While there is no question that scripture was written in and for a specific cultural context, this is also a great card to play if some aspect of the Bible doesn’t suit us.

Don’t like wearing hats to church? Its ok girls cause it was cultural

Want to have a same sex marriage? Go for it. Paul was writing for his own culture. And t doesn’t apply to us now.

You know the drill”

I came across an interesting ‘cultural card’ in Bangkok last week however that I would value your reflections on. In most of the western world the way to deal with conflict between two people is in accordance with the Matthew 18 principle. Go your bro/sister, take a friend etc.

According to my friend Jeff, who we stayed with, In some parts of Asia the way to raise an issue is to tell a friend who tells a friend who then tells the person who you have issues with. And you deal with the issue thru these intermediaries.

When asked how they see this in light of Matthew 18, their response?…

Matt 18 is cultural and specific for those people at that time. Now I can’t see that at all, but I am product of my culture and I see things thru that lens!

Of course the question it raises at some point is what is authoritative and what is temporal and culturally bound? And if we have no good way of determining this (that isn’t culturally bound in itself) then is there anything in scripture we can really be bound by?

I’d be interested to hear from some Asian readers how they see this issue in particular, but also to hear some broader comments on the question that is at the core of it all.

How do we know what is and isn’t ‘cultural’?