Recently in Atonement Category

Kris and I sat down the other night to watch Rob Bell's DVD called The Gods Aren't Angry. My question: What do you think of it? Did any of you see this live and have a response?

Here are some highlights for me: first, it's almost a history -- a brief one no doubt -- of the human attempt to appease the gods through sacrifice, bargaining, pleading, and manipulating. The big message is that God is satisfied with the sacrifice in Christ, a sacrifice that deconstructed all sacrifices. We can rest in the redemptive act of God in Jesus Christ. The 90 or so minute message ends with some excellent stories of how this pleading is present and can be resolved in our world.

The altar in the middle of the stage reminded me of the altars I've seen in Pompei and Ostia antica. I took long looks at those altars, working my imagination up to envision what it was like, but I also had to maintain distance from those who were listening to tour guides.

I saw the presentation as a kind of flip image of Yancey's stuff on God's grace. Instead of coming at this from the angle of God's goodness and grace, Rob Bell comes at it from the angle of the futility of human attempts to control the forces and gods out there.

Because of my own study of atonement, I kept waiting for Rob to come forth with a theory of atonement but he didn't, though I did hear at times a little Girard -- the ending of all violence against scapegoats -- and even Anselm, who famously emphasized the idea that God's justice and honor were satisfied by the death and resurrection of Christ, the God-Man.

"I believe in the forgiveness of sins," a famous line in the Apostles' Creed, means "I believe in the rebirth of relationships" according to Telford Work in Ain't Too Proud to Beg (166). To help himself discuss the Lord's prayer petition for forgiveness, Telford explores Tom Wolfe's I Am Charlotte Simmons.

Which left me out since I haven't read the novel. But, in spite of this, I got through this chp with not a few highlights and (I must confess) some confirmations of my newest book, A Community called Atonement.

Telford explores, as a result of the novel, the sinful human condition as "barrenness." "It is futile," he says, "to try to make something out of nothing; only a Creator can do that. It is specious to try to turn something wrong into something right; only a Redeemer can do that" (153).

We are bankrupt debtors (title of book gets its explanation in this chp) and we learn that "judgment and forgiveness are God's new creation of those formerly barren relationships" (154).

We are back to the issue of defining our problem well enough: "The wages of sin were estrangement, oppression, corruption, vengeance, calamity, panic, starvation, defeat, slavery, torpor, idolatry, decline, sterility, death" (154).

Telford explores forgiveness as atonement, that atonement is integrally connected to other theological ideas ... "Where sin is barrenness, atonement is replenishment" (159). Forgiveness is also mission. "Apostolic forgiveness is thus mission, and apostolic mission is forgiveness" (165). Forgiveness is also rehumanization.

Anyone who follows this blog knows we have have a number of conversations about atonement and the various theories associated with it, leading as it did to a recent book of mine called Community called Atonement. But a few new books have passed my way and I'd like to mention two of them:

Let us suppose we know the "problem" and we know the "result." If we define the former as "sin" in all its many variations and connotations and the latter as union with God, etc., then we need to realize this: the way we define the problem and the result determines which image we "exploit" when we speak of atonement. Are we sufficiently varied in our understanding of the problem? Do we reduce it to sin as offense or go one step further to offense-guilt and then find ourselves constantly in need of talking one image -- justification? Or, do we let each of the images come into the conversation? Do we let them play their own game and even create tension? Do we let each of them become pointers to the Deep Magic of Redemption?

There is an uncontrollable urge on the part of many to find the "central" metaphor or the "core" metaphor or even the controlling idea. I have long done my best to resist this, and so has...

Neil Livingstone in his new book Picturing the Gospel. Thanks Neil, this is a fine, fine book. Written at an accessible level, this book explores three central images:

1. Images of New Life: life -- born from above; adoption -- chosen in love; kingdom -- a good world order.

2. Images of Mercy and Restoration: justification -- being right with God; forgiveness -- picking up the bill; atonement -- taking away the shame.

3. Images of Deliverance: salvation -- the mighty hand of God; ransom and redemption -- love pays; freedom -- free for life.

OK, I'd like to have seen more on the "problem" -- the images of the problems -- that are resolved by these images of new life, etc., but this book is a nice introductory level book on the significance of seeing atonement through the various images used for it in the Bible.

From a different angle comes Justyn Terry's The Justifying Judgement of God. Terry wants to know the "principle metaphor" and to find this he examines British preaching -- and I like this because atonement theory is inherent to any form of gospel preaching we hear.

This is an academic book that studies British atonement theology -- we could give a list of names but that is probably not necessary in this brief review -- and then enters into a theory by examining the ever-wordy Karl Barth.

