Original Sin

Kevin DeYoung points to a series of posts by Emerging Church leader Tony Jones in which Tony makes the statement: “I have come to reject the notion of Original Sin. I consider it neither biblically, philosophically, nor scientifically tenable.” [emphasis in original]

Kevin then quotes from the Epilogue of a book he is finishing including this timely paragraph here:

More important than the record of history is the testimony of Scripture. And it’s hard to see how the doctrine of inherited and total depravity is not taught in the pages of Scripture. No one is righteous (Rom. 3:10). All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). The human heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick (Jer. 17:9). The natural man is dead in trespasses and sin (Eph. 2:1). By nature, we pass our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating on another (Titus 3:3). We are inclined toward evil (Gen. 6:5), conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity (Psalm 51:5). All of us like sheep have gone astray (Isa. 53:6). Even our righteous deeds are as filthy rages before the Lord (Isa. 64:6). We are by nature not just morally tainted, but children of wrath, deserving of God’s punishment, even before we actually sin in our flesh (Eph. 2:3). Even on the best of days, we are divided, doing what we don’t want to do and failing to do what we know is right (Rom. 7:18-19). Because of the Fall, we are hard-wired toward evil. We sinned in Adam and died through his trespass, inheriting his guilt and a corrupt nature (Rom. 5:12-20).

Tony Jones’ rejection of original sin is not a rejection of Augustine. It is a rejection of the Bible’s teaching.

things like this are why I keep Brett Kunkle’s doctrinal refutation of the Emerging Church linked in my sidebar to the right.

Just a little hint. If someone is calling the heretic Pelagius a “Saint”, that is your clue that you need to walk away post haste.