Challenge

I have been challenged to challenge you...stretch your minds to get you to think about what you believe. 

Allow me to give you an example:

I have a very diverse faith history.

My faith journey has led me to be part of six denomination and all of those are very different.  Two of those were very conservative, three were conservatively moderate, one was very moderate.   Because I have experienced a variety of theological concepts, when I took Systematic Theology in Seminary I had a good understanding of how each different denomination (church) came to be who they are today. 

My narrative on sin developed from my experiences and from reading works of a variety of theologians spanning many centuries.  It has also been influenced by studying ancient Hebrew and Greek cultures. Having said that, my personal narrative was heavily influenced by my parents’ views of right and wrong.

It was also influenced by my culture, which during my early years was shame based.  Many churches were reminding us that “we were going to hell” if we weren’t obedient. 

The first time I was challenged in a Seminary classroom to create a faith narrative on sin (meaning what I really believe about sin) I thought it was a little silly. 

Well, let’s see…sin is bad – don’t do it anymore.

Then I realized that my thoughts were very telling about sin, and that impacts my view of complete forgiveness. 

So, I wonder, what is your “sin” narrative.  As you deal with issues, dig deep and be honest with yourself about what you believe about sin. 

What causes you to sin?

How do you receive forgiveness?

What past church experiences have influenced how you view sin?

Do experiences from your childhood impact your sin narrative?

What do you really believe about sin?  What scriptures do you turn to? 

Write out your faith journey in reference to SIN and see where that takes you. 

What is God telling you to ‘keep’ or ‘change’ about your narrative?

Feel free to post your narrative, or to email me at: journey@centerofspiritualdirection.com

Did you learn anything about yourself and how you look at sin?