Sinful tendency inherited; community calls to repentance; less juridical than Reformed
The Church of the Brethren affirm that humanity is in a sinful condition due to Adam's transgression. All humans are born with a tendency toward sin and are incapable of righteousness apart from God's grace. This is not merely imitating Adam's sin but an inherited condition of separation from God.
However, the Church of the Brethren do not teach that infants bear personal guilt for Adam's sin or that all are universally damned. God's grace is available to all. The community (the church) calls all to repentance and transformation through the gospel.
This reflects an Anabaptist rather than Augustinian-Calvinist view: the emphasis is on the sinful condition (not juridical guilt for Adam's sin) and on the possibility of transformation through grace. Humans are not totally depraved in the Calvinist sense; they retain the capacity to respond to God's call.
Key Distinctions
- Doctrine type:
- sinful condition and tendency inherited; not juridical guilt for all
- Free will effect:
- all capable of responding to grace through community call to repentance
Scripture References
Sources
- Church of the Brethren Church Manual and catechisms
- CoB pastoral theology and doctrinal materials
- Anabaptist theological tradition (on original sin)