I confess that I was disappointed Terry wanted to find the principle metaphor until I read through his study -- he defines the central principle as "judgement" which surprised me but he defines the term holistically, relationally and cosmically. Judgment is not only condemnation of sin but also God's making things right and establishing justice.

"Atonement Wars"? Let's Hope Not.

A book review of Scot McKnight's A Community called Atonement by Brian McLaren.

Although "the emergent conversation" happens largely online and through informal gatherings and off-beat conferences (what some have called un-conventions), it also happens in the more standard format of books. Some of these books – like Mark Scandrette's recent Soul Graffiti: Making a Life in the Way of Jesus – are artistic and literary, combining memoir and religious nonfiction. Others are multi-author works like An Emergent Manifesto of Hope, bringing together a wide variety of voices to explore a general subject through short essays. Still others are more scholarly works, like Peter Rollins' How (Not) to Speak of God, which, even though Peter speaks in the academic tongue of polysyllabism on many occasions, has an uncharacteristically playful tone for a "serious" book.

Joining this creative and well-written stable of books is Scot McKnight's new A Community Called Atonement, part of the new Living Theology series with Abingdon Press, edited by Tony Jones. The series aims to deal with "real theology" on a deep level, but in a way that is approachable and accessible to a wide range or readers, not just professionals in the academy. Here are four words I would use to describe this important debut book in this important new series by this important theologian.

First, it is timely. The book comes just as some scholars in the U.S. may be tempted to sharpen their pens to join a westward expansion of an atonement war begun in England over the last few years. That conflict began as my friends Steve Chalke and Alan Mann found themselves in hot water for raising provocative questions about a popular theory of atonement in their book The Lost Message of Jesus. Some Evangelicals, largely ignoring the main point of the book -- the good news of the kingdom of God -- said Chalke and Mann no longer belonged in their tribe because for them, Evangelical means a) subscribing to that particular theory of atonement, and b) equating that theory with the gospel. For a thoughtful online response to this controversy, I'd recommend Bishop N. T. Wright's recent article .

Meanwhile, here in the U.S., a number of Evangelical authors have also been raising questions about atonement. Among them are Dallas Willard, whose The Divine Conspiracy critiques what he calls "the gospel of sin management," Hans Boersma, whose Violence, Hospitality and the Cross exemplifies a hospitable Reformed tradition (and is highly regarded by McKnight), and Joel Green and Mark Baker, whose Recovering the Scandal of the Cross seeks to counter the popular (some might say dominant) reduction of atonement understanding to one theory. More recently, Mark Baker edited Proclaiming the Scandal of the Cross, to which I contributed and which shows how various metaphors and theories of atonement are being preached in churches today. Each of these books has stirred up enthusiastic support (and I am among the enthusiastic supporters) along with some strong criticism.

For Scot McKnight to step into this tense terrain may recall the old maxim about fools rushing into territory avoided by angels, but it's not only fools who rush into conflict: peacemakers are also drawn there, and this is the spirit in which McKnight enters the fray. Like an ambassador arriving on a troubled shore hoping to avert violent conflict, McKnight comes not to fire salvos or drop bombs on behalf of one side or the other, but to invite all sides to the table seeking better understanding.

That brings a second word to mind regarding the book: irenic. McKnight isn't advocating a mushy "let's all get along" evasion of the issues, which are many and important. But he is seeking to practice what we preach whenever we preach atonement: that God calls us to reconcile with God, ourselves, one another, and all creation. That means that the way we treat one another when we disagree about atonement can't be separated from what we preach when we preach atonement. Theory and praxis are profoundly inseparable. This conviction helps explain why people with whom I imagine McKnight disagrees are treated in these pages gently, respectfully. McKnight prefers to "catch people being right" over exposing where he thinks they're wrong, and thus seeks to build a community of atonement through his manner of addressing the issue. Normal academic discourse does not require this irenic tone, but in keeping with his theme, McKnight is seeking to follow a higher standard.

I would also call this book comprehensive, weaving together many threads of atonement theology in one tapestry. The book relies on a golfer's metaphor rather than one from weaving. One is glad for many clubs, McKnight says, because each is useful in various situations. One would hate to have to drive with a putter or putt with a sand wedge. Similarly, various theories of atonement serve various functions in various settings according to McKnight, which is why all should be kept in the bag and used appropriately to the situation.

To be comprehensive, McKnight has to see the game differently than some for whom faithful golf may have become a matter of "using the five iron in all situations from the first tee to the eighteenth hole." So he offers helpful ways of describing the "game" as a whole – speaking of the restoration of cracked eikons and identification for incorporation.

