Historical Congregationalism affirmed original sin in the full Calvinist sense: Adam's guilt is imputed to all humanity and all people inherit a corrupt nature that renders them unable to do spiritual good without regenerating grace. The Savoy Declaration (Chapter VI) and the Cambridge Platform presuppose this Augustinian anthropology. The New England Puritan preaching tradition spoke vividly and extensively about human sinfulness and total depravity.

The United Church of Christ's Statement of Faith acknowledges the reality of human sin ('save all people from aimlessness and sin') and the human struggle against evil, but does not define original sin in the precise Calvinist terms of the Savoy Declaration. The UCC's anthropology tends toward a less deterministic account of human fallenness, often framing sin in terms of structural evil, social oppression, and individual aimlessness rather than inherited guilt and total depravity. Progressive UCC theology is influenced by liberation theology's emphasis on sin as systemic injustice. This represents a significant theological shift from the tradition's Calvinist roots.