Original Sin by Alan Jacobs
Are we born into this world intrinsically sinful, predisposed to evil? St Augustine passionately argued that we are; his opponents thought the notion an insult to a good God. The Church sided with Augustine, and ever since it has taught the doctrine of original sin: the idea that we are not born innocent, but that as babes we are corrupt, guilty, and worthy of condemnation.Perhaps no Christian teaching has been more controversial. G. K. Chesterton affirmed it as the sole provable doctrine and argued that "Only with original sin can we at once pity the beggar and distrust the king". Yet others have described the very concept as "baleful", "repulsive" and "revolting".Here, Jacobs takes his readers on a sweeping tour of the idea of original sin - its origins, its history, its proponents and opponents - by drawing on the works of, among others, John Milton, Blaise Pascal, John Bunyan, John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards. He leaves us better prepared to answer one of the most important questions of all: Are we really, all of us, born bad to the bone?
* '[A] brilliant account.. It is a compliment to Jacobs that in his hands abstruse theological disputes are utterly engrossing... This book is truly sui generis.' Publisher's Weekly
Alan Jacobs is the author of The Narnian: the life and imagination of C. S. Lewis (SPCK, 2005) and Shaming the Devil: Essays in truthtelling (Eerdmans, 2004). He is a cultural critic and journalist and his work appears in publications such as Christianity Today and The Oxford American. He is professor of literature at Wheaton College, Illinois.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780281060467 |
| ISBN 10 | 0281060460 |
| Title | Original Sin |
| Author | Alan Jacobs |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | SPCK Publishing |
| Year published | 2008-06-20 |
| Number of pages | 320 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |