Original Sin and the Fall: Five Views (Spectrum Multiview Book)

“Why do nice people do terrible things? Sherlock Holmes was on to something when he assured Watson that 'the lowest and vilest alleys of London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside.' Here are five theological explanations of humanity's perennial predicament, five ways of reading the story of Adam's fall and its consequences. The responses each of the authors gives to the four others are especially helpful in identifying the key talking points as well as respective strengths and weaknesses.”

“With some of the presentations I identified closely; with others I disagreed strongly. But this is the way a multiview book is supposed to be. Original Sin and the Fall provides a wide spectrum of positions, ranging from Reformed to Eastern Orthodox and beyond, and each of the five authors provides a strong, well-written chapter. This book serves as an excellent survey of the current debate about the doctrine of original sin.”

“Original sin and original guilt—and along with them the conviction by many in the history of the church that everyone is born destined for damnation—these interconnected ideas (and others that follow) have created a hornet's nest of complexities, exegetical conclusions, and theological musings for this generation. That's all to the good; this is a topic worthy of serious thinking by as many diverse thinkers as we can get in the conference room. Stump and Meister have done us all a wonderful service by their careful selection of representative views, and the level of discussion will pave the way for civil conversations for a long time. This will be a great classroom discussion book, but don't expect to end the class on time!”

“I found this discussion fascinating as the writers probed and illuminated the mysteries of original sin and the fall from different angles. I came away with a sense that the interlocutors were talking to one another, not just saying their own piece and walking away. This is exactly how a multiview volume should work, modeling charitable yet critical discussion and moving the reader to offer a personal response.”

“Usually multiple-views books help us to sort out better and worse articulations of our approaches to especially difficult theological ideas or dogmatic formulations. Every so often, however, what we find is that one truth has many viable explanations and accents that derive from and reflect the catholicity of the church's dynamic theological traditions. Our five contributors here remind us of the rich resources available within the church for understanding the human condition of sinfulness, frailty, and finitude and for empowering theological exploration and inquiry in the third millennium.”