RE: [asa] Confessional Statements and TE Views

Does every Catholic believe in transubstantiation (that the wine
consumed during communion physically turns into the blood of Christ)?

Dick Fischer

Dick Fischer, Genesis Proclaimed Association

Finding Harmony in Bible, Science, and History

 <http://www.genesisproclaimed.org/> www.genesisproclaimed.org

-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of David Opderbeck
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 8:02 PM
To: ASA list
Subject: [asa] Confessional Statements and TE Views

I'm curious how TE's who are part of a confessional tradition understand
their confessions with respect to original sin. For example, if you're
Anglican, CRC, or Lutheran, and a TE who accepts human evolution, can
you in good conscience assent to your confessional statements concerning
original sin (below)? Is there a tradition within protestant
confessional churches of some flexibility in personal interpretation of
the confessions? (Obviously I'm betraying my very low-church
evangelical roots here).

For example, the 39 Articles (Anglican / Episcopal) say:

IX. Of Original or Birth-Sin.
Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam, (as the Pelagians do
vainly talk;) but it is the fault and corruption of the Nature of every
man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam; whereby man
is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature
inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the
Spirit; and therefore in every person born into this world, it deserveth
God's wrath and damnation. And this infection of nature doth remain, yea
in them that are regenerated; whereby the lust of the flesh, called in
Greek, p¢vnæa sapk¢s, (which some do expound the wisdom, some
sensuality, some the affection, some the desire, of the flesh), is not
subject to the Law of God. And although there is no condemnation for
them that believe and are baptized; yet the Apostle doth confess, that
concupiscence and lust hath of itself the nature of sin.

The Belgic Confession (CRC) says:

Article 16

The Doctrine of Election
We believe that—
      all Adam's descendants having thus fallen
      into perdition and ruin
      by the sin of the first man—

The Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) says:

Article II: Of Original Sin.

1] Also they teach that since the fall of Adam all men begotten in the
natural way are born with sin, that is, without the fear of God, without
trust in God, and with 2] concupiscence; and that this disease, or vice
of origin, is truly sin, even now condemning and bringing eternal death
upon those not born again through Baptism and the Holy Ghost.

3] They condemn the Pelagians and others who deny that original
depravity is sin, and who, to obscure the glory of Christ's merit and
benefits, argue that man can be justified before God by his own strength
and reason.

To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
"unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
Received on Sat Jan 19 11:36:08 2008