Shunning in 1 Corinthians 5

[KingsGambit]

1 Corinthians 5 says not to associate with people who call themselves believers but who are immoral, greedy, etc.

How do we best apply this in our modern culture? There are a whole lot of people who are nominal believers, perhaps even close to a majority of the US population. I know some people who are, and while I try to be a good Christian witness and put in a word for Jesus when the situation arises... does this mean I just... ignore them instead? I do imagine at that time there was a more clear line between claimed Christian and not given how radical Christianity was at the time.

Also, greed is one of the criteria for shunning there. Greed is somewhat subjective because there are degrees; one could even argue that everybody in America is greedy because of our higher standard of living. Is Paul referring primarily to more extreme versions of greed, or where is the line?

[Sparko]

It means stay away from the health and wealth preachers on TBN.

[One Bad Pig]

I don't believe that nominal believers are necessarily in view here, but vocal claimants of Christianity who unashamedly violate its tenets. This is, at least in part, dealing with church discipline; such people should not be members in good standing of your church, and your church should not be partnered in ministry with churches who tolerate such behavior. Outside of church, you should not be entering business partnerships with such people.

[KingsGambit]

I don't believe that nominal believers are necessarily in view here, but vocal claimants of Christianity who unashamedly violate its tenets. This is, at least in part, dealing with church discipline; such people should not be members in good standing of your church, and your church should not be partnered in ministry with churches who tolerate such behavior. Outside of church, you should not be entering business partnerships with such people.

Thank you; that does seem to make more contextual sense, as church discipline is clearly in view in the preceding verses when Paul urges excommunication of the unrepentant sexual sinner.

[Chrawnus]

It would seem to me that what Paul is saying here is that the entire congregation is to expel the sort of person who claims to be a Christian but acts in the way described. Atleast that's the way it seems to me when read in the context of the whole chapter. I.e this is a chapter about excommunication, and not just shunning. It especially seems that way when you read the last two verses in the chapter:

1Corinthians 5:12-13 NASB

For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?
But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES.

So asking how you as an individual should apply this seems misguided, since this is something that the congregation as a whole is to carry out, and not just individual Christians.

[RBerman]

Chrawnus has it correctly. This verse would be a recipe for chaos if the individual members of the local church each decided for himself which members ought to be shunned. The Corinthian church was already wracked by individualism, and chapter 5 is another example of Paul's consistent theme that they need to work as a body, not as a collection of individual opinions.

[KingsGambit]

Thanks all. I had come across a study somewhere (I think from an ICC church) that said that we would have to account for our actions on Judgement Day if we did not shun sinning Christians, even if they were members of our own family, and that the only permissible exception was if it was a child under legal age. That didn't seem like the right interpretation.