A Modern Concept of Sin

Fifty years ago there was a fairly sharp line of demarcation between the righteous and the sinner, at least this was true in popular thought which was completely embued with the idea that morality and religion go together - fact that morality is indisoluably related to religion. A man was pious and good or Godless and bad. In that day there were far fewer things to occupy the mind than today; the church held quite a central place in the attention of men and was identified with all that was pious and good. Regardless of the actual problem as to whether morality is dependent upon religion - to say nothing of the church, but a few decades ago this institution was the most important factor in determining the sinners among men; and to a very large extent the line of distinction between the righteous and the s inner was the door of the church.What is the present day concept of sin? What are the sources of this concept? Do Anthropology and Psychology demand a change? If so can suitable change be made and the concept still be compatible with the direct and implied teachings of Christ upon the subject? In considering the question of the present day concept of sin it must be home in mint that we are dealing only with the idea as found in organized Christianity and in the world at large only in so far as it has been influenced by Christian thought. The views of the church then are to come under careful scrutiny, being indicative of the current concept of sin. And in considering what should be our concept we are not free to arrive at conclusions simply through the channels of cold logic. The emotional and spiritual elements of religion and in this case of Christianity must be controlling factors. Sin cannot then for us be reduced to moral evil since Christ looked upon it as demanding not only amendment but repentance.