English 
Chinese 
Dutch 
Arabic 
Spanish 
Portuguese 
Russian 
French 
Italian 
German 
Japanese 
Continue reading with a subscription
Get unlimited access to all our premium content and exclusive features.
Enjoy unlimited access, cancel anytime.
Summary
Definition: Sloth in the biblical context is not just physical laziness, but a spiritual apathy characterized by a lack of care for one’s relationship with God and duties to others. It’s considered one of the seven deadly sins in Christian tradition.
Biblical teachings: While Jesus didn’t use the specific term “sloth,” His teachings emphasized diligence, watchfulness, and active faith. Parables like the Talents and Ten Virgins warn against spiritual laziness and unpreparedness.
Early Church perspective: The Desert Fathers and early Christian writers like Evagrius Ponticus and John Cassian developed the concept of acedia (spiritual sloth), describing it as a powerful temptation that saps spiritual energy and leads to neglect of one’s vocation.
Overcoming sloth: Strategies to combat sloth include cultivating diligence, engaging in purposeful work and prayer, maintaining community involvement, and setting concrete spiritual goals. The key is to rekindle love and zeal for God and neighbor.
Bibliography (Click to show)
—
Bibliography:
Bofill, M., Coll, J., Garcia, M., Giráldez-Cru, J., Pesant, G., Suy, J., & Villaret, M. (2023). Constraint Solving Approaches to the Business-to-Business Meeting Scheduling Problem (Extended Abstract). International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 6851–6852.
Christopher, A. N., & Zabel, K. L. (2011). Protestant Work Ethic.
Clarken, R. H. (1997). ABSOLUTE POVERTY AND UTTER NOTHINGNESS. The Journal of Baha’i Studies, 8, 29–43.
Currie, S. (1964). Matthew 5:39aâ€â€Resistance or Protest? Harvard Theological Review, 57, 140–145.
Donnelly, S. (2016). Sins of the father: unravelling moral authority in the Irish Catholic Church. Irish Journal of Sociology, 24, 315–339.
Duminica, D., & Popescu, G. (2014). Current Situation of Roma People in Romanian Society as Reflected in the Local Media.
Dunkle, B. (2019). Book Review: Clarke, Kevin M. (ed.): The Seven Deadly Sins: Sayings of the Fathers of the Church. Theological Studies, 80, 1020–1020.
Eckel, M. D. (2022). Book Review: Maverick: A biography of Thomas Sowell by Jason L. Riley. Christian Education Journal Research on Educational Ministry, 19, 193–196.
Erdinast-Vulcan, D. (2014). Freud, the Reluctant Philosopher. The European Legacy, 19, 114–116.
Gavin, J. (2013). Becoming an Exemplar for God: Three Early Interpretations of Forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer. Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, 16, 126–146.
Hopkins, D. (2008). Theological Basis of Ecclesial Anti-Racist Witness. Anglican Theological Review, 90, 7–21.
Jenni, K. (2021). Empathy, Animals, and Deadly Vices. Animal Studies Journal.
Keul, H. (2015). The Venture of Vulnerability: Christological Engravings on Disturbing Questions about Migration. 167–190.
Kilian, M. K. (2014). Running head¯: FORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP 1 Formational Leadership¯: Overcoming Toxic Leadership with Christian Spirituality.
Knapp, J. (1995). Preachers and players in Shakespeare’s England.
Kretzschmar, L. (2014). An ethical analysis of the implementation of poverty reduction policies in South Africa and Chile and their implications for the Church. Hts Teologiese Studies-Theological Studies, 70, 11.
Man, Y., & Joyce, J. (2018). A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
Manurung, K. (2021). Memitigasi Peran Orang Tua Di Keluarga Kristen Dalam Menanggulangi Dampak Disinformasi Dari Bingkai Teologi Pentakosta. Sabda Jurnal Teologi Kristen.
McKenzie, M. (1955). A Word for Encouragement. Improving College and University Teaching, 3, 92–92.
Milburn, A., Shephard, G., Cleal, P., Johnston, D., Attwood, T., Gregg, P., Hamilton, D., Carrie, A., Guy, C., & Williams, C. (2013). Business and Social Mobility: a Manifesto for Change.
Miller, L. (2020). James Cone’s Constructive Vision of Sin and the Black Lives Matter Movement. Black Theology, 18, 22–24.
Mulder, D. (2016). I Am the Bread of Life.
Perkins, R. (1980). Book Review: III. Historical Theological Studies: Religious Reason: The Rational and Moral Basis of Religious Beliefs. Review & Expositor, 77, 423–424.
