Seven Sins and Seven Virtues
How to be a Better Sinner |
| For centuries thought has been given to a familiar problem: What
does it mean to be bad or to be good? Is either a progressive
condition? Are some bad attitudes and appetites worse than others?
Are there good antidotes for each bad condition? Some Christian
thinkers organized their insights into a catalog of vices and
virtues. One monk identified heart-conditions of escalating
severity, with increasing moral consequences. One pope ranked sins
based on the degree that they offend or undermine love. One
theologian found a virtue for each vice, and imagined them in
competition for a soul's loyalty. Over time seven sins came to be
regarded as fatal to spiritual health. These were called deadly:
pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony and lust. With parallel
precision, seven virtues came to be thought heavenly (inspired and
sustained by divine influence): faith, hope, charity, fortitude,
justice, temperance and prudence. Wise and silly souls alike have
made use of this moral matrix. Our class will explore the value of
these "short-lists" and survey the issues they raise. |
About the Teachers
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Dr. Arvin Engelson No pastor
has served longer at Saratoga Federated Church than Arvin - 30+ years.
He is gifted in his mastery of the scriptures and skilled at guiding
souls into a deeper understanding of God, themselves, and those
around them. His first career was as a counselor at public and
private colleges. He has also taught graduate courses for Fuller
Seminary. Trained in philosophy at Westmont College, and then in
pastoral counseling and history of religion at Gordon Conwell, he
went on to doctoral work at Princeton where he studied (in
particular) formative and transformative life experiences from an
interdisciplinary perspective. The integration of spiritual truths
with the nitty-gritty of life is his expertise. "When I teach,
my chief motivation is to offer perspectives and tools that equip
people to live hopeful and useful lives. I am drawn to topics with
practical, quality-of-life application. Healthy faith begets healthy
persons, who leave others better off than they find them." |
| Greg Davis Greg
is Pastor of Discipleship and Missions at Saratoga Federated. Before
joining the Pastoral staff at SFC Greg was involved in business
ownership and management here in the valley for 15 years. He has
spent time in the mission field in South America, and is currently
in the Master of Divinity program at Fuller Theological Seminary in
Menlo Park. Greg has a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Multnomah Bible
College in Portland, Oregon. He brings a unique blend of theological
understanding, real-world experience and spiritual passion to his
teaching. |
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