The Era of Sin Management

Kingdom Character: How to be Faithful to the End (Part 2 of 3)

A common sentiment in contemporary thought approaches character in a siloed and compartmentalized manner. A public figure badly misbehaves, and his supporters sing in unison the much too familiar song that a leader’s private life has nothing to do with his job performance.

It seems to be agreed by the majority of our culture that private and public lives are entirely separate and unlinked. Private living and public functioning are unrelated.

But as in the case of many cultural opinions that have not been carefully scrutinized, this societal creed has not been consistently applied. Few would propose that a serial sex offender or a corporate embezzler should be given public office. Why? Because their offenses are aberrant acts that disqualify them as individuals who deserve public trust.

So, contradicting the sentiment of popular opinion, seems to be an unwritten list of character issues that will negatively affect public performance. What is at issue is the collective agreement of the list.

For the Christ follower this separation of private and public lives should seem perfectly absurd. We understand, that by the very nature and essence of personhood, we are one being, and there are no artificial divisions separating the various areas of our lives.

If I steal through my tax forms, I will steal anywhere. If I lie to my wife, I will lie to anyone. If I procrastinate doing a function at work that I don’t particularly enjoy, I will procrastinate anytime, anywhere. If I hold back financial first fruits from God – finances that are fittingly his, I will steal from anyone.

The moment I rationalize disobedience, that decision becomes a darkness that pervades the entirety of my character. There is no way to segregate or ...