Quick Summary:

The numbers are astounding—even obscene:
8 million pounds of popcorn, 50 million cases of beer, 450 million chicken wings, 15,000 tons of chips, and enough avocados to cover Dallas Stadium’s football field waist deep in guacamole. All purchased and consumed in the name of one, singular event – the SUPERBOWL.

Juxtapose this gladiatorial exhibition—and the conspicuous consumption that accompanies it—with the reading from 1 Corinthians, and you get a supreme contrast in terms.
“When I came to you,” writes Paul, “I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God…in lofty words or
wisdom…I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified."

Straddling one of the Empire’s most vital trade routes and with a population second only to Rome’s, Corinth was a truly cosmopolitan city. As host to one of the ancient world’s great athletic festivals, the Isthmian games, Corinth eagerly welcomed the guests who streamed into the city for that biennial event. What allowed the city to prosper, of course, was the famed Pax Romana of the Roman Empire, a prevailing peace ensured by Rome’s unrivaled military supremacy and transportation infrastructure.

The peace of Rome, of course, came with a price. It must have been like having a game-ready NFL linebacker in your house day and night. His presence alone would keep things calm and orderly...