Outside Reading 2--Matt Brennan

Over the semester I have been meeting with a group of guys: one graduating this semester with me, and the other 3 have graduated from CNU a few years ago, 2 of which are married. It has been an extremely influential experience that has formed strong bonds through fellowship. We have been reading a book called The Silence of Adam. This book is very interesting because in the past, many people have placed blame solely on Eve for the Fall of Man; however, as this book has helped us realize, Adam was equally, if not more at fault for committing original sin. While so many tend to focus so heavily on the fact that Eve was the one who performed the action of sin by eating the apple, Adam committed sin through inaction when he did not speak up when the serpent deceived her. In other words, Eve committed a sin of commission, when Adam committed a sin of omission. The scriptures themselves back this claim in Genesis 3:6—“…She took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” The authors base this book around this notion and use it to put forth the idea of biblical manhood, not as a movement, but rather a reformation.