Sin?

A customer left their USA Today at Scooter's today. In the Life section is an article about Americans' perceptions of sin. Only 81% of Americans who were polled thought that adultery was sin. A pastor (guess who if you'd like) thought that sin wasn't a word worth mentioning in his ginormous church, because people already know what they're doing wrong. I think this article definitely reflects a clear picture of how American culture views sin. It's worth reading, especially with the approach of Easter. How can Americans appreciate the weightiness and reality of Christ's suffering on the cross if they don't have a clear understanding of sin? Have I, being steeped in American culture, lost sight or reduced the significance of sin in my own life? Have I found ways of justifying my sin by simply not regarding it as sin? Unfortunately, yes. It's easier than taking a posture of humility and acknowledging that I have exulted myself, others, or something above the One True God and King, minimizing His sacrifice on my behalf. I hate humility, it makes me squirm. I don't like to admit I'm wrong, that I have wronged. I think Americans might just be creating a loophole to avoid the squirm into humility, and it just morphs into a false reality, blinding us from the truth. Oh, that we might take the posture of the prophet Jeremiah and cry out to God on behalf of our nation.

If you want to read the article, here's the link:  http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-03-19-sin_N.htm