The time is ripe for a robust discussion of human nature. In Eden's Garden: Rethinking Sin and Evil in an Era of Scientific Promise, Richard Coleman examines the notion of sin in a contemporary world that values scientific and nonreligious modes of thought regarding human behavior. This work is not an anti-science polemic, but rather an argument to show how sin and evil can make sense to the nonreligious mind, and how it is valuable to make sense of such phenomena. The author reconceptualizes sin and evil as "indelible pieces of our evolutionary history" preventing them from being ostracized as "too religious, without substance, mired in the past." Coleman redeems theology for what it can offer to the understanding of sin and evil while embracing and respecting what science can offer to further the common good. Examining themes in religion, philosophy, and theology, it is ideal for use in the numerous courses that move across these disciplines.
Part 1 Introduction: The Swirl of Intellectual Ideas Part 2 Part I: Science's Coming of Age Story Chapter 3 Chapter 1: Knowledge Too Powerful to Be Ignored: The Good and Noble Scientist Chapter 4 Chapter 2: Knowledge Too Good Not to Be Exploited: The Compromised Scientist Part 5 Part II: The New Occasion for an Original Temptation Chapter 6 Chapter 3: Sin of the Common Variety: Distinguishing Sin from Evil, and Sin from Sins Chapter 7 Chapter 4: Sin Uniquely Christian: A Fresh Interpretation of "The Fall" Chapter 8 Chapter 5: Sin's Geneology: The Emergence of Sin Chapter 9 Chapter 6: Science as the New Occasion for Sin: When Humans Overreach Part 10 Part III: Science and Theology in Counterbalance Chapter 11 Chapter 7: Can We Trust Ourselves?: So Much Depends on How We Answer Part 12 Bibliography Part 13 Index Part 14 About the Author
Overview
The time is ripe for a robust discussion of human nature. In Eden's Garden: Rethinking Sin and Evil in an Era of Scientific Promise, Richard Coleman examines the notion of sin in a contemporary world that values scientific and nonreligious modes of thought regarding human behavior. This work is not an anti-science polemic, but rather an argument to show how sin and evil can make sense to the nonreligious mind, and how it is valuable to make sense of such phenomena. The author reconceptualizes sin and evil as ...