Introduction

Original sin: the phrase summons up quaint images of snakes and apples, of ruler-wielding nuns and the Baltimore Catechism. When was the last time "original sin" was the answer to any question actually arising in your life? Was there ever a time when it did not raise more questions than it answered? Why dredge it up again now, in this age of science and sophistication?

Original sin, the idea that death, suffering, and evil in the world are the result of a sin committed by the first human beings, is peculiar among Christian doctrines. It is not about God so much as about the human condition; yet it has been presented as the rationale for the whole idea of redemption by Christ—the very essence of Christianity. G. K. Chesterton called it "the only part of Christian theology which can really be proved"; yet, to many people, it seems illogical, unjust, and inconsistent with other elements of Christian faith. People instinctively feel that in some mysterious way it is profoundly true; yet it is tied up with unhealthy attitudes of guilt, and seems to squarely contradict scientists' understanding of evolution. What good is it?

Historically, original sin was a classic attempt to deal with very deep, immediate, and enduring human concerns, ones that every thinking person still wrestles with: the facts of evil and suffering in a world supposedly ruled by a good and all-powerful God; the conflict between our own good and bad impulses; the basis of morality; and the meaning of human life. But original sin was an answer to these problems that came out of a worldview differing in crucial ways from today's. Can it be salvaged, or must it be altogether scrapped?

In this guide we recount the history of this doctrine, discuss what theologians are saying about it today, describe evidence from evolutionary biology that gives important new insights into human nature, and outline a new way of thinking about original sin that does justice to both modern science and the Christian tradition.

We take the position that although the story of Adam and Eve can no longer be understood as literal history, the doctrine of original sin itself is more clearly true now than ever before. The doctrine of original sin remains central to the Christian view of our nature and our need for salvation. While not derivable from science, it is fully in accord with scientists' present understanding of the cosmos and humanity.

From this standpoint, elucidated in the following pages, we can begin to answer such questions as the following:

• Was the creation really "good" in the beginning?



• How good am I?



• What does it mean to be made in the "image of God"?



• Did Adam and Eve really exist? Was there a "Fall"?



• How can the creation accounts in Genesis be understood in a scientific age?



• Is "original sin" relevant today?

Words highlighted in green appear in the Glossary.