• laziness
    Laziness,  Original Sin

    Laziness Three Ways and How to Move Forward

    First up. Could laziness be the original sin? A lot of theories surround what exactly constitutes original sin. Those in the literary fields usually attribute the original sin to the discovery of sexuality, pointing to the serpent as a phallic symbol, but then, those in literary fields usually think everything is Freudian. More ancient commentary on original sin tends towards the idea of concupiscence. That word means lust or desire, encompassing the literary idea and adding a generalized greed for power, knowledge,  wealth, or whatever. However, as I amble along Scott Peck’s classic, The Road Less Travelled, I recently came across this notion of laziness as the original sin. He…

  • appeasement
    Appeasement,  Idols

    The Religion of Appeasement: God as Idol

    Generally, when we seek to appease someone, we turn them into an idol. One of the misconceptions we have about idols is the assumption that we love our idols. And we love some of them, I’m sure. The love of money is a common one. But the other common denominator in idolatry is fear. Proverbs says Appease an angry man and you will do it again. How common is it for us to get caught up in a cycle of appeasement? I think it starts in childhood in many families. If the child transgresses (a not uncommon occurrence) and parents get angry, that child quickly learns how to turn the…

  • pilgrimage
    pilgrim,  Pilgrimage

    Pilgrimage, Abraham, and Me: Leaving Ur for the Unknown

    Pilgrimage is a concept that is not often spoken of these days. Perhaps this is because of how easy it is to travel all over the world without leaving the internet. Or maybe because modern pilgrimage is associated with trips to Mecca or Lourdes as if somehow the journey is a mixture of religious compulsion or superstition. Or perhaps, pilgrimage is an act of desperation. I have been to many conferences filled with people willing to do anything for a touch of God’s hand. But pilgrimage is in our hearts according to Psalms 84, and sometimes you need to make the trip without knowing exactly what you will find when…