The Sin of Certainty explained

The Sin of Certainty
Publisher:HarperCollins
Author:Peter Enns
Genre:Christian literature
Published:April 5, 2016
Isbn:0-062-27209-8
Oclc:1023207078
Pages:240
Language:English

The Sin of Certainty: Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our "Correct" Beliefs is a book written by Peter Enns.

Background

The intended audience of the book are Christians—particularly evangelicals—who feel tension between their commitment to the Bible and the difficulties of life.[1] [2] The book provides Christian readers with an opportunity to explore doubt by emphasizing that faith requires trusting God rather than having correct views about God.[3] The book is conversational in tone and contains nine chapters divided up into three parts—history, exegesis, and theology.[4]

The history section of the book discusses the impact of four events on Christian orthodoxy in the 19th century. The first was Charles Darwin's publication On the Origin of Species, which challenged the traditional Christian beliefs concerning the Genesis creation narrative. The second event called the divine inspiration of the Bible into question when archaeologists discovered that the Genesis flood narrative and Biblical law were likely borrowed from older cultures. The third event was when German academics discovered that the Pentateuch was written by multiple authors. The fourth event was the disagreement of Christian views on slavery in the United States. Enns argues that these events demonstrate that Christians cannot biblically prove the doctrines of Christian orthodoxy and should instead embrace the uncertainty of the Bible.[5] [6]

The exegetical section of the book include discussions of Old Testament stories that feature doubt as a major theme. The stories emphasize the hardships of biblical figures such as Solomon, the Psalimists, and Job.[7] Enns addresses the fact that Christians often hold incorrect views about God.[8] Enns suggests that holding onto one's own opinions about God is idolatrous.[9] When discussing these incorrect views Enns suggests what he calls transrationalism as an alternative to fallibilism.[10]

The theological section of the book draws on the New Testament and Enns' personal experiences. Enns' was forced to resign from seminary in 2008 for challenging conservative methods of biblical interpretation in his first book "Inspiration and Incarnation." This experience with the rigidity and certainty of Christian views impacted Enns and led to what he called a "forced spiritual relocation" that motivated him to explore and doubt aspects of Christianity that were previously off-limits to him.[11] [12] For instance, describes his experiences with Christian mysticism and how he came to the religious community that he now participates in.[13]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Crumm . David . July 15, 2016 . David Crumm: The Peter Enns Interview on 'The Sin of Certainty' . live . March 29, 2022 . The Alliance for Christian Media (day1.org) . Read the Spirit Magazine . July 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220703063349/https://day1.org/articles/5d9b820ef71918cdf2003f16/view .
  2. Web site: Crumm . David . July 4, 2016 . The Peter Enns Interview on 'The Sin of Certainty' . live . March 29, 2022 . Read the Spirit Magazine . en-US . November 28, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211128144150/https://readthespirit.com/explore/the-peter-enns-interview-on-the-sin-of-certainty/ .
  3. Web site: Melone Jr. . Robert . August 11, 2016 . The Sin of Certainty: Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our "Correct" Beliefs . March 29, 2022 . The Presbyterian Outlook . en-US.
  4. Web site: Hodges . B. . July 20, 2016 . Book Review: Peter Enns, the Sin of Certainty . live . March 29, 2022 . . en-US . February 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220217081908/https://bycommonconsent.com/2016/07/20/book-review-peter-enns-the-sin-of-certainty/ .
  5. Web site: Bean . Alan . April 18, 2016 . 'The Sin of certainty:' Peter Enns' Journey From Belief to Trust . live . March 29, 2022 . . en-US . May 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220529092513/https://baptistnews.com/article/the-sin-of-certainty-peter-enns-journey-from-belief-to-trust/ .
  6. Sutton . Geoffrey William . 2016 . Book Review by Geoffrey Sutton — The Sin of Certainty: Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our "Correct" Beliefs . Encounter: Journal for Pentecostal Ministry . 13 . ResearchGate.
  7. Web site: Froese . Deborah . October 18, 2017 . How to Avoid 'A Tense Faith' . live . March 29, 2022 . Canadian Mennonite Magazine . Canadian Mennonite Publishing Service . en-CA . January 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220113193800/https://canadianmennonite.org/stories/how-avoid-%E2%80%98-tense-faith%E2%80%99 .
  8. Web site: Smith . Calvin . June 14, 2016 . The Sin of Certainty - a Book Review Telling Christians You Can't Trust the Bible (But You Should Trust God Anyway) . live . March 29, 2022 . . . en-GB . July 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220703231849/https://creation.com/the-sin-of-certainty .
  9. Miller . Caleb . March 31, 2016 . Jersak . Brad . Dart . Ron . Miller . Kevin . Klager . Andrew . Review of Peter Enns' 'The Sin of Certainty' . Clarion Journal: Journal for Religion, Peace & Justice . Fresh Wind Press . 2369-0070 . March 29, 2022 . March 29, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220329171439/https://www.clarion-journal.com/clarion_journal_of_spirit/2016/03/review-of-peter-enns-the-sin-of-certainty-by-caleb-miller.html . live .
  10. Web site: Christensen . Douglas . Enns, "The Sin of Certainty" (Reviewed by Douglas Christensen) . live . March 29, 2022 . . . en-US . June 5, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220605232502/https://www.associationmormonletters.org/reviews/older-reviews/enns-the-sin-of-certainty-reviewed-by-douglas-christiansen/ .
  11. Web site: Semmes . Anne W. . May 11, 2016 . Author-Theologian Peter Enns to Speak on Faith and Uncertainty . live . March 29, 2022 . Greenwich Sentinel . en-US . May 12, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160512110307/http://www.greenwichsentinel.com/2016/05/11/author-theologian-peter-enns-to-speak-on-faith-and-uncertainty/ .
  12. Web site: Cornwall . Bob . April 22, 2016 . Christopher . Smith C. . A Feature Review of the Sin of Certainty: Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our "Correct" Beliefs Peter Enns . live . March 29, 2022 . The Englewood Review of Books . Englewood Christian Church . en-US . August 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220818135301/https://englewoodreview.org/peter-enns-the-sin-of-certainty-feature-review/ .
  13. Web site: Rackley . John . August 11, 2019 . The Bible Tells Me So & the Sin of Certainty by Peter Enns: Trust in God Casts Out Fear and Cultivates a Life of Trust That Flourishes Regardless of How Certain We Feel . live . March 29, 2022 . . . February 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220218224601/https://www.baptist.org.uk/Articles/556904/Peter_Enns_The.aspx .

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