discipleship
in chaos
Learn more about who we are by following our blog, written by our pastor, preacher, and chief evangelist. Engage in the everyday sacred as Abby writes about the deep and ordinary all at once.
For those who I left hanging on atonement, here's another entry.
Here are the questions I am left with as one who calls herself a Christian, but who also rejects the prevalent doctrine of “subsitutionary atonement”. Substitutionary atonement is the belief that all human beings are sinful and deserving of punishment by God, but that Jesus took our punishment on himself, on the cross. If I reject that belief (which, actually, is not the only approach that Christianity has offered) then I have to answer two questions: First, why do I think Jesus died? Second, how do I think Jesus “saved” me, or more significantly humanity? Question One: Jesus died on a cross because the Roman Empire crucified thousands of people. Jesus died on a cross the same way we strap men and women to gurneys and inject lethal drugs into their veins all over our country in prisons. Jesus died on a cross because he challenged the Roman authorities. He was not the first rabble-rouser to be crucified in the Roman Empireand he was not the last. The cross was an event created by humans. There is nothing salvific about a state-sanctioned instrument of torture that controlled citizens through terror. My children refer to the day Jesus was killed as Bad Friday. Jesus was not shocked by the outcome of his radical preaching. In fact, he expected it. The good news is that God turned the torture of the cross into the triumph of the empty tomb. The miracle of the cross has nothing to do with blood and sin. The miracle is that God transforms suffering into a new beginning and death into life. Question Two: How am I saved? I rest my salvation in the entire story of Jesus, beginning from his birth and ending with his resurrection. What called me to the feet of Jesus as a young woman was not the gory story of his death, but the stories of his ministry, including the beatitudes, the parables, and the miracles. I wanted to follow that man from Nazareth who I recognized as the most perfect example of God’s love. If all Jesus had to do was die on a cross to redeem us, doesn’t that imply his birth and ministry and teachings are insignificant? I cannot believe that Jesus lived among us only to die and save us. Instead I believe that he lived among us to offer us a new vision for the world through his ministry and teaching. This new vision, of a world turned upside down, where the last shall be first, where love reigns, where power comes through powerlessness, is what has saved me from aimlessness. This new vision is what has drawn me into the heart of God, seeking God’s grace first, and then clumsily trying to share that grace with the world.
5 Comments
Bob T
3/20/2012 10:49:50 am
Ok Pope Abigail - what if he died, never rose from the dead (Christianity's way to trump Islam) a growing belief in the 1-8th centuries? Would you still believe him? Supposed no miracles? I'd still follow him. Never cared for zombies.
Reply
abby
3/26/2012 02:29:50 am
I would still follow him too. perhaps my next entry should be on the resurrection since it is the season.
Reply
Rev. Anne Weirich
3/20/2012 10:24:27 pm
Question three - if Jesus had died an old man, do you think he would have had the same effect on the world?
Reply
abby
3/26/2012 02:32:04 am
I have heard about the family tomb discovery, but haven't read really entyhing about it-- just an NPR video. Question three is a profound and important one. I can't begin to imagine how it would be different if Jesus hadn;t died young. Would his disciples depended so much on his leadership that they would have never been about the gospel and just left it up to him. Would we know more specifics about his vision for a new kingdom. I can not deny that his short life and ministry make him more noteable.
Reply
4/16/2012 02:20:25 pm
Cheap mens clothes, it is important to look good but fashion comes at a price. Keeping up with the latest trends can be expensive, especially if you like to indulge in designer menswear. Luckily "lisanala" has a huge selection of mens clothing,[url=http://www.lisanala.com/Cheap-mens-clothes_c26 cheap mens clothe] for you to choose from. Getting the latest looks is easy with lisanala , if you need some inspiration take a look at our fashion blog first, read about the latest menswear collections, trends and how you create look your mates will envy.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Abby HenrichRev. Abigail A Henrich (ehm!) is an ordained minister who earned her stripes at Princeton Theological Seminary and Colgate University. That said, Abby is really a mother-pastor-spouse who lives in a kinetic state of chaos as she moves from her many vocations: folding laundry, preaching, returning phone calls, sorting lunch boxes, answering e-mails, and occasionally thinking deep thoughts in the shower. Unabashedly she is a progressive Christian who believes some shaking up has got to happen in the church. Categories
All
Archives
March 2024
|