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A Community Called Atonement (Living Theology)
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Average Rating:  out of 7 Reviews
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Price: $17.00
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Sale: $9.98
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Manufacturer: Abingdon Press
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EAN (European Article Number): 9780687645541
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Paperback
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Author: Scot McKnight
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Publisher: Abingdon Press
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Dewey Decimal Number: 232.3
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Publication Date: 2007-08
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Reading Level: 177
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Description: McKnight discusses the value of the church's atonement metaphors, asserting that the theory of atonement fundamentally shapes the life of the Christian and of the church. This book, the first volume in the Living Theology series, contends that while Christ calls humanity into community that reflects God's love, that community then has the responsibility to offer God's love to others through such missional practices of justice and fellowship. A Community Called Atonement has be endorsed by Emergent Village, the most widely known American emerging church organization.
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: Catch them being right |
Date: 2008-12-13 |
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Details: The nature of the Atonement has, unfortunately, become a rather hot button issue in many theological circles. I say unfortunately by no means because I think it unimportant, but rather because of the tenor of the debate with all sides picking one atonement theory as 'biblical' and attacking the rest. This might be most true of the penal-substitution camp, because they are most invested in their theory and so also have the most to lose.
McKnight in 'A Community Called Atonement' carefully, clearly, and eruditely steers a path which while placing a heavy emphasis on penal-substitution, shows that the Atonement is bigger than any of our theories and so all of them have a place in explaining the deep mystery of God's atoning work.
I appreciate the richness of the Atonement so much more after reading this book, and liked McKnight's focus on 'catching other people being right' instead of the usual 'find one area your opponent is wrong and drill that into the ground' approach one often sees.
Also, I think his argument that the atonement is something to be lived in our relationship with God, others, and the world (rather than only believed) is quite a valuable insight.
newwaystheology.[...] |
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Review Summary: The Atonement in Missional Focus |
Date: 2008-10-19 |
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Details: Scot McKnight's A Community Called Atonement (Abingdon, 2007) is one of the most important Christian books of the year. McKnight's work shows how each model of atonement theology has a biblical basis and a rightful place in discussions about the meaning of Christ's death and resurrection.
If you ever tire of seeing the beauty of the atonement mired in abstract theological debate, you will love this book. If you prize one model of the atonement at the exclusion of all others, you will hate this book.
A Community Called Atonement is not a treatise on how the atonement leads to mission; it is about how the atonement breathes mission. McKnight masterfully weaves the biblical stories and theology of the atonement into missional focus - showing how each model of the atonement serves a purpose in the mission of the Church.
Of particular interest to me was the way Scot shines light on important moments for the atonement. While obviously centered on the cross and resurrection, Scot's theology of the atonement takes in Christmas and Pentecost too.
I appreciate Scot's willingness to formulate the doctrine of penal substitution in a thoroughly biblical way, avoiding the misconceptions and caricatures while maintaining its essence. Even though penal substitution may be out of fashion for many in the Emerging circles who will pick up this book, Scot refuses to dismiss this model, since he finds it clearly expressed in the biblical text.
Yet, Scot maintains (over against many proponents of penal substitution) that the atonement cannot be reduced to one theory. He holds many theories in tension, likening them to golf clubs in a golf bag. He believes that identification for incorporation is the most important motif of the atonement, as it incorporates all the others.
Read this book. The last section on "Atonement Praxis: Who Does Atonement?" is helpful in answering the "So What?" question that many laypeople ask regarding the atonement. McKnight's work is thorough, fair, and gives weight to the biblical witness in all its glory. You will come away from this book with a wonderful sense of how big the atonement is and how great is God's love for this fallen world. |
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Review Summary: extremely helpful book |
Date: 2008-05-27 |
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Details: 've been looking forward to scot's book for a long time, as atonement theory has been one of the handful of theological areas i've really wrestled with in the past several years. it's a particularly sticky area to wrestle in, when you speak to teenagers as i do; because i'm constantly needing to talk about the gospel. that's great -- i love talking about the gospel. but i don't want to be dishonest about what i believe and only say words i've said in the past because they're easy to say and no one will be bothered.
