Author: Hughes, Antony

Journal of Psychology & Christianity, Vol. 23(3), Fall 2004, pp. 271-277

Abstract:

The differences between the doctrine of Ancestral Sin-as understood in the church of the first two centuries and the present-day Orthodox Church-and the doctrine of Original Sin-developed by Augustine and his heirs in the Western Christian traditions-is explored. The impact of these two formulations on pastoral practice is investigated. It is suggested that the doctrine of ancestral sin naturally leads to a focus on human death and Divine compassion as the inheritance from Adam, while the doctrine of original sin shifts the center of attention to human guilt and Divine wrath. It is further posited that the approach of the ancient church points to a more therapeutic than judical approach to pastoral care and counseling.

Editor’s Note: Some within modern evangelicalism (Oden 2003, Packer and Oden 2004) have begun to examine the Patristic corpus in an attempt to inspire unity within the Christian church. While somewhat controversial, the present article was invited in hope of beginning dialogue among the tributaries of Christian spirituality on a topic of great importance to a spiritually sensitive psychotherapy—sin.