Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Part 2. Concerning Confession - 4. Evangelical Casuistry - Sin and Symptoms - The Task of Evangelical Casuistry
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
EVANGELICAL CASUISTRY
away altogether. There is obviously a great danger here.
Development in this direction can become fatal for the future of
our race. What then shall we do? Are we to stop speaking about
mental symptoms and moral diseases and use the concept of sin
alone? Hardly. Here are two realities, neither of which can be
wiped out of existence by any refusal to acknowledge its
existence. We must not ignore the fact of disease or its effects on
behaviour. At the same time we must bear witness with a
new strength of conviction that there is also something called
sin. The old attitude, often brutal, that would never take into
account mitigating circumstances, cannot be allowed to recur
in the care of souls. The new determinism which denies
personal responsibility must be untiringly combated.
As Ikin as truly said, the difference between sin and disease
is a difference of responsibility. This does not mean, however,
that a mentally sick person is necessarily without responsibility
for his state. A person who does not explore every possibility of
improving his condition is responsible for his situation. A
person is not without responsibility who is unwilling to take the
path leading to improvement and health. There are morally
sick people who say they desire to become well but are not
willing to pay the price. In many cases they do not want to take
up the whole of their personality problem and solve it. A
disposition to side-track a problem, ignore it and then go on, shows
that illness and sin often go hand in hand.
The root of wrong decisions, faulty attitudes and destructive
actions can often be traced to a poor constitution, traumatic
experiences in childhood, bad influences or sexual ignorance.
To explain a situation in such terms does not, however,
necessarily excuse it. The task of evangelistic casuistry is not to
distribute pillows to sleeping consciences.
The Task of Evangelical Casuistry
To sum up, we may say that evangelical casuistry is not
concerned to grade sins. It does not employ a pair of scales or a
measuring rod. It insists, nevertheless, that consideration must
be given to a person’s condition and circumstances. It requires
that a person’s state shall be judged in true perspective. It is not
satisfied to describe his situation, but enquires into its causes
93
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
