Posts Tagged “sin”
There is a strain of Christianity that promises material blessing as a sign of God’s favor: cars, homes, bank accounts, etc. Given the economic downturn over the last few years, this strain should strain all credibility. Did God decide to withhold 30 to 40 percent of his favor across whole neighborhoods as their housing values [...]
The Christian walk is strewn with snares and pitfalls, many of which are placed in our way by the enemy. “No one who has experienced the conflicts of the inner man,” says Abbot Serenus, a fourth century desert father, “can doubt that our foes are continually lying in wait for us.” The devil wants us [...]
Perhaps the most rant-weary complaint about Christians is that they are hypocrites. Just typing the word makes me yawn. Yes, some professed believers are sanctimonious. Yes, some are false. Yes, some are even manipulative. But most are like me; they are garden-variety moral losers. And how boring is that? The majority of complaints about supposed [...]
We were going to Sunday meeting, Kate decided. It would be good for us. ‘Oh God,’ I protested, ‘I don’t have to contemplate my sin, do I, Kate?’ ‘You do,’ she replied in a very practical tone. Philip Davison A Burnable Town (Jonathan Cape, 2006), 121.
Get this scene: A monk sits on a train. A fellow passenger approaches and offers him a cigarette. Monks aren’t much known to smoke, but this monk was once a soldier and gratefully accepts the gift. Holding the slender item, the monk suggests to his benefactor that they should make the sign of the cross [...]
I recently learned that an acquaintance of mine had announced a pretty significant life change, and not one for the better. As often happens, many people met this revelation with encouragement, impressed by his supposed authenticity and commitment to “finally being true to himself.” While I get the sentiment, I reject the thought. Admitting sin [...]