Original vs. Ancestral Sin

A couple of years ago, I posted a video on YouTube called The Problem with Original Sin. Since then, it’s been viewed about 16,000 times and has generated close to a thousand comments. Responding to yet another comment today, I realize I’ve learned two things.

First, most people will strongly defend original sin.

Second, most people don’t actually know what original sin is.

So I want to follow up on that video by talking about the difference between two important but distinct Christian doctrines: the doctrine of original sin and the doctrine of ancestral sin. Ancestral sin might a term you haven’t heard before, but it is very likely the doctrine you already believe.

continued on substack