Yes, there was a famous book written by Dr. Karl Menninger back in the 1960's whose title asked "Whatever Became of Sin?" I even have that book on my office bookshelf; it was one of the first books I bought for free reading when I was a divinity student. As I recall, I read about half of it. Menninger was a psychotherapist, and he wondered if we had risen above the need to call anything sin anymore. He felt that we attempted to explain everything away through psychological processes and counseling. I still think his point was valid. Don't get me wrong, after all, I hold a graduate degree in counseling, so I do believe in its merits. But I have come to believe that we so misunderstand the whole concept of sin that it has been rendered mostly meaningless. But it really should not be so.
Now, let's think about what comes to mind when we say the word "sin". Is a sin telling a lie, falsifying one's income taxes, or going too far when out on a date? Many of us were raised with such definitions of sin. But to think of sins as individual acts misses the true meaning and danger of sin. The writer of I John asks how we can say we have no sin when we are sinners? By denying we are sinners, we become liars. Truth is, sin is not individual acts but a state of being. I think sin is reflected in the general cynicism, dishonesty and judgmental way in which we tend to view others. Instead of practicing the Christian hospitality that welcomes the stranger so that he or she becomes a friend, or at least a member of our community, we exclude folks who do not measure up to our idea of what is acceptable. We all remember the boy or girl in junior high and high school who did not fit in for whatever reason, and who was mocked and isolated by other students.
I cannot help but mention the saga of the latest media darling, Susan Boyle, whose audition for Britain's Got Talent has catapulted her into international stardom. She is a plainspoken woman from Northeastern Scotland who happens to have been blessed with a remarkable singing voice. Before she sang on the show, the judges and audience members treated her with a condescending sense of tolerance and amusement. After she sang, they fell over one another praising her. Susan Boyle has touched me deeply, because hers is a story of one who has had a challenging life; she was born with a slight disability that causes here to be perceived as lacking in social graces. She has been the target of neighborhood kids who ring her doorbell and run away. After her performance on TV, she remarked on how great it is to be congratulated by children in the street. So, what has changed to make her suddenly cool? People saw another side of her, there is a groundswell of love and support for her now, and folks are caught in that rising tide. But Susan Boyle, a faithful Catholic who cared for her elderly mother for years, has always been special in the eyes of God. Why is it that many who live in her village did not think so until now?
We have just come through the miracle of Easter; can we change our daily behavior to reflect that miracle? Can we love the unlovable, laugh with, and not at, people who do not seem to fit in? Can we admit that sin, properly understood, is a condition that causes us to separate ourselves from the realm of God's love for all people? And do we have the willpower to rise above the common cynicism of our time to show zero tolerance anytime anyone is singled out for ridicule, or cast out of the "accepted" community. I hope so, because only then can we say that we are trying to rise above sin and walk in the truth about which the writer of I John spoke.
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