I’ve had four concerns about the debate around temptation, desire and sin (concupiscence). I wanted to just pick up on three crucial implications from these. First of all, by narrowing the debate down to one application, the impression has been unfortunately given that this isn’t to do with all of us. Rather, it only affects… Continue reading Why the debate about sin, temptation and desire matters
Tag: sin
Really alive, really reborn
I revisited James 1:13 as part of my discussion on desire today. It struck me that in that debate, we need to pay attention to what James says about how desire conceives and gives birth to sin which grows into death. That statement should make us sit up and think carefully about what is going… Continue reading Really alive, really reborn
An alien interloper?
One of the key questions that has come up in the debate about sin, desire and temptation is whether or not we are responsible for our temptations. This in fact is key to the position that Matthew Roberts and others hold. The argument is that the desires which tempt us according to James are our… Continue reading An alien interloper?
“Tending towards…” – why I’m not about to become a Leeds United fan!
I’m a Bradford City supporter. Our nearest and greatest rivals are Leeds United. Imagine if someone were to say that because I supported Bradford and that is near Leeds and that I don’t support Manchester United, then I am dangerously tending towards being a Leeds fan. You would recognise that for the nonsense it is.… Continue reading “Tending towards…” – why I’m not about to become a Leeds United fan!
Matthew Roberts and John Stevens debate sin, temptation and desire in Evangelicals Now: Initial reflections on Matthew’s article
Well, Matthew Roberts and John Stevens’ articles are now live on the Evangelicals Now website, should you choose to read them. Sadly, Matthew continues to repeat the same errors that I’ve already identified in his article. In summary, Matthew sets out a position on sin which we would all agree with, namely that sin is a heart… Continue reading Matthew Roberts and John Stevens debate sin, temptation and desire in Evangelicals Now: Initial reflections on Matthew’s article
Jesus, empathy and pastoral care
Here’s a follow on from what I wrote here the other day, a #FaithrootsPodcast picking up on an aspect of the Empathy debate.
We don’t talk about empathy no, no, no
You may recall a little hoo-ha a while back (I think it may have been a couple of years ago even when a prominent US Evangelical said that empathy is sin. I engaged with the issue here and here. Well Evangelicals Now have decided to rake up the issue again in this article. I hope… Continue reading We don’t talk about empathy no, no, no
External or internal temptation … and does it really matter?
One of the issues raised in the concupiscence debate is about the extent to which we can distinguish between external and internal temptation. In fact, in some respects the whole debate is about what we distinguish. So, first of all, there is the question about whether we need to distinguish temptation, desire and sin from… Continue reading External or internal temptation … and does it really matter?
Temptation, desire and self-deception
In recent social media discussion relating to my article on Calvin’s view of sin, temptation and desire, one person suggested that the question posed when John Stevens shared my article should be modified from: ““Are we sinning when we experience sinful desires that are unwanted, unsought and that we resist/rejected.“ To: “are we sinning when… Continue reading Temptation, desire and self-deception
Matthew Roberts on sin desire and temptation (more on the contemporary debate)
As a postscript to my article about the contemporary debate concerning sin, desire and temptation, here’s a look at Matthew Roberts’ book “Pride”. I have picked up a copy on Kindle since I wrote the first article. Roberts book is primarily focused on the ethical debate around LGBT+/same sex attraction and the Gospel. His starting… Continue reading Matthew Roberts on sin desire and temptation (more on the contemporary debate)
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