Sin and the Emerging Church

Original Sin

I found a great post on Emergesque regarding sin and the emerging church. The author begins by saying:

I've complained a bit in the past because I fear that in our reaction to something or another we in the emerging church don't think about or talk about or - most significantly - do as much as we should about sin (including our own - I include myself in this charge). And it bothers me that even writing that sentence makes me feel counter cultural to the emerging church ethos.

Read the rest of this very insightful post here.

I very much agree with this post, and responded by writing:

I really appreciate your insight in this article. You stated, "We in the emerging church don't think about or talk about or... do as much as we should about our own sin."I would take this one step further, and say that often we don't even define our negative choices as sin. In many cases, I think the idea of 'sin' might be removed from our theology.I think there are two reasons for this.

First, it is not always easy to determine what is sin, and what is not. The Bible cannot always guide us in this area, as many of the arguments about what is considered to be sin stem from our challenges in determining which Biblical directives are cultural, and which are timeless. For example, women in leadership and tithing.

Second, we have begun to take a more holistic, or ‘whole-person’ approach to sin. For example, homosexuality has traditionally been considered a sin. I’ve also heard it described as an ‘addiction’ by some. But when you get to know someone who is gay, and hear his or her story, it is suddenly very hard to describe that person as a ‘sinner’. If he or she has felt that way their whole life (even before they were sexually active), it can’t truly be called an addiction. And can it really be called a sin, as it seems to be part of their very nature? These are questions that are too complex for me to answer. Suddenly that person is not a sinner, but a friend who faces difficult challenges, just as I do. I believe God sees them that way as well. I think God sees the whole person, just as we are finally beginning to do.

So our very definitions of sin, and interpretations of the Bible, are in flux.

However, there are many things that can more easily be defined as sinful, such as lying, cheating, being spiritually lukewarm, etc. I think you’re right - In being such an accepting movement, we have begun to accept, and even take for granted, our own sins. And we avoid talking about them, perhaps so that everyone will feel accepted. But as you so aptly quoted, “…everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). We need to address the issues of sin, so that we can help each other toward freedom. By ignoring them, our brothers and sisters will likely end up feeling that they are alone in their battles. And they will erroneously think their leaders don’t struggle with the same problems!Your excerpt from Richard Baxter’s The Reformed Pastor is a powerful reminder of the importance of continually striving to live a pure life. In the emerging church movement, hypocrisy is often considered to be an ‘unforgivable’ sin. So, in a way, Baxter prophesied to us when he wrote, “Take heed to yourselves, lest your example contradict your doctrine…”