Bestselling author Richard Rohr has argued in his writings that the concept of original sin “was first put forth by Augustine in the fifth century but is never mentioned in the Bible.” But is this really the case? What does the Bible actually say about man’s nature after the fall? And was Augustine the first theologian in church history to discuss original sin? How are we to make sense of the world, or even our own sinful inclinations, without the insights of this important doctrine? On this episode, Shane Rosenthal discusses these questions and more with Anglican theologian Michael McClymond, author of The Devil’s Redemption.
Show Quote:
The transmission of sin seems to us not only impossible, it even seems very unjust…Nothing, to be sure, is more of a shock than such a doctrine and yet, without this mystery, which is the most incomprehensible of all, we should be incomprehensible to ourselves. The tangled knot of our condition acquired its twists and turns in that abyss; so that man is more inconceivable without the mystery than the mystery is to the man.
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
Recommended:
The Devil’s Redemption
Author: Michael McClymond
Will all evil finally turn to good, or does some evil remain stubbornly opposed to God and God’s goodness? Will even the devil be redeemed? Addressing a theological issue of perennial interest, this comprehensive book (in two volumes) surveys the history of Christian universalism from the second to the twenty-first century and offers an interpretation of how and why universalist belief arose. The author explores what the church has taught about universal salvation and hell and critiques universalism from a biblical, philosophical, and theological standpoint. He shows that the effort to extend grace to everyone undermines the principle of grace for anyone.
Another Gospel
Author: Alisa Childers
Another Gospel? describes the intellectual journey Alisa took over several years as she wrestled with a series of questions that struck at the core of the Christian faith. After everything she had ever believed about God, Jesus, and the Bible had been picked apart, she found herself at the brink of despair . . . until God rescued her, helping her to rebuild her faith, one solid brick at a time.
