At the end of their article debating sin, desire and temptation in Evangelicals Now, John Stevens and Matthew Roberts suggest that they’ve tried to model disagreeing well. Do they achieve this?
Tag: Temptation
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
Sinful desire, sin and tautology
Evangelicals Now are running a set of articles with John Stevens and Matthew Roberts engaging the concupiscence debate. I’m looking forward to reading them and hoping that there will be proper interaction rather than the talking past each other that so far has characterised the debate. I hope that Matthew will particularly engage with the… Continue reading Sinful desire, sin and tautology
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)
Sin, desire, temptation and the contemporary debate
I’ve been spending a bit of time looking at the debate about concupiscence. It’s probably about time to engage with the contemporary debate a bit more. So, let’s go back to where we started. In a new book, “Ruined Sinners to Reclaim”, last year, David and Jonathan Gibson accused John Stevens, National Director of the… Continue reading Sin, desire, temptation and the contemporary debate
“They’re only words”: temptation and confusion in a debate about desire
John Stevens recently shared my article about John Calvin”s views on Concupiscence (desire) via Social Media. Oddly, at the time of writing, I haven’t seen anyone come back either directly to me or via John’s Facebook page to argue that I’ve got the case wrong. instead, a couple of people were very quick to complain… Continue reading “They’re only words”: temptation and confusion in a debate about desire
More reformed perspectives on sin, temptation and desire
We’ve had a look at what John Calvin has to say about desire (concupiscence). It is worth widening out our look at the Reformed tradition. The Westminister Confession The Westminster Confession’s 6th chapter is all about sin. I note that in the version I’ve got in front of me, the term concupiscence doesn’t appear in… Continue reading More reformed perspectives on sin, temptation and desire
Desire: What is the concupiscence debate all about?
I’ve been starting to dip my toe into a little theological debate about something called “concupiscence”. I’ve so far focused on highlighting what Scripture has to say about desire and temptation. It’s probably worth saying a little bit more about what the debate seems to be all about. In the new volume, Ruined Sinners to… Continue reading Desire: What is the concupiscence debate all about?
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