The Christian world generally is struggling to understand Christ’s atonement. The old doctrines and explanations sound primitive and do not ring true to many would-be believers today.
Richard Rohr, the very influential Catholic teacher and theologian, points to what he sees as the limits and problems with a long-standing notion of “substitutionary atonement.” Rohr explains that, for most Christians, atonement is understood as
…a one-time transactional affair between Jesus and his Father, instead of an ongoing transformational lesson for the human soul and for all of history. I believe that Jesus’ death on the cross is a revelation of the infinite and participatory love of God, not some bloody payment required by God’s offended justice to rectify the problem of sin. Such a story line is way too small…
Rohr wants to see Christ’s atonement not as an event but as a redemptive process that plays out over time in the lives of individuals and in the broader “body of Christ.” (Read Rohr’s entire post here.)
We asked Terryl Givens, perhaps the most respected and influential theologian in today’s church, to explore what the restored gospel adds to our understanding. Terryl, with wife Fiona Givens, addressed this question in their groundbreaking book All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation, and Everything in Between. You can listen to a remarkable chapter from the book, challenging us to understand and experience Christ’s Atonement in more profound ways, here:
Atonement: From Penal Substitution to Radical Healing
We’re sharing a beautiful chapter from Terryl and Fiona Givens’ new book All Things New from Faith Matters Publishing. The chapter is titled “Atonement: From Penal Substitution to Radical Healing.”
Terryl also gives this exquisite and expansive response:
The Restored Gospel's Radical Perspective on Atonement and Grace
One does not come to a belief in Christ’s atonement because of any logical argumentation about agency, justice, or scriptural assertions of sin and salvation. We come, if we arrive at all, because of a felt need about our own deep insufficiency. The poet
He then invites other important voices into the conversation, including this conversation with Spencer Fluhman:
Then Adam Miller sits down with Aubrey and Tim Chaves in this conversation to talk about his paradigm-shifting book Original Grace:
Adam Miller: Original Grace
For today’s episode, we were lucky enough to bring back Latter-day Saint philosopher and theologian Adam Miller to talk about his new book, Original Grace. Of the many incredible books we’ve read from Adam, this one, we think, might have the most potential to really change the way we engage God and the world.
Finally, if you want to hear an amazing story about how atonement and redemption can happen in life’s dark and hopeless places, you’ll want to watch Joseph Grenny’s incredible talk at the Faith Matters Restore 2022 gathering:
Joseph Grenny: The Other Side Academy - "Zion with F-Bombs"
This week we’re sharing with you one of the most popular presentations from our Restore gathering that happened last October — a talk by Joseph Grenny called “The Other Side.”
The Church Website says this about the atonement: "He paid the price of justice so each of us could receive mercy." But I much prefer the schema the Givens have provided. But this very day, we are perpetuating the worst thoughts about the atonement daily in our prose and our very website. How do we overcome this linguistic and dogmatic hold placed upon the Atonement in favor of the more comprehensive and holistic meaning the Givens propose. Is the church website wrong? Dare we say so? Someone needs to challenge the language and scriptures that defy the radical healing notion in favor of penal substitution. Call them out. Enumerate them. Because we are still mired deeply and it causes confusion daily.