Saving the Original Sinner Quotes

“Adam’s role in Christianity is so important that many Christians—and almost all of America’s one hundred million evangelicals—believe their faith collapses like a teetering Jenga tower if Adam is removed from the foundation.”
― Karl W. Giberson, Saving the Original Sinner: How Christians Have Used the Bible's First Man to Oppress, Inspire, and Make Sense of the World

“Saving the Original Sinner is about Christians wrestling with questions of Adam and Eve.”
― Karl W. Giberson, Saving the Original Sinner: How Christians Have Used the Bible's First Man to Oppress, Inspire, and Make Sense of the World

“Another reason why Adam maintains a hold on so many Christians, beyond his role as the source of sin, death, and evil, is his role in maintaining the social order. We see this most clearly in discussions of gay marriage where many Christians— and most conservative politicians running for office— invoke “God’s plan for marriage” by pointing to the story of Adam and Eve, where we read that “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 20 This viewpoint is often summarized with a smirk as “God made Adam and Eve— not Adam and Steve.” The story has been and is similarly invoked to assign a subordinate role for women and blacks, to authorize exploitation of nature, to condemn nudity, to maintain a holy Sabbath, and other social agendas. Notice how much of our modern Western culture is explained by this list.”
― Karl W. Giberson, Saving the Original Sinner: How Christians Have Used the Bible's First Man to Oppress, Inspire, and Make Sense of the World

“Adam’s role in Christianity is so important that many Christians - and almost all of America’s one hundred million evangelicals - believe their faith collapses like a teetering Jenga tower if Adam is removed from the foundation. Christian scholars noting the implausibility of the human race appearing suddenly ten thousand years ago are not greeted with cheers. They are more often met with inquisitions and in too many instances they lose their jobs.”
― Karl W. Giberson, Saving the Original Sinner: How Christians Have Used the Bible's First Man to Oppress, Inspire, and Make Sense of the World