Proponents of the classic Western Christian teaching of original sin, as articulated in the thought of Augustine of Hippo and later championed by John Calvin and the Reformed tradition, often act as if it’s the the clear implication of Genesis 3 (and Romans 5), and that to deny their doctrine is tantamount to denying the … Continue reading Excursus on the Fall and Original Sin, Part 3: Christian History
In part one of this side-quest on the relationship between Genesis 3 and the doctrines of the Fall and original sin, we looked at how the Old Testament, Second Temple Judaism, and New Testament understood the consequences of Adam’s sin. We saw that, while there was nothing in the way of a set ‘doctrine’ in … Continue reading Excursus on the Fall and Original Sin, Part 2: An Integral Study of Romans 5.12-21
If we were to summarize the reading of Genesis 2-3 that emerged over the course of the past few posts, it would be something like this: It teaches that God's intention for human beings is wholly good, but that they can be led astray by subtle temptations; and that, while disobedience to God, which is … Continue reading Excursus on the Fall and Original Sin, Part 1: Second Temple Judaism and the New Testament
Last time in this series on the first chapters of Genesis, we saw the saw the tragic scene in the garden play out. The first man and woman allow themselves to be swayed by the serpent’s lies and eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil — the one and only … Continue reading Consequences, Consequences: Genesis 3.14-24
As we’ve worked through the Genesis 2-3 creation story so far, we’ve wound up in a place familiar from the end of the Genesis 1 story: humanity living in harmony with God, each other, and creation, exercising our vocation to tend to the thriving of creation, in obedience to the commandment to choose life in … Continue reading Things Fall Apart: Genesis 3.1-13
