Original Sin and the Fall: Five Views

Spectrum Multiview

by J.B. Stump (Editor), Chad Meister (Editor)

"What is this that you have done?" Throughout the church's history, Christians have largely agreed that God's good creation of humanity was marred by humanity's sinful rebellion, resulting in our separation from God and requiring divine intervention in the saving work of Christ. But Christians have disagreed over many particular questions surrounding humanity's fall, including the extent of original sin, the nature of the fall, the question of guilt, how to interpret the narratives from Genesis, and how these questions relate to our understanding of human origins and modern science. This Spectrum Multiview book presents five views on these questions: Augustinian-Reformed, Moderate Reformed, Wesleyan, Eastern Orthodox, and a Reconceived view. Each contributor offers both an articulation of their own view and responses to the other views in question. The result is a robust reflection on one of the most central--and controversial--tenets of the faith.

Views and Contributors:
An Augustinian-Reformed View (Hans Madueme, Covenant College)
A Moderate Reformed View (Oliver Crisp, The University of St. Andrews)
A Wesleyan View (Joel B. Green, Fuller Theological Seminary)
An Eastern Orthodox View (Andrew Louth, Durham University)
A Reconceived View (Tatha Wiley, University of St. Thomas)

Genres: Theology, Christianity, Christian Non Fiction

189 pages, Paperback

Published June 30, 2020

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: An overview of five different views of original sin and the fall, with responses by each contributor to the other views.

Christians have traditionally believed that the first human beings enjoyed “original righteousness.” They were sinless and able not to sin. Then sin entered the world through Adam and Eve and has tainted all human beings such that only God can overcome our “fallen” condition through Christ. This “taint” is what is understood as original sin. Beyond this broad explanation, Christians have disagreed on many of the specifics of this doctrine. Does original sin entail original guilt? Are humans, even under prevenient grace, able to contribute anything to their salvation? With the greater, but hardly universal acceptance of evolution, how are we to understand the Genesis accounts of original sin?

This volume explores all these questions. Proponents of five views that reflect a broad spectrum of Christian thought contribute to this discussion:

Hans Madueme sets forth the traditional Reformed-Augustinian view, affirming original sin and original guilt with death and the judgment of God following, irrespective of our acts.

Oliver Crisp represents a modified Reformed view in basic agreement with the Reformed position except for not affirming original guilt.

Joel Green speaks for the Wesleyan view which affirms original sin but holds the individual guilty for only their own sins and sees sin not only as depravity but also disease.

Andrew Louth, a convert to Eastern Orthodoxy describes the Eastern Orthodox understanding, which stresses ancestral rather than original sin and focus not on fall and redemption but the arc from creation to deification, within which this sin occurs.

Tatha Wiley speaks for a reconceived view, drawing upon Catholic theologian Bernard Lonergan. Original sin is reconceived as a failure of authenticity, a failure to act upon what one rationally understands. We stand in need of intellectual, moral, and religious conversions. She advocates for a new approach contending biblical accounts reflect a pre-scientific view of the world and modern advances require a different formulation.

Each contributor responds to all the others. Each is gracious to the others, distinguishing their own from other views without polemics. The editors briefly introduce the discussion and then step out of the way.

A few observations. Madueme offers a statement of the Reformed position at its best and not a caricature. Crisp, while I think the best in framing his views seems a bit of a compromise–halfway between Reformed and Wesleyan, not quite either. Joel Green’s distinctive contribution is as a biblical rather than systematic theologian. He offers an interesting discussion on what Genesis 1-3 and other texts say and don’t say about original sin. Louth, rooting his work in the Eastern fathers speaks from a different framework, focused more on the arc of creation to theosis than focusing on sin. Here the focus is rather on death. Wiley’s was the least familiar to me and seems untethered from the biblical accounts. Further, while engaging science, as Crisp notes, she does not explain “what compelling reasons there are for the kind of doctrinal reconstruction she advocates.”

