When Did Sin Begin?: Human Evolution and the Doctrine of Original Sin

This is a well intentioned book from a scientist deep within the Evolutionary Creationist bubble. Evolutionary creationists themselves do not care much about Adam and Eve. The many Christians they are trying to persuade do care...a lot. So this book is fundamentally an empathetic effort.Unfortunately, much of the population genetics claims about Adam and Eve are based on out-of-date and confused understanding of the science. As just one of many examples, Chapter 4 (fn 8) references an article which was quietly deleted by BioLogos (which is run by author's spouse) in 2021 for irrecoverable scientific errors (see doi: 10.54739/d67o ) first made clear in 2018. This is an embarrassing error which would have been caught in any meaningful peer review, or if the article had been promptly and transparently corrected when it was found to be in error. These scientific issues are pervasive and significant enough to merit a substantial erratum. Consequently, quite a bit of the scientific analysis is just wrongheaded.The author of the book is a scientist without any formal theological training. The same is true of me. So the vast theological sections of the book (and my assessment of them) should be taken with a grand helping of salt.It does seem, however, that the book leave out critical aspects of historical theology (e.g. see doi: 10.54739/g98q ), and is out of touch with how the theological conversation about Adam and Eve is unfolding outside of Evolutionary Creationism.The author does acknowledge the fact that the de novo creation of Adam and Eve is consistent with evolutionary science. That is a major change of position for evolutionary creationists (see doi: 10.54739/p9cc ), a change which has largely flown under the radar. The author raises important theological questions about this possibility, but he does not engage how these questions have already been addressed in detail by others.I could say more about the theology. But I am scientist. My biggest concerns are about the book's presentation of population genetics, where I do have unique expertise.For better understanding of what is driving the conversation, and to see where real progress is being made, read outside the BioLogos bubble. I recommend William Lane Craig's book, The Quest for a Historical Adam (see sample at doi: 10.54739/e7r9 ) and the ETS session about it, Andrew Loke's new book The Origin of Humanity and Evolution, and Jon Garvey's book The Generations of Heaven and Earth.

When Did Sin Begin? is a very thorough, thoughtful, and dense read, but still accessible exploration of a range of possible views on Adam and Eve, the origin of sin, the timeframe and results of the fall, the transmission of sin and/or guilt, the image of God, and more, that remains faithful both to scripture and what is known about the evolutionary origins of humanity. I highly recommend this book for those looking for a deep dive into the subject of the origin of sin and related questions.In addition to an introduction and conclusion, the book has the following chapters:1. Scripture, Science, and the Holy Spirit2. Creation, Evolution, and Divine Action3. Suffering and Death before Humans4. Human Evolution5. The Soul, the Imago Dei, and Special Divine Action6. Adam and Eve in Scripture7. The Doctrine of Original Sin through Church History8. What is Sin?9. What Changed when Sin Began?10. Whose Fault Is It?11. Difficult Questions for Each Type of ScenarioThe focus in each of these chapters is to address these 4 general types of scenarios:1. Adam and Eve as particular historical individuals acting as representatives of humanity.2. Adam and Eve as particular historical individuals; sin spread through culture or genealogy.3. Adam and Eve as a highly compressed history referring to many individuals over a long period of time who received special revelation.4. Adam and Eve as symbolic figures referring to many individuals over a long period of time, all who became ready to be held accountable and chose sin.In each area of discussion, the author describes several possible options, some of which overlap or apply to more than one of the general scenarios. He then goes on to very logically and systematically address the pros and cons of each option. He often follows the pattern “There are reasons to favor xxx ……. There are some theological concerns with xxx……… However, this theological concern does not necessarily rule out this answer …...”.It was fascinating to look at all of the possibilities and ways to think about these important aspects of Christian doctrine. I found myself favoring some views over others but being thankful for multiple approaches to consider. I especially appreciated and was inspired by the conclusion of the book: “Above all, God gave us Jesus Christ. His words and actions show us how we should live in a world where there is sin. His life, suffering, death, and resurrection show us the full extent of God’s self-giving love. Whatever we might learn about how and when sin began, and whatever mysteries might remain, we know what God is doing about the problem. We know that God’s victory is assured. Christ is God’s ultimate answer.”