Dr Alan Spencehas been a teacher in Harare, an evangelist in the South African townships, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa and a human rights activist. He currently participates in the Research Institute in Systematic Theology at King's College, London, UK.
A Unified Theory of Atonement
Alan Spence
By engaging critically with various theological ideas, this book offers a defence of a mediatorial interpretation of the atonement in which Christ is held to have become as we are, so that he might on our behalf make peace with God
- A clearly argued book which will a valuable contribution to an important subject
- This book will appeal to scholars, clergy and postgraduate students
Review:
'Seasoned by years on the front lines of ministry, both in missions and human rights work, the author's profound insights into the logic of redemption bear a sense of urgency and pastoral depth. The Promise of Peace is not simply another summary of Christian doctrine; it is a judicious and passionate--at times even polemical--defense of the heart of the gospel for our time. This is the clarity and wisdom that the church desperately needs in our day if we would turn from fads to faith in the promise-maker of peace.'
Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California
DESCRIPTION
The book offers a defence of a mediatorial interpretation of the atonement, that is one in which Christ is held to have become as we are, so that he might on our behalf make peace with God. It is argued that such an interpretation is not one of a number of valid descriptions of Christ's saving work, but the normative redemptive account. The erosion of this classic view of the atonement can be explained partly by a number of developments that have taken place in theological thought during the past two hundred years. These include the emergence of a Christology in which Christ's divinity is linked to his saving ministry; a new interpretation of Pauline theology in which issues of justification are held to be secondary to those of participation; a return to the more dualistic world-view of the Church Fathers; difficulties with the concept of divine judgement; and a culture of relativism in which a unified or coherent account of the atonement not only no longer seems possible, but is generally not even considered desirable. The book achieves its purpose by engaging critically with these various theological ideas. It is as much a clearing of the undergrowth from the foundations of soteriology as it is the construction of a coherent account of Christ Jesus as the one mediator between God and us. It goes on to consider the relation of such an account to the proclamation of the gospel and the response required of its hearers.
Table of contents:
Introduction
1. A Normative Theory of Salvation
2. The Man and the Spirit in the Story of Salvation
3. Prayer and Propitiation at the Father's right hand
4. Justification as the Syntax of Redemptive Ideas
5. The Place of Faith in a Doctrine of Atonement
6. The Proclamation of Reconciliation
7. Conclusion