One more descriptor: the book is evocative. It lightly touches a number of important subjects along the way which are fascinating but tangential to this book's purpose. Among important topics McKnight opens up in ways that leave this reader hungry for more are the centrality of metaphor in theology (p. 36 ff) and the sociopragmatic dimensions of our theologizing about atonement (p. 44 ff). Perhaps they will become future contributions to the Living Theology series.

We could conjure up many examples of the socio-pragmatic outworking of atonement theology – a reason to take this subject very seriously. For example, one might argue that an exclusive focus on one theory of the atonement could result in an administration that approves of military invasions and even torture. Similar thought experiments could be launched in a number of areas from ecology to poverty to the treatment of undocumented refugees. Although McKnight doesn't get into these kinds of specifics (nor should he in a book of this sort), he does devote a very important chapter (16) to the relationship between a well-formed atonement theology and the practice of justice.

We have now come full circle to the word timely again, since the previous hypothetical situation is, for American Christians, less far-fetched than it may appear. At this critical time in history, I believe we need, not atonement wars (or other kinds of theo-combat), but rather mature and generative conversation on atonement, so we can together go back to the Scriptures and in their light savor the rich meaning of Christ's saving work. A Community Called Atonement joins books by Willard, Boersma, Green, Baker, and others as an excellent and accessible resource for this conversation, informed by both current and historic scholarship.

For those who persist in claiming that people in the emergent conversation are unconcerned with truth and morality, or are only concerned with candles and guitar distortion, this book is one more demonstration that something robust and material is going on. The fruit of this conversation, of course, must go beyond books. Informed by this timely, irenic, comprehensive, and evocative book's content and inspired by its manner and tone, we in the emergent conversation must keep building the community called atonement which Jesus gave his life to make possible and real and transformative in our world. May it be so.

Brian McLaren is an author, speaker, and former pastor active in the emergent conversation. His next book, Everything Must Change.

I've received several e-mails today notifying me that Amazon.com is saying A Community called Atonement won't ship until December. The fine folks down at Abingdon know the book is in stock at Amazon.com and also think you may have received an automated notice. They suggest checking your credit card to see if it is being billed; if so, the book is on its way. Any help will be of use to us.

Community called Atonement

I've been sitting here waiting to hear if "our" new book, A Community called Atonement, is available and I'm happy to say that it is now in stock at Amazon.com. The issue of atonement is, as you may know, both...

Monday I flew down to Nashville where the kind folks at Abingdon -- nearly all of them brand new to me -- welcomed me into their fine downtown facilities for a book launch for A Community called Atonement, due out...

We need to reconsider why it was that Jesus chose Passover (a night of celebrating and remembering liberation) rather than Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (a day of affliction and a day when sins were atoned for). Why does...

For Lent this year, I want to do a series that weaves together the "story" of Peter with the "story" of Mary. The two of them, so I hope to show, struggle with the Cross and it is that "story"...

A faithful reader of the blog, John Nordlander, gave me a shout, asked me to dinner for a chat, and we went to the Hard Rock Cafe just two blocks down the charm known as 16th Avenue. He shared with...

What do you think? Here is the cover for a book of mine coming out next Fall with Abingdon. It is entitled A Community called Atonement. Not to let the cat out of the bag, but one point (that explains...

Dear Matt, I too was watching the news show when Elie Wiesel, speaking of the Iranian leader, said he should be "excommunicated from humanity." Wiesel's words, regardless of how much I've learned from him and admire him, struck me as...

This is our last in the series on Roger Olson's book, Arminian Theology. Myth #10 is that Arminians adhere to the "governmental theory of atonement." Most may not know what this theory holds, and most may never have heard that...

I speak for myself, but by the time I have finished a writing project my desk has gotten so cluttered it embarrasses me. The first thing I do after I print out the manuscript or send off the electronic versions...

Here's a thesis Mark Biddle, in his excellent new study on sin (Missing the Mark), defends in his last chapter: "Sin creates a real circumstance that lingers in the world until it comes to fruition -- sometimes with the assistance...

One of the most pressing issues about "sin" for theologians is the issue of intention. Does it count for a sin only when we intend something to be harmful? According to Biddle, in his Missing the Mark, we make a...

Biddle's fourth chapter in Missing the Mark is concerned with what lies underneath the previous two themes of the problem of sin: the desire to strive to be more than we are (pride) and the fear to become what we...

Missing the Mark, chp. 3, by Mark Biddle. I began wondering where Biddle might lead us when he titles this chapter "Sin: Failure to Embrace Authentic Freedom," but by the time he was done I thought it was a profound...

