My new friend Keith, who is a rock star for taking the time to post on my blog, asked me what I think is the traditional fundamental perspective on the nature of man. Really, this is a discussion on hamartiology, the doctrine of sin (where and how it originated, how we and God deals with sin, and the consequences of sin). So, lets take a trip down memory lane through my years at my mid-west Bible church and Baptist college…
From my background as a fundamental evangelical (or FunGical, my cute new term I coined!), the fundamental nature of man is sin. Humans were created in the image of the Creator to eternally exist in relationship with Him. Through the Fall, mankind was eternally (right word??) thrust into sin and death through Adam; through the sin of one man, all sinned. Additionally, when dealing with the chicken-egg conundrum, we are sinners not because we sin; instead we sin because we are sinners. So because man is fundamentally sinful and God is fundamentally holy (all God’s other attributes flow from this fundamental holiness) man was and is eternally separated from God. Sin is the Chasm in the “Bridge Illustration” of salvation. What does God do with our sin? 2 things: 1.) forgives it (no, more: REMOVES IT) through the propitiation and atoning sacrifice of Christ; 2.) judges and punishes it through his wrath and eternal punishment in hell (either through annihilation or eternal separation, depending on your view of hamartiology).
So that is how I have been reared the past 25 years. For me, this is still where I am theologically. I have not jumped head-long into a modernist (man is fundamentally good, society makes him bad), universalist (everyone will go to heaven) malaise of theological mush. But, these thoughts on Stem Cells and Souls has made me wonder if this FunGical view is really adequet, if this is how God really views his Eikons…I was quite content with my comphie status quo position on sin, until I read those damn Post articles! But I guess novus cognitionis (new ideas) will lead me to novus homo, right?
Any thoughts?
