Science in Christian Perspective

Letter to the Editor

 

Corrections

Gavin Basil McGrath, ASA Friend

6/15 Tallyang St.
Bomaderry, N.S.W., 2541
Australia

From: PSCF 52 (March 2000):76

I note that my article (PSCF 51, no. 2 [June 1999]: 114-20) suffered from some editorial misunderstandings. The most serious two of these follows. The correction in the draft copy that Bob Jones Sr. recognized the "fallen nature" rather than "sinful nature" of humans (p. 115) was left out. But as Jones claimed a "baby had no sin" (original sin), he preferred to speak of humans' spiritually "dead" or "fallen nature"--but not their sinful nature. While his recognition of a human having a fallen nature accords with orthodoxy, his Charles Finney's New School type of usage of this to deny that from conception a human is tainted with original sin and so has a sinful nature and original guilt was unorthodox (Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:12-14; 7:14-23).

In footnote 4 (p. 119), my manuscript refers to the Book of Common Prayer, reading: "The BCP (1662) refers to 'fornication, and all other deadly sin' (Litany), but repentant fornicators and adulterers are forgiven (1 Cor. 6:9-11)." An editorial error was made when the word "repentant" was changed to "unrepentant."