Our Humanity.

Nothing is more divisive in religion than our attitude to our humanity.

Progressive Christians search for the human Jesus.
We agree with Jack Spong when he says that we seek to become fully human.

But to conservatives humanity is synonymous with sinfulness.
Humanity is basically bad and in need of rescue.

This indicates two opposing views of humanity.

But rather than subscribing to one view or the other perhaps we can find some common ground.

Progressives would say that humans act of their own free will in ignorance and fear and it is this that creates sin rather than any inherent sinful nature.

Conservatives may say that we are subject to the original sin of Eve and Adam but ignore God's original blessing: "and indeed, it was very good."  Genesis 1:31b (NRSV)

Either way humankind is not inherently sinful.

But at the same time our world is full of sin and evil.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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