Helpful perspectives on the atonement
Locating Atonement is a collection of essays from the third annual� Los Angeles Theology Conference. Rather than discussing which atonement theory/theories� work the best, the speakers addressed the relationship between the atonement and other biblical doctrines in Christian theologyâ�"the Trinity, creation, human suffering, the image of God, etc. What does the atonement add to understanding of these doctrines?�
The Atonement and . . .
Chapter 1:� Adonis Vidu sets the atonement within the oneness of the Trinity. There are no works that the Father does that the Son and the Holy Spirit are not involved. �[T]he whole Trinity is active in the death of Jesus, not just the Father punishing the Son. The whole Trinity is present to us in a new way in the human nature of the Son, taking upon itself, in this new human nature, our penal death� (42).
Chapter 3 Image of God: Ben Myers argues that the church fathers had a consistent and rational explanation for the atonement, one that was rich in christology and the human condition.
Chapter 4Ã? (Wisdom): This was by fay my favorite chapter as Strobel and Levenson show that ââ?¬Å"the atonement is the doctrinal elaboration of the movement and action of God incarnate for us through death into resurrection; it is doctrinal reflection on who God is and how he is for us in the descent and exaltation of Christââ?¬Â? (89). He shows how Godââ?¬â?¢s wisdom, which is foolishness to the world, defeats death in the grotesque death and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Chapter 5Ã? (Covenant): Jeremy Treat views the atonement through covenant. Sinners are reconciled to God through the death of Christ, the one who fulfilled the covenant obligations and who took on himself the covenant curses, and we are now brought together as family.
Chapter 6Ã? (Incarnation); Chapter 7Ã? (Punishment and Retribution); Chapter 8Ã? (Divine Wrath); Chapter 9Ã? (Shame); Chapter 10Ã? (Human Suffering); Chapter 11Ã? (Eucharist).
Chapter 12Ã? (Ascension of Christ); Michael Horton shows how the ascension is a crucial aspect of Christââ?¬â?¢s atonement. It was after the ascension that Pentecost happened where the Holy Spirit came and filled the believers. Christians are united to Christ by the Spirit, the one ââ?¬Å"who brings the powers of the age to come into this present ageââ?¬Â? (235).
Recommended?
If you haven�t read much on atonement theology, this book will be more difficult for you. For those who have a rich interest in atonement theology, there is so much detail and nuance to be understood, to be grasped, worked and wrestled with. I�ll warn you that this is dense, it�s not always easy to read, and having a different author for each essay varies the quality, but if you have a good handle on atonement theology, you will enjoy this book.