The discussion helps us to understand the interconnected nature of Christian doctrine, how our understanding of God, our anthropology, our soteriology, and eschatology all connect. I’m reminded of the pressing questions I’ve been asked by those of exploring faith of how we can be held responsible for Adam’s sin, or even our own sinful nature from birth. We see different ways of answering that may offer better language and explanations. This is a valuable adjunct to any study of systematic theology.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Радостин Марчев]

Най-хубавото в книгата са разнородните виждания за грехопадението, на които тя дава платформа. Все още прекалено често в нашата българска действителност се говори за "християнското" виждане за грехопадението и първородния грях - сякаш съществува едно единствено такова. Истината е, че църквата не само никога не е дефинирала въпроса на вселенски събор, но и различни богослови и християнски течения са интерпретирали библейските текстове по най-различен начин. За хората, които не осъзнават това книгата е наистина отрезвяваща - в изцяло положителния смисълна думата.
Лично за мен Оливър Крисп е написал най-доброто есе. Това разбира се, е лично мнение, особено при положение, че той е един от любимите ми богослови. Но есетата на Грийн и Лаут със сигурност също си заслужат да се прочетат - макар да си призная очаквах повече и от двамата.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I may have to come to terms with the fact that I am just not a huge fan of theology. This book takes the form of five ~20-page essays followed by five shorter rebuttals defending each author’s point of view against the others. I recommend it to those who want to know what some others believe about the topic and how they interpret Genesis 3 and Romans 5:12–21. It felt removed and academic, and there's only so much understanding that can be gained from a book about original sin that doesn’t mention any specific sin. I think I vastly prefer hearing about the experiences that lead people to the beliefs that they hold. (This is also why my home department is Comparative Literature and not Philosophy; I knew that already, but for some reason, it needs periodic re-confirming.)

[Thomas Creedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love me a multi-perspective book. And this is a vital topic. 4 compelling views, one that did not convince me at all. Reasonable engagement and plenty of new things to seek out. A helpful ‘doorway’ into the discussion and a good book to get the brain going.

[Kristine Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading “Original Sin and the Fall: Five Views”. Each of the following 5 views by 5 authors has an in-depth essay plus feedback/responses from the other 4 authors.
1) An Augustinian-Reformed View
2) A Moderate Reformed View
3) A Wesleyan View
4) An Eastern Orthodox View
5) A Reconceived View (Catholic)
The book is academic and requires a good amount of context. I did enjoy learning about the different positions and think this would be helpful for seminary students and academic types interested in this topic. Personally, I wish it were more accessible, but I appreciate reading the various perspectives.

[Logan Gailitis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very helpful book overall. I did not factor my disagreement with the various positions into the rating. The lack of 5 stars came down to a desire to see the contributors interact with each other’s essays a bit more. The second half of the book allowed for the contributors to respond to each other. The first two systematically responded to each but the remaining three cast off that format altogether and opted for a holistic response which made comparison difficult. Though I know some of the contributors clearly do not care about scripture at all, I wish they were forced to prove their position biblically.

[David Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenging to read. Needs some chewing over. One author points out that liberalism is not in evidence. All agreed with the universal problem.
Augustine shows up often, most often as gillian, but once as hero. The final essay ties sin to "privilege." This instead of holding the Times in one hand and the Bible in another, we take what is currently held as what endures.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of the original sin concept

I'll agree with the reviews in the book that each perspective we presented strongly. No position was weakened by less compelling argument. So, it you're looking to understand the wide scope of responses to the original sin question, this is the book.

[Stephen Collings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, really helpful to understand different perspectives on how original sin interacts with modern science.

[Quincy Wheeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is an interesting review of reformed, moderate reformed, Wesleyan, Orthodox, and transcendental Catholic views

[Lauren Bole · Rating 2 out of 5]

***DNF
My professor said the articles in this were not totally accurate to some of these traditional views, so we’re not going to read it anymore. Regardless, learned a lot! (especially what I don’t think about original sin)