Sin and Power: Our Socio-Ecological Unraveling

If one Christian doctrine can be empirically proven, says G. K. Chesterton, it is the doctrine of sin. They are evident in people’s daily actions and behaviors, making it an observable reality rather than a theoretical concept. Examples are legion. Yet many, particularly liberal and progressive Christians, tend to shy away from talking about sin. What has happened to sin? Shall we vanish sin from our discourse? If not, how shall we make sense of it?

This presentation will take account of sin and its deadly manifestations in multiple dimensions, both individual and social, or what is known as systemic evil, which may be useful in talking about the notion of “original sin.” Through the analytic lens of “intersectionality,” the interlocking structures of systemic evil, such as classism, racism, sexism, heterosexism, ecocide, and more, will be named for what they are and exposed as well as opposed.

Because we cannot respond proactively to sin and evil without a good grasp of power and how it works in individuals and social institutions, this presentation will have to take account of power. An inadequate understanding of power will lead to an inadequate understanding of evil. If nothing evil happens apart from power, it is likewise true that birthing something good demands the exercise of power.

We are naming with sharpness the presence and manifestations of sin and systemic evil for the sake of our personal and social transformation.

Experience a series of captivating “TED Talk” style lectures at CTS Talks. Delivered by distinguished guests who are subject matter experts, these thought-provoking talks provide a platform to gain insight on topics that tie together intellectual curiosity and community reflection.

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Eleazar S. Fernandez, PhD

Eleazar S. Fernandez is an Emeritus Professor of Constructive Theology at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, Minnesota, and former President of Union Theological Seminary, Philippines. Among his writings are Threshold Dwellers in the Age of Global Pandemic (Editor, Pickwick), Teaching in a World of Violent Extremism (Editor, Pickwick), Teaching for a Multifaith World (Editor, Pickwick), Teaching for a Culturally Diverse and Racially Just World (Editor, Cascades), Burning Center, Porous Borders: The Church in a Globalized World (Wipf and Stock), Reimagining the Human: Theological Anthropology in Response to Systemic Evil (Chalice Press), Realizing the America of our Hearts: Theological Voices of Asian Americans (co-edited with Fumitaka Matsuoka, Chalice Press), A Dream Unfinished: Theological Reflections on America from the Margins (co-edited with Fernando Segovia, Orbis Books), and Toward a Theology of Struggle (Orbis Books).