Lent: Why the Language of Self-Control Falls Short

Last updated on: February 15, 2013 at 9:30 am by Sarah Ngu

Lent: Why the Language of Self-Control Falls Short 2013-02-15T09:30:34-05:00 Sarah Ngu

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A group of us were gathered around dinner, discussing what we could give up for Lent together. Someone suggested, “Vegetarian dinners?” There was a silent pause.

As fellows at the Trinity Forum Academy, we rotate cooking dinners for everyone between the twelve of us, so any dinner decision had to be a communal one. Halfway through the discussion, someone asked, “What would be the point of giving up meat?”

“Self-control” was the main consensus. A reminder that all good things are gifts from God that we should not feel “entitled” to have. A discipline that would counteract the consumerist liturgy of constantly satisfying our desires. The virtue of self-denial/discipline/control/restraint is a favorite message of pastors, particularly during seasons like Lent. Our desires should be viewed with suspicion.

But once Easter rolls around, we are told by those very same pastors that Jesus Christ has conquered death and offers the promise of abundant, eternal life wherein we shall find the satisfaction of all our desires. They quote CS Lewis and tell us that it is not that our desires are too small, but rather than too large. Our desires are now our friends.

The tension between these two messages is a healthy one, but it begs for a more nuanced language surrounding the management of our desires. Augustine’s language of ordered desires, in which our desire for God is the centerpiece, the deepest fulfillment of all our other desires, is excellent. But lately I’ve found Paul’s a bit more helpful.

“Now if I do what I do not want to do,” he writes, “it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” He moves beyond the labeling of desires and towards the disassociation of his self from wrong desires.

God does more than tell us which desires lead to death or to life (consequentialist view). He also tells us what desires are truly ours and which are not (ontological view). In other words, he is telling us who we are. The journey of “self-control” is really a journey of “self-discovery.”

desire

identity

Previous Post

February 14, 2013

Christianity's Declining Moral Capital

Next Post

February 15, 2013 The Shock of Benedict's Resignation

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category ambition art beauty bible bios body Book Review cheap grace church community consumer church cultural liturgy culture deep practice desire dualisms economics education evangelicalism events faith family fare forward Film Review friendship games Gospel happiness hipster Christianity humility identity institutions irony issue previews Jesus just church justice Lent Letters to the Editor liberal arts liberal christianity literature liturgy love march madness mental health metaphysics misotheism moralism morality Movie Review music narrative naturalism new atheism passions philosophy place political theology Pope Francis power prayer privilege providence reading reason relationship remembering self resurrection science secular faiths secularism sexuality sin Social Media spirituality Sport suburbs suffering table of contents technology the future of faith the new apologetic the virtues theology thick doctrine transcendence Trinity truth tv Uncategorized violence Virtue vocation war work

Select a Month August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the last plague of Egypt?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Water turned into blood Death of the firstborn Biting insects and wild animals Darkness