Dr. Michael Peppard

But kind of like who's watching you do it? And what are they thinking about why you're doing what you're doing? So if you're, you know, if you Mark are a new Christian in Corinth and you said you only believe in one God now and you're being kind of zealous about it, but then you go to your friend's house for dinner and they give thanks to Athena for this beautiful lamb chop.

But kind of like who's watching you do it? And what are they thinking about why you're doing what you're doing? So if you're, you know, if you Mark are a new Christian in Corinth and you said you only believe in one God now and you're being kind of zealous about it, but then you go to your friend's house for dinner and they give thanks to Athena for this beautiful lamb chop.

And then you're like digging in. Then it looks to them like, well, Christians aren't that different. They're basically just polytheists too. Right. Yeah. So you have a question of what demarcation lines are you drawing for your new community theologically?

And then you're like digging in. Then it looks to them like, well, Christians aren't that different. They're basically just polytheists too. Right. Yeah. So you have a question of what demarcation lines are you drawing for your new community theologically?

And those demarcation lines happen through the meal for a lot of them because they believe that these are real communion meals with some God or other.

And those demarcation lines happen through the meal for a lot of them because they believe that these are real communion meals with some God or other.

Yeah, all the time.

Yeah, all the time.

So Paul ends up making a pretty radical and I think beautiful argument, which is a community-based ethic about whether you can eat meat that has been sacrificed to what he would call an idol or another god, which is basically if someone presents to you meat and doesn't say anything about where it's from, go ahead. Hmm. And he quotes, like, the earth is the Lord in all its fullness.

So Paul ends up making a pretty radical and I think beautiful argument, which is a community-based ethic about whether you can eat meat that has been sacrificed to what he would call an idol or another god, which is basically if someone presents to you meat and doesn't say anything about where it's from, go ahead. Hmm. And he quotes, like, the earth is the Lord in all its fullness.

You know, he quotes a psalm, also the same psalm that Rastafarians quote about smoking weed, by the way. Oh, really?

You know, he quotes a psalm, also the same psalm that Rastafarians quote about smoking weed, by the way. Oh, really?

The earth is the Lord in all... The earth is the Lord's in all its fullness. Ah, I see. I was like, anyway, it's like... Oh, yeah, that's it. Everything on earth is the Lord's, and so we can use it all. A little mushroom. Yeah. Or whatever. Anyway, so Paul uses this, says, yes, this is true, but...

The earth is the Lord in all... The earth is the Lord's in all its fullness. Ah, I see. I was like, anyway, it's like... Oh, yeah, that's it. Everything on earth is the Lord's, and so we can use it all. A little mushroom. Yeah. Or whatever. Anyway, so Paul uses this, says, yes, this is true, but...

Then if they kind of, if someone presents this meat to you and says like, this was offered in sacrifice, then you shouldn't. No thanks. Because he says, not because of your conscience, not because it actually harms you, but because of how. Optics. Yep, the optics of the conscience of everyone else who's there. Interesting. And so it's a community-based ethic. And I think about it a lot.

Then if they kind of, if someone presents this meat to you and says like, this was offered in sacrifice, then you shouldn't. No thanks. Because he says, not because of your conscience, not because it actually harms you, but because of how. Optics. Yep, the optics of the conscience of everyone else who's there. Interesting. And so it's a community-based ethic. And I think about it a lot.

It's three chapters long. We never really read it much. It's very difficult to understand it without kind of a classroom setting, I think. But... But I think about it a lot as a modern example in terms of like, like drinking, like is drinking alcohol, you know, morally right or wrong. And some people like, yeah, it is. I know it is. But for me, I'm like, it just depends on the context.

It's three chapters long. We never really read it much. It's very difficult to understand it without kind of a classroom setting, I think. But... But I think about it a lot as a modern example in terms of like, like drinking, like is drinking alcohol, you know, morally right or wrong. And some people like, yeah, it is. I know it is. But for me, I'm like, it just depends on the context.

Cause like, I don't think it's morally wrong if I'm having a beer with you right now, or if it were later, we'd have a bourbon or whatever. Yeah.

Cause like, I don't think it's morally wrong if I'm having a beer with you right now, or if it were later, we'd have a bourbon or whatever. Yeah.