But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:15-17)

If Man Is Good, Then Why Would He Even Need The Gift Of A Savior?

It was always only a matter of time for yet another doctrine of liberal theology to fester and spring up within the postlieral cult of this Emergence rebellion against Sola Scriptura. As Apprising Ministries showed you in Emergent Church Theologian Tony Jones And His Unrepentant Homosexual Christians noted Emergent Church theologian Tony Jones recently came out of the closet as an advocate for GLBTQ “Christians.”

Jones has now fired another shot of support of practicing homosexual “Christians” such as his friend Adele Sakler of Queermergent in his denial of the doctrine of original sin. He shared his mystic musings yesterday on his Beliefnet blog in Original Sin Is A Depraved Idea:

When I was growing up in a moderate, centrist church — somewhere between mainline Christianity and evangelicalism — Original Sin was a given. I first learned about it in youth group, and we regularly talked about it. Actually, it’s more accurate to say that we talked about a life with Christ, and the notion of Original Sin was in the background. It was assumed. And I cannot remember that it was ever debated.

In other words, I assumed that the doctrine of Original Sin was a biblical notion, and that all Christians accepted it as gospel truth. Of course, neither is true… (Online source)

And just where did Jones have his great ephipany? From studying the Bible; well, sort of…through liberal glasses ala reprobates like Marcus Borg:

while in college, I also took at class on the theology of Augustine from an eccentric professor, Charles Stinson, and therein I learned that the great father of Western theology was the author of the doctrine of Original Sin. Of course, Augustine was not making it up ex novo, but was taking as his inspiration the account of creation in Genesis 3 and certain Pauline texts.

In seminary, I learned from John Thompson that John Calvin and his theological heirs reified [sic] the notion of Original Sin and that it hadn’t played much of a role in medieval and Scholastic theology. And sometime later, I discovered that whole branches of the Christian family tree — most notably, the Orthodox Church — has never embraced Original Sin.

I have come to reject the notion of Original Sin. I consider it neither biblically, philosophically, nor scientifically tenable. And I’m going to spend this week blogging about why I’ve rejected it. I look forward to hearing your thoughts… (HT: Richard Beck for inspiring me.) (Online source)

True to his depraved word Jones shared speculations today in a post with the very revealing title Original Sin: My Intuition. We’ve maintained all along that this Emerging Church attack on the final authority of God’s Word was semi-pelagian (at best) and now one of its cutting edge, and influential, mouthpieces has descended down into pelagianism.

And as these postliberal vipers poison and then swallows up an entire generation the Rip Van Winkles within evangelical leadership simply stretch, roll over, and sleep on. But Tony Jones would be wise to tune out those seducing spirits at seminary in this New Downgrade No-Controversy and listen instead to the following Biblical advice.

For you see, Charles Spurgeon ministered during the original Downgrade Controversy with its own attack on the authority of the Bible, and he is dead on target when he says:

People are disturbed and troubled by the real Gospel: under the false gospel they can sleep unto destruction. Bring out the Sword: it is meant to wound; let it exercise its salutary sharpness. The Gospel has two edges so that none may play with it.

When they think to run their fingers along the back of it, they will find themselves cut to the bone. Whether we regard its threats or promises it cuts at sin. Let us therefore know that the power of the Church does not lie anywhere but in the Word as Jesus Himself speaks it.