Tony Jones declares, "I have come to reject the notion of Original Sin. I consider it neither biblically, philosophically, nor scientifically tenable."
Jones then gives a credence to the following contradictions by a guy named Brian.
Pelagius brought up good points that are often ignored. First, he argued that humanity has salvation through God's "original grace." This prevenient grace is God's free gift to humanity. Second, Pelagius suggested that humanity has a "grace of revelation" whereby God gives us divine guidance to follow, if we so choose to follow it. Scripture and Christ both point the way we are to follow. Third, he affirmed that God gives the "grace of pardon" to those who freely change their lives and attempt to live faithfully. So we have a morally neutral human condition that is faced with the decision of choosing between faith and sin, good and bad.
For Pelagius, our human condition isn't defined by original sin, yet he still understands that our lives are impacted by sin. He says, "By force of habit, sin attains a power akin to that of nature - sin becomes as it were 'second nature'." Therefore, he takes the reality of sin seriously. But he also thinks that we have the power and responsibility to overcome this "force of habit" through God's grace and guidance. And that is where Augustine departs from Pelagius. Augustine relinquishes human responsibility.
I'm not sure I'll finish reading the series ... he has lost me. I guess I don't have enough prevenient grace. But Jones doesn't stand alone, he is in the ranks of other questionable theologians - McLaren, Chalke, Tomlinson, and Pagitt. Personally, the conversation as failed.
Rom. 3:10, 23; Jer. 17:9; Eph. 2:1; Titus 3:3; Psalm 51:5; Isa. 53:6; 64:6; Eph. 2:3; Rom. 7:18-19; 5:12-20
Technorati Tags: Calvinism, Emerging Church
2 comments:
I don't think the conversation has failed. I think they were just so deep in their own version of it, they didn't realize everyone else moved to a different table when they tired of the ... whatever you want to call it.
David - well said. It's true that not all who participated in the conversation have fallen into these old traps.
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