In this episode, we welcome Dr. Henri Blocher to discuss his book Original Sin: Illuminating the Riddle. What is the doctrine of Original Sin, and is it essential to the Christian Faith? Is the doctrine Augustine’s invention, or is it Biblical truth? Is it taught in both Old and New Testaments – as well as by Christ Jesus, himself? Dr. Blocher takes us through the contours and complexities of original sin, as well as some pitfalls some have fallen into relative to the genre of Genesis 1-3, Paul’s teaching about Law and guilt – as well as the dangers of compromising our view of the integrity of Creation, itself. Distinguishing humanity as created and humanity as sinful – how does Original Sin make sense of the evil within the human heart, as well as in families, societies, and even the church? Distinguishing originated original sin that is the “tendency to sinfulness with which we are born” and the originating original sin that is “the transgression Adam perpetrated in the Garden and through which sin and death invaded our world”, how do we understand collective guilt relative to the Justice of God? Henri takes us through this and more – as we hear how, in its depth, we understand even David’s psalm of repentance and pleading for mercy in Psalm 51 along with Jesus’ clear teaching to Nicodemus that all of us must be “born again” or we will not “enter the kingdom of God”.

Book: Original Sin: Illuminating the Riddle

Other books by Dr. Henri Blocher:

Faith and Reason

Evil and the Cross: An Analytical Look at the Problem of Pain

Songs of the Servant: Isaiah’s Good News

In the Beginning: The Opening Chapters of Genesis