197. Rebecca Copeland | Wicked Problems and Unoriginal Sin

Language of God

Theologian Rebecca Copeland joins Jim Stump to talk about how we think about sin in a world full of wicked problems—complex, interconnected issues like climate change, inequality, and mistrust in science. Our usual theological categories often fall short: sin as personal moral failure doesn’t capture the systemic nature of these problems, and sin as an inherited condition can leave us feeling powerless. Copeland offers another way of understanding sin—what she calls unoriginal sin—that helps us recognize both our complicity in broken systems and our capacity for repentance and healing. The conversation moves from deep theology to practical questions about how we live responsibly and hopefully in a tangled, imperfect world.

Theme song and credits music by Breakmaster Cylinder. Other music in this episode by Nick Petrov, courtesy of Shutterstock, Inc.

Check out Rebecca's Book, Entangled Being, here.