so... the basic premise of this book is that there are multiple metaphors of multiple theological explanations of atonement in scripture, and we need them all. penal substitutionary atonement (the primary understanding i grew up with for what took place at the cross) is only one of many helpful and important metaphors for understanding atonement. first, it was really helpful for me to think of these various explanations (theologies, you might call them) as metaphors. i guess i knew that; but it was a helpful reminder. evangelicals don't tend to talk about penal substitution as a metaphor; it seems it's usually talked about in more literal terms.
it was also helpful to get a better understanding on the other, equally-valid and important (not only important to us, but important to paul and in whole of scripture) metaphors. mcknight talks about them as clubs in a golf bag: one would never go golfing with one club. you need the whole bag, but each is useful (even best) in different circumstances. .
while not a purely academic book, it's a weighty book in terms of language and ideas; so i took a couple months to pick through it, bit by bit (while readying other books alongside). |
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Review Summary: Every Christian person should read this. |
Date: 2008-05-19 |
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Details: First let clarify and say that every Christian should this, though not every Christian person may easy follow. I think this book is a great time invested, but it can be "heady" at times and one may need a good grasp on OT history in order to really gain the full meaning of this book. |
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Review Summary: Brilliant Overview of the Atonement |
Date: 2008-03-10 |
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Details: Scot McKnight is slowly finding his way to the top of reading lists for many interested in theology, and rightly so [he is quickly gaining ground on my reading list]. "A Community Called Atonement" is both a sweeping overview of the divergent theories of atonement, and a proposal for bringing the divergent views of atonement under a single umbrella of Christ's redeeming work in the world to restore cracked Eikons.
The atonement has too often been squeezed into a one size, one theory fits all box. Often times that box is determined by our denominational influence. McKnight points out that many atonement theories are seriously deficient because they lack any consideration or interaction with Christ's teaching of the Kingdom of God.
"Atonement theories have been shaped by the history of atonement theories, and that history has been dominated by Paul's letter to the Romans so one-sidedly that opening the door to the kingdom upsets the entire conversation." [Page 9]
McKight purports that atonement can only be understood when it is seen through the lens of the work of God to restore cracked Eikons in all interpersonal relations. Atonement must be broadened out from an individual, sin remission only view, to a view that encompasses the work of the entire ecclesiastical community of believers.
Many of our atonement theories capitulate to the very thing that McKnight argues against. We view our problem in the world simply as individual sin. The remedy to this problem is simply an atonement theory that will cover our moral indiscretions, and restore our standing as right moral individuals. Sin however for McKnight goes beyond poor moral decisions. Sin is the "hyperrelational distortion and corruption of hte Eikon's relationship with God and therefore with self, with others, and with the world." [McKnight page 23]
A broad view of the affects of sin will help to broaden out our view of the atonement. If we can move beyond our reformation influenced view of personal sin, we will be able to begin to put our arms around the breadth of the atonement.
McKight offers a view that gathers divergent views of the atonement seeing them as vital parts of the whole. He uses the image of a golf outing. A golfer may have a favorite club, but cannot hope to play a full round of golf with only that club. The same can be said about our views of the atonement. We may have a preferred theory, but our theories in and of themselves cannot fully comprehend the broad scope of the atonement. It takes all the theories together to fully describe the work of Christ on the cross.
McKnight closes his book with an important consideration of the affect of atonement on our praxis as the people of God. Atonement is not simply something that was accomplished 2,000 years ago on the cross, but rather is something that is working its way out through the called out ones. Believers work out the atonement through acts of fellowship, justice, community and prayer. The atonement is not simply an archaic or dusty old theology to be debated and dissected by theologians, but is rather a vibrant and active event that is occurring around us every day.
In short, this book is a brilliant consideration of divergent theories of the atonement, and a great read for both the novice, and advanced student of theology. McKnight has written a classic book on the theory of the atonement. |
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