In Adam's Fall A Meditation on the Christian Doctrine of Original Sin

This engaging and scholarly book offers refreshingly original insights into the contemporary relevance of the Christian doctrine of original sin - one that has inspired fierce debate for the last two millennia.Challenges the many prevailing opinions about the Christian doctrine of original sin, arguing that it is not only theological defensible, but stimulating and productive for a life of faithShows how it is possible to affirm the universality of sin without losing sight of the distinct ways in which individuals both participate in and suffer the consequences of sinful behaviorBalances historic and contemporary criticism with original theological arguments; combining the substance of a traditional Augustinian doctrine of sin with the pastoral and social concerns of contemporary contextual theologiesProvides a depth and range of engagement with contemporary criticism of traditional doctrine that is lacking in other recent treatments of the topic

Ian A. McFarland is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. McFarland studied theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York, the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and Yale University. He is the author ofDifference and Identity: A Theological Anthropology (2001) and The Divine Image: Envisioning the Invisible God (2005).