Backsliding is a term used within
Christianity to describe a process by which an individual who has converted to Christianity reverts to pre-conversion habits and practices. Within churches which teach
Arminianism, backsliding is a state in which any free willed being can adopt, which is a doctrine rejected by
Calvinists. Historically, backsliding was considered a trait of the biblical
Israel which would turn from the
abrahamic god to follow
idols. In the
New Testament church, the story of the
Prodigal Son has become a representation of a backslider.
See also
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