Sometimes you don't need to reinvent the wheel.

Through my reading, writing and radio talk show, I met a theologian by the name of Scot McKnight. Simply put, Scot McKnight is a widely-recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus.

He is the author of more than twenty books, and is a current Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University in Chicago, Illinois.

His "Jesus Creed" blog is a daily 'must' read for anyone who desires to think outside of the traditional box, and find God working inside of today's missional, emergent and marketplace hunger. Scot's work has become the plumb line to my reawakened journey in Graceland.

Today, Scot offered a letter from an emergent community member, a question that asks about "sin".

I'm tired of the "condemning patterned street preaching", and looking for more than a flippant, "That's easy Eric, sin is a transgression of the law", with the unspoken 'slang tag' of "duh" added with emphasis. There is an understanding "what" is sin, and "why" it is called such.

Knowing that sin is minimally judicial and more importantly relational is key.

I'm tired of the self righteous, "I've got it all figured out" attitude we have about "others" sinful state, it's erroneous. Isn't it our sinful state too?

Doesn't that lead us to consider that we too have a sin barrier in understanding God's perfect plan for us, His Eikons (icons) of created image.

I can only 'copy and paste' the thread to do it justice, it made my day to read about a 'love thread' in the midst of communicating our sin situation to today's condemned and beaten community.

I offer Scot's 'short paragraph' (read the entire blog thread, link provided below) reply to an inquiring letter about sin...

Most folks seem to think of sin in superficial, legal, judicial ways. That is why they turn the debate about sin into a debate about the authority of scripture. Namely, sin is whatever breaks some 'law' or whatever scripture says.

Now surely there is truth to this, but sin is much more than breaking a law for there has to be something about the law that makes the law right. So, what we often want to know is what makes the law right. So, when folks say it is just about obedience, then they have turned sin into the simply judicial.

My own view on this is that we dare not let ourselves begin defining sin by reducing it to breaking the law. We have to begin with God, and define what is ultimately right by looking at God.

Sin is whatever impedes the flow of human life and our world into that ever flowing, loving dance within God. Whatever resists it; whatever works works against it; whatever breaks down human union with God; whatever distorts the world's design to participate in that dance is sin.

This also means that whatever impedes proper love between humans and humans or between humans and this world is also sin. The law comes in merely to clarify where love is breaking down. Defining sin by ignoring love misses what sin really is.

Sin can't be defined by effects on us or on others. Sin must be defined and directed toward that loving interrelationship within God and how we are designed to reflect that love. Sin relational; before the judicial element there is the relational.

I told you, there is no reinventing the wheel here.

In relating to a culture that is hungering for someone to tell them the truth in love, this explanation of sin - and the LOVE that is in the message of sin - is a launching point for everyone who has a heart for 'reaching, not just preaching'.

You can, and you should, read the additional letter, reply and additional comments being added to Scot's blog.

Comments for me: talkback@erichogue.com

Web Site: www.erichogue.com