The second chapter of Mark Biddle's book, Missing the Mark, discusses sin from a very important angle: sin as the desire to be more than human. He's not keen on making this simply hubris or pride or arrogance, but the...

Mark Biddle's book Missing the Mark, with a striking piece of art work on its cover, is the newest and one of the finer books on how the Bible describes sin. Should you ask, my favorite book on sin (if...

The problem for atonement theory is the problem it resolves. In other words, atonement theory is designed to "fix" the problem, and we often describe the problem as sin. But, what is sin? And with it comes the trailer: What...

I've suggested that the use of "penal substitution" is being used to carry too much weight in the atonement wars going on today. What I'm arguing for, and will in my book, is that we need a bigger and better...

In light of my work on a book on atonement and then, on top of that, the CT article I wandered into, it might be good to look at some terms. My big point in many of my comments over...

Mark Dever, a Baptist pastor in Washington, DC, is the author of the featured article in Christianity Today and it appropriately deals with the atonement. But, instead of being a positive description of what the death (and resurrection) is, Dever...

The biggest question the emerging thinkers are asking of the satisfaction theory, and even penal substitution theory, can be found in one simple question and then I'll let LeRon Shults flesh it out. How would you respond to this way...

I read the volume, well not each and every page, edited by Mark Husbands and Daniel J. Treier, both at Wheaton, called Justification: What's at Stake in the Debates? -- don't you just love artistic titles? Well, scholarly books rarely...

In the third section of Alan Mann's book, Atonement for a 'Sinless' Society, Mann deals with the Passion narrative of the Gospels as a narrative that invites the postmodern self into the text in order to find ontological coherence through...

In Alan Mann's Atonement for a 'Sinless' Society, which drew plenty of healthy comment yesterday, there is a big-time emphasis on narrative or story. Whether we talk like this or even think like this or not, "story" or "narrative" gives...

The closest thing I've seen to an emerging theory of the atonement is that of Alan Mann, in his book Atonement for a 'Sinless' Society: Engaging with an emerging culture, in the new Paternoster series called Faith in an Emerging...

One of England's better known Christians, Steve Chalke, has written a book about Jesus that addresses the atonement in his final chapter: "One Act, Two Scenes." The book is called The Lost Message of Jesus. Tom Wright endorses the book...

Is the doctrine of penal substitution "divine child abuse"? If you haven't seen this expression before, keep your eyes open because more and more are using it as a rhetorical weapon against the traditional (Reformed) view of atonement. I first...

Atonement is an emerging issue, both for the emerging movement and for traditional evangelical Protestantism. I'm working on a book for Abingdon on atonement, and presently sorting out some of the literature. The volume by Charles Hill and Frank James...

Here's another one on atonement: "The logic of punishment was a logic of equivalence (the wages of sin is death); the logic of grace is a logic of surplus and excess." His summarist says this: "Could it be that, given...

Atonement is "the radical newness of the practice of the gospel, as over against the tolerated violence of all other human practices." Jesus' death is efficacious, not because it satisfies God... but "because it is the inauguration of the 'political'...

An excellent brief on how postmodernity intersects with how we understand atonement can be found in Michael Alsford's essay, "The Atonement and the Post-Modern Deconstruction of the Self," in J. Goldingay, Atonement Today (pp. 203-221). Essentially, Alsford contends that postmodernity...

I've not read it put any better than this when it comes to how Jews respond to the cross and how Christians depict it: "There is a glaring contradiction between a theological tradition [of anti-Semitism] which sets the cross against...

This is from Embracing Grace in an earlier version. I jumped into the atonement theory conversation yesterday, and thought I'd put this on the blog today: which theory of the atonement do you believe? I have posted a new poll...

The second section of Peterson's Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places deals with Christ playing in history (the first was on creation). And in this section he explores the significance of the atonement, Jesus' death as an act in history,...

I will lay it down as a premise for theological thinking about the atonement that one's theory of sin shapes (even to the point of determining) one's theory of the atonement. I will also agree with many scholars who point...

I got my first copy of Jesus and His Death today from Baylor University Press. I thank its fine editorial folk, Carey Newman and Diane Smith, for their exceptional work. It is hard for me to compare editorial staffs, but...

Rick Brannon, a bibliophile, has blogged the first brief review of Jesus and His Death. I posted it at my Jesus and His Death blog, and point you there....

In yesterday's post I asked the question how we can "prove" that Jesus died for our sins. Many of your responses were challenging and were, so I think, getting to the issue itself. I'd like to wend my way through...

Along with many of my fellow bloggers, I grew up being told that Jesus died for my sins -- in fact, that to die for my sins is the sole reason Jesus came to earth. Jesus' death for us is...