Recently, a dear Christian friend of mine shared with me a sermon that was recently given by the Rector at the Gainesville Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. I felt the information was quite interesting, so decided to share it with you. His message that week had been to celebrate Martin Luther King Day, and he credited Mahatma Gandhi who had championed much of the civil disobedience that MLK utilized in his civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s.
The Reverend Roy Tuff observed that Because of the current state of our world and our nation’s unrest, the seven social sins that Gandhi has gotten credit for were actually introduced at Westminster Abbey in 1925 in a sermon given there by the Reverend Canon Frederick Lewis Donaldson.
Known as the Seven Social Evils, Donaldson stated them as (1) politics without principle, (2) wealth without work, (3) pleasure without conscience, (4) knowledge without character, (5) commerce and industry without morality, (6) science without humanity, and (7) worship without sacrifice. Each of these points were intended to criticize the societal trends of the era, focusing on issues like labor exploitation, moral decay in commerce, and lack of accountability.
As the seven deadly sins of pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth are the areas of self-examination, the seven social sins are the manifestation of collective, cultural disease, that if left unchecked, can wreak havoc on those who are cast aside in pursuit of these deceptive trophies. It gives me hope to remember that in times not unlike these, MLK said, “I believe that truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”
As we celebrate the light of the world that is Christ, let us remember that division is the work of human hearts and as the Apostle Paul reminds us, “…the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 18). May we all be bound together as one, sharing the light of Christ that scatters the darkness. As we seek unity amidst our great diversity may we all look to Christ, who has the power to save. As Jesus bids his disciples, now we are all called to follow and fish for people who will be fed by doing God’s will on earth as it is heaven.
I found this message and the thoughtful information provided quite interesting and thought provoking, especially as I thought more about each of the Seven Social Evils. Gandhi and others have written much about these sins since they were first introduced by Donaldson. I would further note that the Great Depression of the United States occurred just four years after this information was introduced by both Gandhi and Donaldson.
The bottom line is that we need to return to God and seek His will for us. We need to treat mankind fairly and with Godly love and, if we do, we will receive our eternal reward.