Smith, E. A. (2017). Jesus, My Homeboy: Teaching Bruce Barton’s Jesus in Twenty-First Century Texas. Transformations: The Journal of Inclusive Scholarship and Pedagogy, 25, 145–151.
Spriggs, J., Allmond, J. W., & Smith, A. (2013). Forgiveness: A Last Stop in the Spiritual Journey of a WWII Veteran. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 32, 365.
The Justice Men Owe to Women: Positive Resources from World Religions. By John C. Raines. Minneapolis, MN Fortress, 2001. xiii + 104 pages. $13.00 (paper). (n.d.).
Tubagus, S. (2022). Makna Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini Dalam Perjanjian Baru. Apostolos Journal of Theology and Christian Education.
Uelmen, A. J. (2002). Conference on Religious Values and Legal Dilemmas in Bioethics: Foreword. Fordham Urban Law Journal, 30, 5.
Youtz, H. A. (1912). The Christian Doctrine of the Future Life: A Constructive Study. IV. The Doctrine as Determined by Christian Characteristics. The Biblical World, 40, 254–264.
×ðùцõò, ÃÅ. Þ. (2015). Äòрþÿð ÑÂú Ñâ€Ã´ÃµÑ (ÿõрõôуüþòø тð ÿþчðтúþòõ ÑÂтðýþòûõýýÑÂ) (The Europe as Idea: Its Background and Original Installation).
ë°•ì˜Â실. (2016). ìâ€Â´ÃªÂ±Â°Ã¬Å ¤Ã‹´ ì´전ìÂËœ 기ëÂ…êµ ì—Â사ì—Âì„Šì¹ÂìÂËœ êµÂ리ìÂËœ 소외엠관Պ연구. 83, 201–226.
ì´주아. (2012). ÕÅêµ ì²Â소년ìÂËœ ìÅ„기엠대Պ기ëÂ…êµÂêµÂìš젠대안 모색. 83, 351–375.
Aghamiri, F. S., & Luetz, J. M. (2023). The Long-Lived Impacts of Sexual Addiction: Examples of Unwanted Gifts That Keep Giving. Sexual Health & Compulsivity, 30, 123–127.
Balan-Moshe, L., & Gothelf, D. (2021). Minding the gap between clinical guidelines and real-life clinical work. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 681–683.
Baum, N. (2017). Seven Deadly Sins of a Medical Practice. The Journal of Medical Practice Management¯: MPM, 32 5, 336–339.
Bible Readers and Lay Writers in Early Modern England: Gender and Self-Definition in an Emergent Writing Culture. By Kate Narveson. Material Readings in Early Modern Culture. Farnham, U.K.: Ashgate, 2012. x + 238 pp. $99.95 cloth. (n.d.).
Clark, P. (2011). The devil is in the details: The seven deadly sins of organizing and continuing interprofessional education in the US. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 25, 321–327.
Colón, S. (2016). THIS TWITTERING WORLD: T. S. ELIOT AND ACEDIA. Religion & Literature, 43.
Conlon, T. (1999). Critical Thinking Required or Seven Deadly Sins of Information Technology. Scottish Affairs, 117–146.
Conners, D. (2014). A Mind-Boggling Implication: The Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament, and the Definition of a Work. Judaica Librarianship, 15, 1–12.
Couplets, I. D., & Stauffer, D. A. (2016). An Essay On Lassitude: In Droning Couplets.
Cucato, J., Bizarrias, F., Silva, J. G., & Ferreira, M. C. O. (2022). Segmentation Based on Personal and Spiritual Life Balance During Covid-19, and Its Relations with Materialism, Frugality, Well-Being, and Positive Emotions. Life Style.
DeaneDrummond, C. (2021). Despair, Anxiety, and Sloth. 186–206.
Desroches, L. B. (2013). Kate Narveson. Bible Readers and Lay Writers in Early Modern England: Gender and Self-Definition in an Emergent Writing Culture.
Doi, S. (2022). Honorifics and the Japanese Bible: Goliath is Ruder than Pharaoh? Journal of Translation.
Duc, T. M., & Dung, T. (2024). Spiritual Life and Folk Beliefs in Vietnam in the Modern Era: An Anthropological Approach. Pakistan Journal of Life and Social Sciences.
Dunkle, B. (2019). Book Review: Clarke, Kevin M. (ed.): The Seven Deadly Sins: Sayings of the Fathers of the Church. Theological Studies, 80, 1020–1020.
