This is seen in the great amount of time spent in seminaries in psychology and “counseling” courses, the number of counselors on the staff of large congregations, and the very use of the word “counseling” for classes in marriage preparation, comforting the bereaved and dealing with pastoral problems. It is rare these days to hear of a pastor giving spiritual direction or godly advice; rather, he is more often involved in counseling. In fact his/her two chief roles are often said to be “counselor” and “manager”.
It is also seen in the way that Christianity is presented in terms of church programs and the content of teaching in books, videos, sermons and the like. The human being, it is said, has needs to be met and the Gospel is adjusted to meet these perceived needs. Then it is assumed that the human being has need for self-worth, self-fulfillment, self- realization and self-knowledge and so church life is designed to make these personal goals attainable.
I am not offering a critique of this situation which makes church life very different in 2004 than it was in 1954 or even 1964. Rather, what I want to suggest is that in this situation where the psycho-therapeutic evaluation of man is usually more obvious and powerful in the churches than is a biblical evaluation ( or more commonly the biblical is interpreted through the “insights” of psychology and therapy), certain basic truths about human nature are in danger of being forgotten or denied. In fact, they have in some cases been wholly overlooked and are not on the agenda! This appears to be so in both liberal Catholicism and generic, popular, evangelical Protestantism.
That is, absent from many contemporary Christian estimates of man is the presence and influence of what St Augustine and St Thomas Aquinas knew as concupiscentia and what in English has been called concupiscence, with the basic meaning of “inordinate desire.” When used in theology with reference to human nature, concupiscence points to the strong tendency of our nature to desire, long and search for that which is contrary to God’s known will and thus is evil.
Key biblical texts are found throughout the New Testament (see e.g., Matthew 15:19; Romans 7 & Galatians) but none is clearer than the statement of the apostle John who wrote:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions – is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides for ever. (John 2:15-17)
The “world” is not the cosmos as such for God made this and it was/is good. “World” refers to human society as it is organized on wrong principles, and characterized by base desires, false standards and egoism with selfishness, In this context appears concupiscence and lust (forbidden by the Tenth Commandment). Concupiscence is expressed in three ways by the apostle.
First, “the desires of the flesh”. This obviously points to the appetites of human nature, the desire for food, warmth, lodging, clothing, work, pleasure, recognition by others and much more. But, in this context of a sinful world, it is inordinate and excessive desire of an impure heart and mind.
Secondly, “the desires of the eyes” which is the tendency or bias to be captivated by outward show and thinks that happiness is always in material things. It is the spirit that sees nothing without wishing to acquire it and when acquired flaunts it before others. Its value-system is materialistic.
Thirdly, there is “pride in possessions”. The Greek word in use here points to a person who lays claim to possessions and to achievements which do not truly belong to him/her and does so as to impress others and to boast of them.
So John speaks of the person here who is in the world, of the world and for the world in that he judges everything by his appetites, is a slave of lavish ostentation and a boastful braggart. Of course not all of us are like this all the time but most of us are like this part of this all the time for we suffer from disordered desire, that is, desire which is ordered not by reason to God’s will but by strong feelings to what God forbids and what the world constantly advertises and justifies.
Some theologians have said that the strong desire itself is sinful because it is the product of a sinful human nature; others have said that sin only truly occurs at the point where the desire becomes a practical reality in experience. But all major orthodox theologians of both the Catholic and Protestant traditions have insisted that it is present in us from birth and remains there till death.
The effect of genuine conversion to Jesus Christ (spiritual regeneration & Baptism) is to introduce into the soul a new nature, a new creation, a new principle of life, which by God’s grace and the guidance of the Holy Spirit enables the baptized believer not to follow the “desires of the flesh” but to do the will of God. Yet concupiscence remains in all of us as the many stories of over-eating, over-drinking, committing of fornication, adultery, pedastry and sodomy, and unlawful financial gain by Christian pastors and leaders regrettably reveal [How much has this cost the R C Church in the USA in the last decade]. Further, each and every one of us knows experientially, if we are honest, that temptations associated with inordinate desire do not always arise from external sources (the world and the devil) but from within ourselves, from our own natures.
The reason why the word concupiscence, and associated words such as mortification and sanctification (not to mention “original sin”, lust and chastity) are not common in modern preaching and teaching, retreat addresses, devotional and spirituality books, is that most of our pastors and congregations (ourselves) either do not believe in the presence of concupiscence, or we choose to think and live as though it is not what the apostles and saints have said it is. That is, being enlightened through modern scientific discovery and study, we see fulfillment of desire as more often than not the true development of our natures rather than the way into sinfulness – thus the emphasis on self- realization and associated themes.
The refusal to accept chastity as a virtue, together with indulgence in sexual excess, have often been used to illustrate the presence of concupiscence in the soul. In parts of the contemporary Church in America and Europe, one does not have to look far to find such and to find it as boldly proclaiming itself as good and holy! However, in the abundant evidence in our midst of over indulgence in food, in alcohol, in drugs, in pleasure and in a variety of pursuits to satisfy the self , concupiscence cries out for recognition. Those who do not see it and recognize it for what it is are fools, for, as John puts it, “the world is passing away, and so is its desire; but he who does God’s will abides for ever.”
Concupiscence is recognized as real in many of the old hymns found in the traditional hymn books. It is put into careful words in prayers of penitence and contrition in the traditional Prayer Books & Liturgies – e.g. the classic Book of Common Prayer. It is given precise formulation in the old Confessions of Faith and Catechisms, as well in the R C “Catechism of the Catholic Church” (2000). But it is absent from or passed by quickly in modern hymnody, liturgy and statements of Faith (difficult to find in Rite Two material of the ECUSA prayer Book).
Its absence affects everything that makes up the individual Christian life and the corporate life of congregations, not to mention the evaluation of man in society and in the public square. No concupiscence in the soul means no need for mortification of sin and sanctification by the Spirit: in fact it takes away the reason for the atoning death of Jesus on the Cross and his exaltation to heaven as our Prophet, Priest and King. The Gospel is addressed to sinners and part of their sinfulness is concupiscence, whatever the wisdom of psychology and therapy and counseling and like things may say and do!
Almighty God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
October 27, 2005 The Rev'd Dr. Peter Toon
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