LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1971, Page 67

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IIE /-—

THE CONVENTION ESSAY

history, to examine the task, to rededicate ourselves to

the goals Christ Himself has set, and to mo
His royal] banners,

Every Missouri Synod convention, national or Dis-
trict, has a doctrinal essay. In the press of business
in our complicated age the essay receives only a small

great and gracious God — the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. It is there to remind us that only through the

The World into Which We Are Sent

As we look into church history with the long look
that reaches back to the first century into the days

could possibly have relevance for us in our modern
urbanized technological Scene. But there are some
Surprising parallels.

The result was a great flow of commerce. All north-
south traffic and most of the east-west traffic passed
through Corinth. The result was riches, prosperity, and
great wickedness. “To live like a Corinthian” Was an
expression in the Graeco-Roman world that was synony-
mous with “living it up,” with drunkenness and de-

was portrayed as a drunk,

The situation was not improved by the fact that
Corinth was a great center of idol] worship. One of the
chief gods was Poseidon, god of the sea. The center of
the city was 8raced by a bronze statue of Athena,

There was also a temple to Apollo, god of the sun,
prophecy, morality, music, poetry, and archery. How-
ever, perhaps the most popular temple was that of
Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Her temple

was located on the Acrocorinth,

They led the Population jn immorality,

The Population itself was a mixed lot of veterans

of the Roman legions, merchants of al] kinds, Jews,
Phoenicians and Phrygians and other people from the
east. More than half of its population were slaves,
Hence Corinth had a definite cosmopolitan and worldly
flavor,

The apostle Paul probably came to Corinth in the
spring of the year 50. He Stayed over 18 months, leay-
ing in the fall of 51. Thus he ministered longer in
Corinth than in any other city except Ephesus. Acts
18 tells us that he witnessed first to the Jews and then

records: “Many of the Corinthians hearing Pay] be.
lieved and were baptized.”

From Corinth Paul moved on to the great city of
Ephesus in Asia Minor. Here he labored for 21 years.
It was here that Paul received bad news from the

Letter to the Corinthians and commented: “It has been
reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarrel-

In our day we regret what is commonly called
polarization in the church. We are tempted to think,
however, that in the early apostolic church it must have
been different. So close to the days of Jesus, with the

have been a golden age. But the New Testament dis-
abuses us of all such illusions, Men were plagued by

One another.

It has a modern ring when Paul records that they
all had pious names. One group said, “We belong to
Paul.” Another claimed Apollos, the great preacher,
as their hero, Still another group pledged themselves
to follow Petey. The last had the most pious sounding
name of all. They asserted that they were Christ’s
party. (1 Cor. 1: 12-13)

This was the scandal the church presented in that
day. The reasons for the cleavage are to be found in

ating that
“All things are lawful for me” (6:12), In an abuse of

hat sexual conduct was

a steep promontory
rising 1,800 feet above the sea level. It was the center

of 1,000 temple slaves who served as sacred prostitutes,