Speaking of Sin

I must admit that I'm a bit nervous. Most Januarys I take a sabbatical from the lectionary passages and address a topic or group of topics for a few weeks, choosing appropriate scripture readings.

I got my idea for this year in December when I read a spiritual and theological autobiography by Douglas John Hall, one of Canada's foremost theologians (he is United Church.) He speaks of the centrality of the cross of Christ. It got me thinking about sin and how sin has virtually disappeared from the language of our denomination. I'm told that other churches, including evangelical congregations, downplay the sin talk as well, fearing that it will seem too negative.

I dug out another book called Speaking of Sin: The Lost Language of Salvation by Barbara Brown Taylor. She is a wise woman who argues persuasively that we still need the language of sin, repentance, salvation to help us understand both our alienation from God and the repair of our relationship with our creator and redeemer. She goes so far as to call sin "a helpful, hopeful word." She points out that we love to get to God's grace without asking why God needs to be forgiving and gracious in the first place.

So, for the next few weeks I will be speaking of sin. We'll see how this is received. If my blog disappears and you see a tall guy on a street corner with a sign saying "Will preach for food" you'll know that it turned out badly. Say a prayer!