Some chapters of 1 Corinthians translate more naturally to our context than others. At first glance, a debate about whether to eat meat which had been sacrificed to pagan deities seems fairly irrelevant to our modern setting, but the more our group dug into this passage, the more guidance we found.

In chapter 8, Paul seeks to address a common argument among the Corinthian Christians. In Corinth, some of the most readily available meat was left over from the sacrifices at local temples. Because the meat had been involved in the worship of other deities, many of the Corinthian Christians felt uncomfortable eating it. Other Christians in their community argued, because these false deities didn’t actually exist, there was no harm in eating the meat sacrificed to them. Paul addresses these latter Christians in this chapter, telling them they are correct about the meat but also offering a caveat about how they should proceed:

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak…. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall. (1 Corinthians 8:9,13)

Paul tells the older, wiser Christians (who have figured out the meat is harmless) they should still avoid eating it in front of the newer Christians, some of whom might have fled pagan sacrificial culture themselves. Paul states it is never worth it to pursue a course of action if doing so will harm other Christians and throw them into confusion. Christians should not knowingly be “stumbling blocks” to one another just because personal freedoms allow it; we should always err on the side of compassion even as we try to educate newer Christians about controversial subjects.

While Paul originally writes this passage regarding sacrifices, this concept applies to a wide range of behaviors. Modern Christians sometimes look to the consumption of alcohol as an analogy for the 1st Century sacrificial meat. Sure, for many of us, alcohol is a harmless occasional treat or an innocent social ritual enjoyed in moderation, but for others, it’s a fast track to ruin. By Paul’s logic, a Christian shouldn’t knowingly drink in front of another Christian who struggles with alcohol— especially if the latter Christian is new to the faith and looking to others to set a positive example. This is a really helpful guideline, but there are certain places where the analogy breaks down. Most notably, our modern world presents many different styles of Christianity, so there is a wide range of safe places available for Christians struggling with different issues.

In this vein, Jessi posed this question to our group at Aardwolf Brewery last night: “If someone wanted to join this group but couldn’t be around beer, would you move this bible study out of Aardwolf to another location?”

We agreed we would not; instead, we would introduce our new teetotaler friend to any of the dozens of other ministries with whom we collaborate. You see, unlike the church in 1st Century Corinth, our bible study group isn’t the only game in town. San Marco Church hosts Alcoholics Anonymous meetings as well as a bevy of small groups which don’t serve alcohol at their gatherings. Conversely, our Crowlers & Corinthians study specifically looks to serve the patrons and staff at Aardwolf, so moving it would derail a program. While I understand having a bible study in a brewery may be controversial, it’s not actively harming anyone, and we have ways of still helping people for whom alcohol is a stumbling block.

The key lies in compassion. We will inevitably slip up and do things which throw one another off, but if we approach these potential disagreements with open hearts and look for ways to help one another, we can continue on the path of love and unity Paul advocates.