Episode Summary

In this deep-dive episode, we explore one of the most influential — and controversial — doctrines in the history of Christianity: Original Sin.

For many of us, Original Sin was presented as a foundational truth. We were told it explained everything wrong with humanity: our impulses, our desires, our bodies, our failures. But where did this idea actually come from? How did early Christian communities understand human nature? And how did one interpretation, shaped by the life and worldview of Augustine, grow into a theological framework that still impacts psychology, sexuality, gender, and modern Christian identity?

This episode unpacks the text, the history, the cultural influences, and the lasting consequences of the doctrine — and invites listeners to reconsider what it means to be human, good, flawed, and beloved.

In This Episode, We Explore:

📜 1. What Is Original Sin?

• The doctrine as many of us inherited it
• Why it came to dominate Western Christianity
• How it differs from concepts of sin in early Jewish and early Christian thought

👤 2. Augustine’s Influence

• Augustine’s life, trauma, and worldview — and how each shaped his theology
• How his readings of Paul became the backbone of Original Sin
• Where he diverges from earlier Christian writers and the Greek Fathers

📖 3. The Biblical Passages Used to Support Original Sin

• Romans 5 and its contested interpretations
• Genesis 3 as story versus doctrine
• How translation choices influenced meaning
• Why Jewish interpretations of the same texts are radically different

🔍 4. The Theology Behind the Theology

• How ideas about sex, bodies, and desire shaped the doctrine
• Shame vs. guilt — and how Western Christianity confused the two
• The psychological cost of believing we are “born broken”

⛪ 5. What Early Christians Actually Believed

• A look at diversity in early Christian thought
• Eastern Christian views on sin, growth, and human potential
• How the doctrine evolved over centuries, not overnight

💔 6. The Modern Impact

• How Original Sin shaped purity culture
• How it influenced sermons, parenting, and “Christian counseling”
• Its role in reinforcing fundamentalism’s fear-based frameworks
• Why many of us internalized shame as spirituality

🌱 7. Reclaiming a Healthier View of Humanity

• Alternatives rooted in scripture and tradition
• Why many theologians argue the doctrine is not essential
• What happens when we start from belovedness rather than brokenness

Why This Episode Matters

So many deconstruction journeys begin with questions like:

• “Am I really this messed up, or did I just inherit a harmful framework?”
• “Is the human story fundamentally about failure?”
• “Why does the church talk about sin more than love?”

Understanding where the doctrine of Original Sin came from — and how historically recent and culturally shaped it actually is — can be freeing. It opens the door to new ways of understanding ourselves, our bodies, our past, and our future.

It also challenges the narrative that progressive or post-evangelical Christians are the ones “not taking the Bible seriously.” In reality, reassessing the doctrine through context, language, and scholarship is exactly what taking scripture seriously looks like.

Resources Mentioned / Recommended Reading

• The Birth of Satan – Pagels & B. McGinn
• The Sin of Certainty – Peter Enns
• The Evolution of Adam – Peter Enns
• The Story of Original Sin – John E. Toews
• Sin: A History – Gary A. Anderson
• Writings of Augustine, especially Confessions and On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins

Connect & Share Your Thoughts

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