Tuesdays with Morris...Random Thoughts

As I sat down to write this mornings "Tuesdays with Morris" article, I struggled with a topic or Scripture to focus on...However, as I am writing...there is an issue popping into my head...Of course, with my short attention span...who knows how long the thoughts on this issue will last. So, I better get down to business.

Well, I bet you're asking yourself, "Self, what issue is Jason going to write about this morning?" I'm glad you asked. The issue is...(cue the dramatic music...dun, dun, dun!) SIN! Argh! Did I just write sin? Oh crap! I'm not allowed to talk about sin...Oh wait, yeah I am!

Lately, I've been paying attention to how Christians and the church approach the issue of sin. It seems to be that Christian churches like to talk about particular sins, rather than sin as a whole. It also appears that the Christian church likes to discipline people that struggle with particular sins, and overlook others. If you need to know what the American evangelical church thinks about homosexuality or abortion or drinking or smoking, you don't have to look very far. However, if you want to know the churches stand on adultery, lust, gluttony, greed, and so on...it might be harder to figure out.

Have you ever noticed that some of the most vocal Christians on the airwaves that lash out against homosexuality tend to be well-dressed, overweight, judgmental freaks? I'm sorry...that wasn't a very nice thing to say. Or have you noticed that many of the Christians that appear on television programs say some of the dumbest and most hateful things? Aren't we supposed to be about love, grace, and mercy.

See, the problem is that we have reduced sin to issues of morality (for the most part). Many of us look at particular issues instead of the root cause...the evil that dwells within. We were created for good...yet so many of us are so bad. I like to think I'm a good person. But, I can be one of the most hateful people if you make me mad. There's this dark side within me that just wants to stomp out any of the good that might come from me. Sin separates us from God. Sin is more than whether a person is gay, a murderer, an adulterer, or so on.

Those things are sin...but they aren't the only sins. We can do good things for the wrong reasons and because our motive is selfish...we are in sin. The Scriptures talk about how even our thoughts are sinful. If we even look at a person lustfully, Jesus says we have committed adultery. Our thoughts...sinful??? But, I didn't actually do it! Well, that's not the issue...if our thoughts draw us away from God...we are separated from Him...and it is sin that separates us from God.

I think the big thing with sin is that the church and Christians need to get honest about the subject. We need to not reduce it to a few issues that we don't struggle with. We need to speak out as much about greed, self-control, lust, etc. as we do many of the hot issues that are dealt with from week to week. We need to stop categorizing sin as bad, badder, and baddest. We need to call sin sin. And, we need to follow through with a little church discipline. The Scripture is full of instructions on how to deal with a brother or sister that is in the wrong. The church needs to not be afraid to call people out...to even ask people to leave if they continue on in their sin when it is addressed.

The church needs to be open and honest. The church needs to not worry what people/the world will think. The church needs to stand under the word of God and let it guide and direct us. We need to stop fighting about whether drinking or smoking are wrong (which you won't find a lot of Scriptural defense for) and start dealing with the bigger issue of sin. We need to stop being nice and talking about the things we don't struggle with and start speaking from our weakness. In my weakness...He is strong.

We need to get to the place where we don't think of ourselves as better than others because we don't stumble on the things that trip them up. I don't struggle with homosexuality...but I swear like a sailor...so, am I any better than the one who struggles with homosexuality...or are we both broken vessels in need of a healing touch from our wonderful Maker?

Okay, that's enough incoherent rambling...None of this probably makes any sense...I just went off on a little tantrum and probably failed to get across the point I hoped to. But, hopefully this will make us all think about the big picture of sin and help us to stop reducing sin to a few actions.