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Question 4

Finny highlights that Paul calls head coverings a “tradition” (paradosis) that he “brought… from the outside,” not a Corinthian custom; what does this suggest about how God intends apostolic traditions to function in the church, and how does that challenge the modern instinct to treat “tradition” as automatically suspicious?

Another way to ask: If Paul calls head coverings a tradition he passed on, what does that say about how God wants apostolic traditions to work in the church? How does that challenge the idea that “tradition” is always a bad thing?

Direct Answer According to the transcript, Paul presents head covering as an apostolic “tradition” handed down to churches, suggesting God intends certain practices to be received as authoritative instruction—not dismissed as local or man-made just because they are “tradition.”

Support from Transcript:

Finny explains “paradosis… traditions” is tied to the idea “to deliver, to hand over,” related to “paradigm.”
He emphasizes Paul says, “I, Paul, am the one who brought this tradition to you Corinthians,” and Paul “commends them for following that.”
He argues this means it “came from the outside… apostolic practice,” not a Corinthian custom “that existed beforehand.”
He treats rejecting or reshaping this as part of undermining Scripture’s authority—where culture becomes the real authority.
He connects selective obedience to making “the God of culture… trump the power of the Word” (in his closing prayer).

Discussion Follow-ups Finny doesn’t claim every tradition is equal, but he does insist this one is apostolic. How do you distinguish apostolic tradition from merely human tradition without defaulting to suspicion?

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