Pelagianism

British

/ pɛˈleɪdʒɪəˌnɪzəm /

noun

Christianity a heretical doctrine, first formulated by Pelagius, that rejected the concept of original sin and maintained that the individual takes the initial steps towards salvation by his own efforts and not by the help of divine grace

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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The 16th century Council of Trent re-endorsed Augustine's attack on Pelagianism for the Counter-Reformation Catholic Church.

From Time Magazine Archive

Pelagius made many converts to his more optimistic doctrine; but after years of vigorous controversy between him and Augustine, the Church decided that Pelagianism was heresy.

From Time Magazine Archive

Put in secular terms, the Pelagianism of America means an unshakable faith in the righteousness of the U.S.

From Time Magazine Archive

Heresy or not, Pelagianism was a good deal easier to live with.

From Time Magazine Archive

On the other hand, those who professed to be followers of St. Augustine reproached the Molinists with Pelagianism or at the least semi-Pelagianism.

From Theodicy Essays on the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man and the Origin of Evil by Huggard, E.M.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023