In the split second before a sin is committed what thoughts race through a person"s mind? Does he have the time or even the inclination consciously and purposefully to reject the existence of God? Does his action stem from pragmatic, momentary circumstances or from a deep-seated commitment to deny the Supreme Being? Here a renowned Dutch theologian examines these and many other questions, seeking a truly theological - not merely moralistic - insight into the reality of sin. Through his analysis of the Scriptural bases for our current theology of sin and in keeping with contemporary views such as Teilhard de Chardin"s, which see man as part of a still-evolving universe, Schoonenberg places the concept of sin in a new, and unexplored context. He views sin as a pervading alienation from God that represents not merely the performance of a single act but rather a continuous state of mind with all its concomitant consequences of conflict, solitude, and anxiety. In his hypotheses concerning mortal, venial, and original sin, the author advances startling concepts indicative of the Church"s more sympathetic approach to the varieties of religious belief.