How do biblical texts apply to modern society?

[gavenv]

The cultural traditions of the Bible are radically different than today’s social norms, so how do you use scripture to address current issues such as gender roles, gay marriage, abortion, immigration reform, and gun control?

 

[lforrest]

Discern the will of God from the scriptures.
Use scripture to prove your arguments for said will.
Explain how X is opposed to said will.

Of course if they care nothing about God or his Will, then any argument is pointless.

 

[StanJ]

Most Modern English translations have already done that through their translators. Most Modern English translations are done using the method of functional equivalency. This basically means that the Greek or Hebrew is translated into terms that we understand today. Although there may be certain issues that cannot be linguistically transposed into our modern culture, in my opinion the translators do the best they possibly can. It helps to do a little study on how bibles are actually translated into English and the different types of Scholars they use to do such. It also helps to use a Bible that is translated by the formal equivalency method in order to see that transition between the two.

 

[Tropical Islander]

"The cultural traditions of the Bible are radically different than today’s social norms" - You are looking at this from a slightly incorrect angle. Today’s social norms are what the Bible calls "commandments of men" they are not based on absolute principles Jesus and his apostles thaught. It's the same with the cultural traditions of old. We always have to distinguish between what God wants from his creation - and what humanism wants from creation. The first is expressed in the commandments of Jesus, the other you can find here for example: Matthew 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. // See also Mark 7:7 & Titus 1:14. So in summery I would conclude human traditions are relative, always change with time, God's will is absolute and not influenced by any human tradition. So when you look at these things you mention like: gender roles, gay marriage, abortion, who do you consider an authority on these topics? You have a choice between God and human preference, tradition and philosophy.