Sociologist Marsha Witten analyzed forty-seven taped sermons on the prodigal son (see Luke 15:11-32) preached by Baptist and Presbyterian ministers. In her book, All Is Forgiven, she wrote, How does the idea of sin fare in the sermons under study here? We should not be surprised to find that communicating notions of sin poses difficulties for many of the pastors…As we have seen here, a closer examination of the sermons suggests that many ways in which the concept of “sin” has been accommodated to fit secular sensibilities. For while some traditional images are retained in this speech, the language frequently cushions the listeners from their impact, as it employs a variety of softening rhetorical devises.
John Newton, who wrote the much loved hymn Amazing Grace, said the following to a friend at the end of his life: My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.
Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, pages 18, 31
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