Proclaiming the Scandal of the Cross: Contemporary Images of the Atonement

by Mark D. Baker

Book Overview

Because many modern Christians can offer a reasonable explanation of the meaning of Jesus' death on the cross, they find it hard to understand the confusion displayed by the disciples after the events... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080102742X
• ISBN13: 9780801027420
• Release Date: December 2006
• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

a helpful resource despite serious omissions

Proclaiming the Scandal of the Cross brings the reader word and prose "images" of the atonement of Jesus Christ. The book features eighteen authors all told with a tailpiece, a headpiece and one in the center by editor Mark D. Baker. Contributors include big names like C.S. Lewis and Rowan Williams though sadly, only a scant four women. Brief bios in the front of the book show they're mostly Western Protestants, mostly pastors from English-speaking countries. Sadly surprising is the apparent total omission of anyone from a Lutheran or a Roman Catholic perspective, although I especially appreciate the inclusion of Frederica Mathewes Green, who writes from the Antiochian Orthodox tradition as she clearly and concisely defines the Christus Victor atonement model that remains most prominent in the Eastern Churches. I found this book to be a helpful resource that I read very quickly. Despite my background, I've been known to get seriously bogged down in densely-written theological tomes - not to say those weren't written well - but this wasn't one of those. I especially like the real-life stories that contextualize each concept and the way each author nuances their atonement concepts a little differently. Each discrete chapter opens with introductory explanations and concludes with a descriptive wrapup of the material just presented. Proclaiming the Scandal of the Cross goes beyond the generally popularly acknowledged models of the atonement of Jesus Christ that typically nclude conflict/victory, legal penal satisfaction, and moral influence/example. In his intro, Mark Baker observes [page 31] "...for centuries, Christians preached and taught the message of Christianity without the gospel leading them to the inescapable conclusion of penal satisfaction." And, "It is noteworthy that Orthodox Christians still read their Bibles without finding this theory." I recommend this book as a teaching and discussion resource; it could be helpful as part of the preaching enterprise, as well. But not including a single currently practicing Roman Catholic troubles me and I particularly consider the omission of a contributor writing from a Lutheran perspective both glaring and puzzling, especially given how central the theology of Martin Luther has been for the Church in the West and given that most of his theology was very specifically "Theology of the Cross." In fact, for Luther, the cross of Calvary formed a Weltanschauung, an all-encompassing worldview. In the Heidelberg Disputation [1518] Luther tells us in article 19: "That person does not deserve to be called a theologian who looks upon the invisible things of God as though they were clearly perceptible in those things that have actually happened;" and in article 20: "He deserves to be called a theologian, however, who comprehends the visible and manifest things of God seen through suffering and the cross."

Diversity of Atonement Images

In recent days, the cross has become the stale old story, repeating its scandalous nature and brutality, which seems not applicable to the contemporary society. Hence, much of the preaching and teaching just slightly talks or altogether avoid the subject. Mark Baker in Proclaiming the Scandal of the Cross: Contemporary Image of the Atonement use the heart of the Christianity, the cross and the resurrection, to demonstrate attractive means and methods of fresh presentation. The main thesis of the book is using "diversity of atonement images" to convey the substitutionary atonement as alternative to the penal satisfactory theory of the atonement for different contexts. He supports his thesis by showing the various ways in which New Testament has used them. This book is often criticized for its rejection of the substitutionary atonement model, especially penal substitution. However, I have not found such evidence. The New Testament authors used metaphorical language to illustrate the scandalous atonement imagery borrowed by the Greco-Roman public life of the day. Baker points out they used imageries like the court of law for justification, commercial dealings for redemption, personal relationships for communal or individual reconciliation, worship motif for sacrifice and battleground for victory of the evil (p. 15). These imageries are very useful in the pastoral context to understand the lostness and the nature of depravity and the liberation from it. Moreover, these imageries work in the salvific significance of the death and resurrection of Christ in the plurality of contexts and wider cultural considerations (p. 16). Secondly Baker points out that converting atonement concepts to conceptual understandable metaphorical imageries will ease the grasp of the ongoing nature of the salvific work of God, motivates the humans to participate in the divine drama by responding to the love of God by grace from faith, understand the role of theology in ethics and missiological application of the atonement to all humanity, regardless of the segregations (pp. 16-18). Lastly he points out the decoding of the New Testament atonement imagery in first century setting and conforming back to the understandable of the present day contexts. However, He warns us by saying, "[m]oreover, we would not eschew early models or reality to which they point, but would carry our constructive work fully in conversation with and under the guidance of the Scriptures of Israel and the church, and of the apostolic testimony" (p.18). Therefore Baker first deals with the existing historical and theological models of the atonement understandings. The conflict-victory motif of the defeating the power of death, sin and evil power of devil to liberate the humanity, the penal satisfactory theory of God pay a debit and moral influence theory of provoking humanity by example and reconciliation (pp. 18-25). Then he proposed the alternative models which in line with substitutionary at

Broadens our perspective on atonement

As a person relatively new to Christianity, I have found the concept of atonement to be a stumbling block, particularly penal substitution. I did a substantial amount of reading on the subject, but could never reconcile myself to the notion that God required Jesus' death in order to "compensate" for the sins of humanity. This book opens up the possibility that there are numerous other ways to express the meaning of Christ's death on the cross, including ways that do not separate his life from his death. It contains stories, sermons and chapel talks from a variety of cultural settings that show ways in which atonement may be related to the listener's real-life understanding. Baker adds brief commentary to each. While most readers will probably not relate to each of the contributions, the overall effect for me was relief-inducing. Baker does not take the position that penal substitutionary theory is wrong, but does convincingly show that it is a metaphor grounded in a particular place and time (11th Century Europe) and that it is not the only way in which the topic can be approached. I found this illuminating and liberating.

Finally - language that helps me describe the cross!

With all the talk these days about the ATONEMENT and a fair amount of harsh words from those that feel they are protecting "the" historical, orthodox understanding of the atonement, this book is a refreshing collection of pastors and theologians in the trenches who are actually articulating the atonement story in brilliant and creative ways! Dr. Richard Hays's chapter on Romans 5:12-19 (Made New by One Man's Obedience) and Pastor Curtis Chang's sermon in chapter 18 (He Shares Our Aches) alone are totally worth the value of the book! This book takes a leap off the ivory tower and into the real world! I have used several examples from this text as I meet with unchurched couples interested in the meaning of the cross and the bottom line of Christianity.