THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS

One of the dangers that I see in the current church growth movement is a moving away from preaching that talks about sin. They tend to go through hoops trying not to offend and package the gospel and the Cross in a way that will not be offensive in the hopes of winning people to Christ.
God hasn't changed His position on sin. He still hates it! In his book RUMORS OF ANOTHER WORLD . . . WHAT ON EARTH ARE WE MISSING, Philip Yancey writes that the seven deadly sins might be renamed the seven seductive virtues:
Pride: In music, sports and business, we reserve our applause for winners, and those who flaunt it with an attitude tend to garner the most publicity. We strut our medals at the Olympic Games, lavish rewards on winners, and read management books patterned after Machiavelli and Attila the Hun.
Envy: Our entire advertising industry is built on inciting envy of colleagues and neighbors, so that whatever new electronic marvel or body shape my neighbor has, I want too.
Anger: We must get in touch with and express our anger, counselors tell us. Encounter groups, television trash-talk shows, town meetings, and political debates offer ample opportunity to do so.
Greed: The economic engine of our nation, and indeed the world, depends on a constant sense of discontent that motivates each consumer to desire even more.
Sloth: Find an island with a beach, retire early, relax, slow down, feel good -- it's all a part of the American dream.
Gluttony: Every year the "big gulp" drinks and super-size French fries get bigger, as do our waistlines. Currently 64% of Americans are overweight, with half that percentage qualifying as obese.
Lust: From Lycrad-clad professional cheerleaders to dancing babes on MTV videos, lust is ubiquitous in modern America, the single most profitable industry on the Internet."
Not quite the biblical view on the seven deadly sins. Yancey goes on to say that "we miss the hidden dangers that prompted the ancients to regard these sins as deadly. These sins diminish me and bring disorder to my life. Pride is a kind of addiction, a yearning for ego strokes that will never be satisfied. Greed tempts be to move my focus from people to things. Lust keeps me from connecting in the most meaningful way, diverting that desire in a direction that ultimately does not satisfy. God wants to set me free; evil attempts to enslave!"
God hasn't changed His position on sin. Get back to the Bible and allow His Spirit to talk to you. Are you enslaved to one of the seven deadly sins?
Good words to ponder on this Saturday, May 7, 2005.