Date

4-7-2026

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership (EdD)

Chair

Steve Smith

Keywords

Christian, Infant, Evil, Good, Church, Missionary, Original sin, sin

Disciplines

Christianity | Educational Leadership

Abstract

At birth, is a person born evil, good, or neutral? This phenomenological study aims to explore the perspective of the morality of a child at birth for adult believers in the Missionary Church. At this stage in the research, the perspective of the morality of a child at birth will be generally defined as evil, good, or neutral. The theory guiding this study was research done by Harvard, which concluded that humanity's first instinct is not to act selfishly but to cooperate in their behavior with others (Tucker, 2013). This research proposed that this alternative perspective is invalid when Piaget’s sensory stages are valid and in direct conflict with the truth of scripture. Individuals who are part of the Missionary Denomination received an invitation to an interview. The interviews explored the congregants’ disposition of a child’s nature at birth, while also understanding how evil is perceived in Missionary Churches. Literature was gathered for a broader scope to answer four primary Research Questions (RQs). Research identified that 88% of the participants from the Missionary Church offered a negative identification of an infant at birth, while 77% used language identified as cultural to their beliefs. The choice of cultural language indicates that there is a link between the individual participants’ faith and their understanding of a child’s morality at birth. Although only 10% of the participants could directly link this to their denomination, further research could offer a clearer understanding of this discrepancy.

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