A History of Sin: How Evil Changes, but Never Goes Away

In A History of Sin, John Portmann argues that especially since 9/11, the reality of sin has made a strong comeback, and he believes that even liberal Christians, who have downplayed the notion of sin, have to take the fact of personal evildoing seriously. Starting in the present, Portmann then backtracks to outline key moments in the history of sin from the ancient Greeks and Israelites through Jesus and Paul to Augustine and Dante up to the present. The book explores how some sins, like usury, have faded or transformed, while others, such as slavery, polygamy, and gender inequality, have become regarded as sinful. It examines how our understanding of sin affects today's society.