Topic timely but reading is tedious in new 'History of Sin'

But the best of this volume by John Portmann may be its opening and concluding chapters.

Portmann is an assistant professor in the religious studies department at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. This is his fifth book since 2000, all focused on "bad things" and sin.

He lists among his academic interests cultural Christianity, ethics and Catholic studies, all of which figure prominently in this book.

He begins by telling us, "God has made a comeback, and with him, inevitably, sin." Tracing that comeback to Sept. 11, 2001, he says that since then "religious enthusiasts and skeptics alike have warmed to the divine in a way we have not seen for decades."

He then presents definitions of sin, including what he considers the "most useful definition of sin (coming from St. Basil the Great): misusing the powers God gave us to do good."

He also offers a brief overview of sin in the Abrahamic traditions, drawing some comparisons among the Jewish, Christian and Islamic views, as well as between them and other traditions.

The outlook for the faithful isn't good: "Living in the West in the 21st century almost invariably involves scantily clad people and news of corporate tax fraud. ... The entire public sphere has become an occasion of sin, it might seem to traditional Jews, Christians or Muslims, who understandably worry about a corresponding neutralization of sin."

Unfortunately, throughout much of the book, Portmann seems to equate a theological view of sin with a legal notion of deviance. Some sins seem to take on status similar to archaic laws, such as prohibiting someone from holding office if he has taken part in a duel, or requiring people to notify police before driving a car into a city.

In two chapters, he discusses sexual sins, tracing their biblical roots and talking about the ways developments in science, medicine and technology have changed popular conceptions of them. These changes are, at least in part, a cause of what Portmann terms "sin fatigue" among Americans.

People, he says, have grown tired of old sins that no longer generate fear in their hearts. That, and scientific discoveries, help fuel sin fatigue and lead to "atonement fatigue."

Atonement, he explains, "no longer functions as a Zamboni, the slow truck that purrs down an ice-skating rink and magically erases all scuff marks. Today, atonement seems to leave plenty behind."

Despite the fatigue from the old, tired sins, he says, modern replacements, such as harming the environment, obesity, depression, racism and drunk driving, are taking their place.

With respect to modern sins, Portmann sees evidence that young people are atoning for the sins of their elders. He discusses affirmative action as an example, specifically cases in which white students claim to have been denied admission to colleges because of rules that favor African-Americans and other minorities. While he maintains that past wrongs should be righted, he sees the burden on young, white Americans as unduly onerous, and suggests it leads to "sympathy fatigue."

He begins his last chapter noting, "Alas, sinfulness is the best we can do," adding that getting used to that idea "can prevent plenty of hand-wringing." He does, however, offer suggestions for how to live with our human failings, for example, by developing a better sense of humility, humor, nobility and, yes, hypocrisy -- "The hypocrite has not yet overcome his prejudices, yet he may earnestly hope to do so."

In our "damaged society, in which we try to do our best," Portmann contends, "One of the most important set of limitations Catholics must confront is the inheritance of a terrible erosion of moral authority, stemming from repeated accusations of anti-Semitism, and more recently, of scandalous sexual behavior. Other religious denominations have something to learn from Catholic mistakes."

While the middle chapters do make for interesting reading, drawing as they do on multiple fields for their examples and explanations, they are often repetitious and don't build seamlessly to Portmann's conclusions.

So, timely as it seems, Portmann's "A History of Sin" has sufficient drawbacks to deter casual reading. Nevertheless, his theory and conclusion may be worth perusing and discussing.

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops