Abstract
Reinhold Niebuhr, perhaps the most famous American theologian of the twentieth century, was once asked if he thought the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is “literally true.” “No,” replied Niebuhr seriously, “it’s truer than that.” What Niebuhr meant was that if the story of Adam and Eve is reduced to an argument about who was wearing fig leaves and when, the truth of the story is missed. The deeper truth found in the story of Adam and Eve concerns a loss of innocence. We are “fallen,” which means that we can be tempted and we sometimes do things we know we shouldn’t do. That’s the human condition in a nutshell. Sometimes, we sin.
Keywords
Child Labor Eden Story Ultimate Concern Substandard Housing Surface Conformity
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Notes
- 1.Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, “Mel Makes a War Movie,” Chicago Tribune (February 23, 2003). See also, Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, “Mel Makes a War Move,” in Perspectives on the Passion of the Christ: Religious Thinkers and Writers Explore the Issues Raised by the Controversial Movie (New York: Hyperion, 2004).Google Scholar
- 3.Chris Hedges, American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America (New York: Free Press, 2006), 10–36.Google Scholar
Copyright information
© Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite 2010