Original Sin in the Twenty-First Century
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
Original Sin in the 21st Century begins with a cold, hard fact: Christians, we have a problem! No one is listening to us when we talk about original sin. That will change as you follow an exploration of original sin as an enduring truth about human nature. This book is not another exposition of either the history or the doctrine of original sin. Rather, it opens up new avenues of consideration, such as original goodness as a counterweight to original sin, a contemporary interpretation of the Adam-Eve narrative, the new relevancy of Reinhold Niebuhr's recognition that we are not as good as our ideals, and a soul-searching inquiry into whether original sin is too dark or perhaps not dark enough. The twenty-first century is far more than a backdrop. This book invites us to rethink what sin looks like when the world warms, when AI is created in our own image, and when sin thrives on indifference and willful ignorance. The author will quickly convince you this century is both an opportunity and an imperative to rethink original sin for what lies ahead.
This is a Logos Reader Edition. Learn more.
- Invites believers to rethink what sin looks like in the 21st Century
- Exposes the implications of humanity's perpetual discontent with creaturely limitations
- Challenges readers to see this century as an opportunity and an obligation to rethink original sin for what lies ahead
- Truths that Endure Reframing the Issue Chapter
- A Biblical (Revisionist) Understanding of the Adam and Eve Narrative
- The Doctrine of Original Sin What It Really Means
- How Dark Is Dark Enough?
- Original Goodness
- Reinhold Niebuhr—Then and Now Chapter
- The Challenge of the Twenty-First Century
This remarkable little volume is a rare synthesis of sermonic eloquence and expansive scholarship. Coleman admonishes us to heed the doctrine of original sin’s warning that something is terribly wrong with human nature. He exposes the ways that humanity’s perpetual discontent with creaturely limitations (the essential meaning of the doctrine) is threatening the planet with the unforeseeable consequences of artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and insatiable technological desires. The ancient doctrine could not be timelier.
Lee C. Barrett, professor, Lancaster Theological Seminary
As a pastor, I am convinced that talk of sin and evil is more important than ever in the early twenty-first century. However, I must confess a loss of connection to the biblical narratives and theological thought that have traditionally set the terms for much of that talk. Richard Coleman’s extended, evocative meditation has not only restored that connection but also revealed the impoverishment of my own understanding.
David J. Wood, senior minister, Glencoe Union Church, Illinois