Friday, July 18, 2003
GOODNESS? SIN?
There was for quite some time in the church the theology of “New Reformation”. Usually this means emphasizing only the positive news of the Gospel and restoring or creating in people a sense of self-esteem. This is good to a point. But it seems contrary to the Biblical view that teaches that none of us are totally good; that all have sinned and that “there is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10)
Actually, I don’t think these two views are really opposite. As I understand Bible teaching, it is only when we have a realistic view of the depths to which human nature can sink, and the potential for evil in our own hearts, that we can really understand the Good News. The Good News, of course, is that in spite of what is wrong with us, God loves, forgives and accepts us, as illustrated in Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son.
I am reading an excellent book, “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren. One of the many things that challenged me is Warren’s statement: “God loves each one of us as though we were the only one on earth.” Boy! That sure raises my self-esteem!
It is fascinating to study history from the perspective of time and see how things change and change back again. It is also interesting to observe different groups exchanging worldviews. There was a time a hundred years or so ago in the popular culture of the western world that the mood was “optimistic”. Human nature was declared to be “good”. “God was in His heaven and all was right with the world.” So no one listened to the outcry of the church about badness and sin.
In recent years the popular mood, reflected in novels, plays, movies, television and the arts of all kinds is of a despairing recognition of the evil in the human heart. At the same time church has more or less stopped talking about sin. Instead they are serving their people an idealistic doctrine of sweetness and light; health-and-wealth gospel and a soul-numbing message of, “Everything is all right with the world and God is in His heaven.” We hear about love and tolerance; not about trust and obedience. I like that old hymn, “Trust and Obey” because it combines two very important components of God’s message.
The church’s message has become so bland that noted psychiatrist Karl Menninger (I think it was Karl. It might have been one of the other Menninger brothers) of the noted Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, wrote a book, “Whatever Happened To Sin?” The word “sin” left the churches and re-appeared on Broadway and the movies. By way of popular culture it comes into our homes on television, in books and in magazines.
Nobody in the church is asking the real questions: What about hunger in the world? What about the poor and homeless of the world? What about man’s inhumanity to man? What about the killings taking place because of people’s differing religious beliefs? Disturbing questions like these seem to barely be addressed, if at all. I am aware of some very excellent efforts like Franklin Graham's’ “Samaritan’s Purse”, and there are others.
Once this theme of badness and sin appeared in our culture the churches again picked it up. But it took on a new form and in its new form something was forgotten. Yes, I believe the church needs to re-affirm the human potential for goodness. But this time the church needs to clearly communicate that it is a goodness that is made possible for each of us only by the grace of God.
What disturbs me most about the cult of pessimism and cynicism that surrounds us is not the depiction of human cruelty, violence and vice. Those things exist. But I am most disturbed by the absence of the note of grace. The Bible has just as grim a picture of human badness as any modern novel, movie or television program. The difference is that throughout the Bible runs the message of a good God who seeks to communicate his goodness to the human family. It speaks of the God whose Spirit is alive and well, no matter how we may be resisting Him and no matter how messed up the human race may be.
I am still thinking about this idea. This goodness seems to be something very different from the world’s concept of “goodness”. I’m still very dissatisfied with myself. Truth be told, I can’t determine whether I’m dissatisfied because of what I have done or because of the consequences it has brought to me. Maybe I just don’t want to admit the truth.
But I’ll Blog more about all this later. Hang in there, “Vast Reading Audience”!
Jim
posted by jim 3:52 PM 0 comments
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