St. Paul is concerned not just about protecting the vulnerable consciences of new believers, who can’t shake off all the trappings of their lives as nonbelievers all at once, but also about strengthening their understanding of the Bible.

History is not very sentimental – if you make enough mistakes of enough gravity, your culture simply will not survive. We have ample reason to believe, however, that whatever is on the coast we are approaching, driven by the storms of the moment, they will be fertile places for the proclamation of Christ and Him crucified.