Chalke Talk 17: The catastrophic consequences of misunderstanding Paul

The Apostle Paul is often written off as an anti-sex, anti-marriage, anti-women misery. But, when we take every word of Paul as universally applicable, we make a horrendous pastoral mistake. We end up imposing theological constructs on him which just aren’t there.

Instead, Steve argues in this week’s ‘Chalke Talk’, we need to understand the situations which Paul was speaking in to and appreciate the principles that underpin his advice and instructions rather than seeking to narrowly impose them into a contemporary setting.

But we also have to be careful not to slip into the idea that all Paul’s ethical teaching is merely situational, and can only be determined by the specific situation.  Paul was a Jesus follower – all his work is built around his understanding of the values of Jesus and his desire to work out – practically – how to apply these universal truths into particular situations.

What do you think?  Do you agree with Steve?  Why not discuss with friends or your small group.

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