Ermi̇ş, E. N. (2023). Examining The Mediating Role of The Meaning of Life in The Effect of Spiritual Well-Being On Post-Traumatic Growth During The Covid-19 Pandemic Process. Spiritual Psychology and Counseling.
Fucà, R., & Cubico, S. (2024). Navigating Organization Dynamics: The Real-World Example of Condominium Life in Sicily During the COVID-19 Era in Late 2022-2023. International Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization.
Geary, L. (1987). John Mandeville and the Irish crimes act of 1887. Irish Historical Studies, 25, 358–375.
Geiman, S. K. (2020). Facing the Seeming Pointlessness of Aspirant Life: Acedia and Thīna-Middha. Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 54, 562–585.
Goh, Y. Y. (2017). The visualization of seven deadly sins using symbols in painting.
Herrero-Prieto, L. C., Miguel, I. B.-S., & Gómez-Vega, M. (2019). Deep-Rooted Culture and Economic Development: Taking the Seven Deadly Sins to Build a Well-Being Composite Indicator. Social Indicators Research, 144, 601–624.
Huijgen, A. (2021). The Key to the Bible: Bonhoeffer’s Approach to the Psalms as Theological Interpretation. Toronto Journal of Theology, 37, 147–155.
Law, Sex, and Christian Society in Medieval Europe. By James A. Brundage. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1988. xxiv + 674 pp. $45.00. (n.d.).
Li, X. (2023). Does the Hebrew Bible construct a social trauma? Three case studies. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 48, 243–261.
Limon, J., & Malcolm, D. (2020). The seven deadly sins: Images of pride and transience. Beyond Philology¯: An International Journal of Linguistics, Literary Studies and English Language Teaching.
Mulder, D. (2016). I Am the Bread of Life.
Narveson, K. (2012). Bible Readers and Lay Writers in Early Modern England: Gender and Self-Definition in an Emergent Writing Culture.
Peng, K.-W. (2021). Issues, Challenges, and Promises in Chinese Bible Translation.
Peters, G. (2021). Book Review: An Introduction to Christian Mysticism: Recovering the Wildness of Spiritual Life. Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care, 14, 280–282.
Pleijel, R. (2022). Book Review: Translating the Bible in Plain Language: The Story of the Dutch Bijbel in Gewone Taal by de Jong Matthijs J. The Bible Translator, 73, 141–143.
Post, L., Ganzevoort, R., & Verdonck-Leeuw, I. M. (2020). Transcending the Suffering in Cancer: Impact of a Spiritual Life Review Intervention on Spiritual Re-Evaluation, Spiritual Growth and Psycho-Spiritual Wellbeing. Religion, 11, 142.
Ringo, R. M. B. (2014). SEVEN DEADLY SINS FROM SEVEN: A CHRISITIANMORALITY APPROACH.
Salomon, D. A. (2019). The Seven Deadly Sins.
Sauder, M. K. (2011). Singing as Spiritual Formation: A River Brethren Hymn of Exhortation. 62, 61.
Schimmel, S. (1992). The seven deadly sins¯: Jewish, Christian, and classical reflections on human psychology.
Schrodt, P. A. (2014). Seven deadly sins of contemporary quantitative political analysis. Journal of Peace Research, 51, 287–300.
Second birth and the spiritual life cycle in Protestant England. (2021). Religion and Life Cycles in Early Modern England.
Sescousse, G. (2023). Neuroimaging studies of addiction: The need to incorporate real life data and profile heterogeneity. European Psychiatry, 66, S6–S6.
Sharon, D. M. (2024). Moral and ethical values in structural patterns of coercive acts in Hebrew Bible narrative. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 48, 265–284.
Stimers, M., Bergstrom, R. D., Vought, T., & Dulin, M. (2011). Capital Vice in the Midwest: The Spatial Distribution of the Seven Deadly Sins. Journal of Maps, 7, 17–19.
Tunç, M. F., & ÃÅmmet, D. (2023). The Mediating Role of Spiritual Well-Being in the Relationship Between Love of Life and General Psychological Health. Spiritual Psychology and Counseling.
Wang, Y., Leng, J., Zhang, Y., Chen, W., Xing, F., & Zhao, N. (2022). Behavioral differences of individuals with different self-regulation levels in a real-life example of teamworkâ€â€DOTA 2. Frontiers in Psychology, 13.
White, M. (2014). Kate Narveson Bible Readers and Lay Writers in Early Modern England: Gender and Self-Definition in an Emergent Writing Culture. Modern Philology, 112, E42–E44.
