The Seven Sins of Highly Defective People
Rick Ezell, Kregel Publications, 2003, 144 pages, $9.99, softcover.
By Glen H. Jones

In the Middle Ages church leaders listed seven egregious sins. They believed that all other sins grew from these; therefore, they labeled them “the seven deadly sins.” Rick Ezell has given us a modern look at these “deadly sins”—pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, lust, and gluttony—and has offered some sane and biblical advice on avoiding their pitfalls. Original sources do not always list the sins in Ezell’s order, but almost all list pride first because that was the original sin of Satan and of Adam and Eve. A short description of each of the “sins” follows, (followed by their godly opposite qualities):

Pride (humility) keeps us from admitting our sins, mistakes and shortcomings. As pride destroys relationships, envy (contentment) desires what we cannot have and resents others who have it. Anger (justice) occurs when people and circumstances do not do things our way. Sloth (courage) encourages indifference to purpose and duty. When one is never satisfied with what he has and desires more and more, he is infected with greed (simplicity). Lust (love) usually occurs in the sexual realm that is scripturally proscribed. Gluttony (self-control) occurs when one has an inordinate desire for food.

The author gives pointed anecdotes—some humorous—to illustrate his point. He shows the dangers of each of the seven sinful attitudes and how easily it is to slip into one or more. Ezell also gives us scriptural and other practical advice on how to avoid falling into these sins.