts 18, we see that Paul left the church not in poor shape; it was actually in pretty good condition, with many strong leaders who could really get things going. This highlights the deculturization that the Corinthians had been going through. During Paul’s eighteen months in Corinth, I am sure there were situations where Paul stopped new converts from heading off to the after-party at the temple. So what might have caused these people to lose that teaching? Was it because there was no Paul figure around to keep everyone in line? I am not sure, but we know that this was a major struggle in Corinth. Your post asked the question, what are practices that are forbidden or accepted in order to fit into culture? I think that there are many. It is interesting to think about, and always in the back of my mind, the question of how far have we gone away from what the church is supposed to be. As we move through time, are we moving further away from orderly worship that Paul encourages in 1 Corinthians?