The problem of sin
Within this relational interaction, humankind often chooses to act in ways that do not speak to this moral directive to do God’s work in the world. Instead, we seem to do things that directly oppose the creative work that God has done. This turning away from God’s purposes is sin and evil. Ted Peters describes evil as that which retards the becoming of being human. “Instead of answering the call forward, we choose to fixate ourselves in an unchanging present. To choose fixation and partiality is to choose sin; and the result is evil. Instead of becoming human, we find ourselves awash in unbecoming evil.”[i][ED1] We turn away from God’s purposes out of our own fears and anxieties and in futile attempts to be in control. These forces build upon one another leading us from individual relationship with God and into the development of systematic evil.
Evil is different than sin. Shirley Guthrie discusses, “The evil we do to each other has three dimensions. It is always rebelling against God and the order of God’s good creation. It is always indifference or enmity toward our fellow human beings. And it is always the self-destructive contradiction of what we ourselves were created to be.”[ii] The power of evil is that we take upon ourselves a self importance that is destructive. Guthrie states, “We do evil, but when we do we are trapped and controlled by evil. It dwells in us yet somehow has an existence of its own outside us.”[iii][ED2] Evil becomes more than turning away from God but involves us taking action against God and others. James Poling defines evil, “Genuine evil is the abuse of power that destroys bodies and spirits; evil is produced by personal actions and intentions which are denied and dissociated by individuals; evil is organized by economic forces, institutions and ideologies, mystified by appeals to necessity and truth; evil is sanctioned by religion, masked by claims to virtue, love and justice.”[iv] Poling suggests that evil is systemic and organized at every level of human life.[v] Evil takes on a life of its own that is difficult to acknowledge and to address, as it is so systemic into the societal structure. Religion and secular society have often fostered acceptance of evil through non-action to confront that which prevents God’s purposes.
[i] Peters, 162. Peters examines several differing conditions that lead to sin which produces evil. The first of these is anxiety, which is a prelude to sin. We anticipate perils and try to do what we can to alleviate the feelings. Individual survival becomes more important than communal wholeness. The defending of that survival can come at the cost of destroying others. The second issue is unbelief. We doubt the faithfulness of God and so we try to establish immortality through lusting for power and perfection. Pride is yet another condition. Placing ourselves higher than God, we develop a narcissistic center. Peters discusses concupiscence as a condition, in which our desires cause us to pervert love leading to the consumption of someone else’s life-giving power. Our ability to justify what we do helps eliminate blame for our actions. We also use scapegoating that helps justify how we define good and evil. Cruelty is taking the hatred that we feel to ourselves and projecting that onto the scapegoat. The last condition is blasphemy. This is the use of God’s name to justify scapegoating and the manipulation of symbols to profane the God of grace and for obtaining power from lesser spiritual forces. 163-173
[ii] Shirley Guthrie, Christian Doctrine, Revised ed. (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1994), 174.
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] James Poling, Deliver Us from Evil (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996), 110.
[v] Ibid., 112.
[ED1]See endnote to elaborate on Peters. Tillich looks at estrangement cause by unbelief, concupiscence, and hubris.
[ED2]Evil thus becomes more than individual action but also becomes a communal action. Often based on issues of anxiety, power, and prestige.
As one can see evil is more than just our choice but becomes a communal or societal choice. As a sociologist, society influences us more than we influence society. What we began to discuss, is what if anything can we do to address systemic evil. I believe the only way we can overcome not only our choice of sin but also to make a difference in the systemic evil of the world is our dependence on God. In my credo, I continued with talking about how God has provided for us to be able to rise above evil and sin.
I would suggest thinking about where are you in your beliefs about sin and evil. Is there a greater force that is influential in human affairs? Do we tend to believe that if there is such a force that there is nothing we can do about it and therefore do no social justice. I will quote myself, "Religion and secular society have often fostered acceptance of evil through non-action to confront that which prevents God’s purposes. " I would hope that we do not foster the idea of not confronting evil and injustice wherever we meet it.
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