With all the ink that has been spilt over the Christian doctrine of atonement over the past 2000 years, it is fair to ask why I feel the need to jump into the fray at this point in my life.
We have now made the case that the concept of original sin I absorbed as a child has no support in the Old and New Testament texts.
As I have shown in the previous two essays, John E. Toews makes a strong case in this book, The Story of Original Sin, that the doctrine of original sin as taught in many churches is not supported by the biblical text.
It comes as a surprise to many that the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 is not repeated again in all of the Christian Old Testament.
I was born into a religious community that insisted that I, along with every other human being, had been “born in sin.”
It has been just over seven years now that I have posted a thousand-word essay on this website every two weeks.
I have attended a number of funerals again recently. It seems that is becoming more of a staple in my life as I get older.
Upon reading Pope Francis’ encyclical, I was impressed not only with his grasp of the scope of the ecological and economic crises we face but also with his unapologetic call for action.
Pope Francis is aware that for some people the simple fact of being human motivates them to care for the environment.
I am pleased with Pope Francis’ latest encyclical on the environment and the economy, entitled, “Laudato Sí.”
