Whatever Happened to Sin?
Leadership University (http://www.leaderu.com)
Telling the Truth at the speed of life!
In this Series of Articles:
Whatever Happened to Sin?
"Sinner, repent!" We think of fire-and-brimstone preachers of old when sin is
mentioned, but is it a quaint but irrelevant notion of a bygone era? In an age of shifting
morality and arbitrary ethics, it may help to examine the concept of sin. Maybe we feel
guilty because we are! But who's to say?
According to Barna Research Online, "Four out of every ten adults (40%) attend a
church service on a typical Sunday. That figure is a significant decline from the early
Nineties, when close to half of all adults were found in churches on Sunday...." Not
surprisingly, attitudes toward sin seem to have changed and it has become less
common--even laughable--as a topic. Do we really still believe in sin or are there
psychological and emotional causes to behavior that mitigate our so-called guilt? Of
course, the belief system of the atheist doesn't even allow for sin. And, if people are
simply products of their environment, as behaviorists/determinists believe, then what
point is there in discussing one's culpability for transgressing moral law? After all, as
the relativist/Postmodern would ask, "Who's version of 'truth' or morality shall we
hold people to?"
Could it be that sin--determined by a fixed set of norms--is the best explanation for
the behavior and problems we see in our world? Whether or not you believe in the biblical
concept of sin, open-mindedly consider the claims that there are standards that derive
from a higher source than society. Suppose, for the sake of argument, that we will be
judged accordingly and that the Judge Himself has provided a way to have the standard met
in a very surprising way. One section of our special focus features the controversial
Christian doctrine of original sin, which states that, through the first transgressor, all
are guilty. See our special focus.
Feature Articles
The Sinfulness of
Humanity
Dr. Bob Pyne
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/sinhuman.html
Over the last couple of years we have witnessed some incredible events in our
world. In Europe, communism has become a thing of the past. In South Africa, apartheid
finally appears to be on the way out. The former Soviet Union is in the throes of
reorganization as it moves toward democracy and free enterprise. It's easy to be
optimistic when looking at the trend of world events, but it's a little more difficult
when one takes human nature into consideration. The sinfulness of humanity may be an
uncomfortable subject, but it is absolutely necessary to understand sin in order to
understand both ourselves and the world in which we live.
Can't I Just Live a
Good Moral Life?
Dr. Alan Scholes
http://www.leaderu.com/isot/docs/dodger/chapter4.html
Chapter 4 of Dr. Alan Scholes' book The Artful Dodger: A Skeptic Confronts
Christianity. The story of one skeptic's confrontation with Christian beliefs. This
chapter examines the questions: "How could God condemn anyone?" "Isn't man
basically good?" "What about someone who's never heard?"
Blaise Pascal: An
Apologist for Our Times
Rick Wade
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/pascal.html
The author examines the contemporary relevance of the apologetics of Blaise Pascal,
a seventeenth century mathematician, scientist, inventor, and Christian apologist.
Overhaul at
Stanford
Heather Williams
http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/heather/heather.html
A Stanford undergrad tells how Christ changed her life in college, and specifically
addresses the issue of sin.
Why a Moral Life
Won't Get Us to Heaven
Jimmy Williams
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/moralife.html
"Won't a good, moral life get me to heaven?" The answer is no, and the
author spells out why, including how we CAN get to heaven.
Special Section: Doctrine of Original Sin
Augustine and Pelagius
R. C. Sproul
http://www.leaderu.com/theology/augpelagius.html
Sproul writes, "What was the core issue between Augustine and Pelagius? The
heart of the debate centered on the doctrine of original sin, particularly with respect to
the question of the extent to which the will of fallen man is 'free.' ...Pelagius
categorically denied the doctrine of original sin...."
Original Sin: A
Disputation
Edward T. Oakes
http://www.leaderu.com/ftissues/ft9811/articles/oakes.html
Oakes begins, "Even in those denominations that pride themselves on their
adherence to the orthodox dogmas of the once-universal Church, the doctrine of original
sin is met with either embarrassed silence...or at a minimum a kind of halfhearted lip
service." NOTE: Oakes uses the Thomist method of fairly putting forth the opposing
view without comment, then offering his own view.
Original Sin
Redeemed
Review by James G. Williams
http://www.leaderu.com/ftissues/ft9901/reviews/williams.html
Review of The Joy of Being Wrong: Original Sin Through Easter Eyes by James
Alison. Williams favorably reviews Alison's reinterpretation, inspired by Rene Girard, of
original sin in light of redemption.
Related Articles
Smoke and
Mirrors at the Crystal Cathedral
Michael R. Linton
http://www.leaderu.com/ftissues/ft9706/opinion/linton.html
A spectacular presentation of Christ's Passion story minus the redemptive element?
The renowned production of the "Glory of Easter" by the Crystal Cathedral is the
subject of this review.
Forgiveness
John Studebaker
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/forgive.html
"We no longer see ourselves as 'sinners' in need of forgiveness. Maybe sin
used to be a problem, but now we've outgrown that. So while the church has a solution for
the problem of sin, it's a non-problem in the eyes of most Americans--at least not a
serious problem."
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