Stricken by God?: Nonviolent Indentification and the Victory of Christ

by Brad Jersak (Editor), Michael Hardin (Editor)

Overview

Foreword by Willard Swartley

"We considered him stricken by God, but . . ."

Did God really pour out his wrath against sin on his Son to satisfy his own need for justice? Or did God-in-Christ forgive the world even as it unleashed its wrath against him? Was Christ's sacrifice the ultimate fulfillment of God's demand for redemptive bloodshed? Or was the cross God's great "No" to that whole system? This distinctively panoramic volume offers fresh perspectives on these and other difficult questions reemerging throughout the church today.

Contributors:

James Alison
Kharalambos Anstall
Mark D. Baker
Sharon Baker
Anthony Bartlett
Marcus Borg
Ronald S. Dart
E. Robert Ekblad
Michael Hardin
Brad Jersak
Andrew P. Klager
Brita Miko
C. F. D. Moule
Wayne Northey
Nathan Rieger
Richard Rohr
Miroslav Volf
J. Denny Weaver
Rowan Williams
N. T. Wright

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802862877
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	09/01/2007
Pages:	532
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.08(d)

About the Author

Brad Jersak is a teacher with Fresh Wind Canada and theListening Prayer Community. He is also the author ofCan You Hear Me? Tuning In to the God Who Speaks.

Michael Hardin is the director of Preaching Peace, LLC, founder of the Institute for Peace Theology, and a memberof the Colloquium on Violence and Religion.

Table of Contents

Contributors     7
Foreword   Willard Swartley     10
Preface   Michael Hardin     14
Setting the Table
Nonviolent Identification and the Victory of Christ   Brad Jersak     18
Out of the Fog: New Horizons for Atonement Theory   Michael Hardin     54
The Cross and the Historical Jesus
The Reasons for Jesus' Crucifixion   N. T. Wright     78
Executed by Rome, Vindicated by God   Marcus Borg     150
The Atonement and Sacrifice
God's Self-Substitution and Sacrificial Inversion   James Alison     166
God Is Not to Blame: The Servant's Atoning Suffering according to the LXX of Isaiah 53   E. Robert Ekblad     180
The Franciscan Opinion   Richard Rohr     206
Atonement and Forgiveness
The Forgiveness of Sins: Hosea 11:1-9; Matthew 18:23-35   Rowan Williams   Mark D. Baker     214
The Repetition of Reconciliation: Satisfying Justice, Mercy and Forgiveness   Sharon Baker     220
Die with Me: Jesus, Pickton and Me   Brita Miko     242
The Atonement and Justice
Punishment and Retribution: Delimiting Their Scope in N.T. Thought   C. F. D. Moule   Pierre Allard     252
Forgiveness, Reconciliation and Justice   Miroslav Volf     268
Freed to Be Human and Restored to Family: The Saving Significance of the Cross in a Honduran Barrio   Mark D. Baker     288
Atonement and Nonviolent Victory
The Nonviolent Atonement: Human Violence, Discipleship and God   J. Denny Weaver     316
The Cross: God's Peace Work towards a Restorative Peacemaking Understanding of the Atonement   Wayne Northey     356
Good News for Postmodern Man: Christus Victor in the Lucan Kerygma   Nathan Rieger     378
Atonement, Rebirth and Deification
Atonement: Birth of a New Humanity   Anthony Barlett     406
Retaining and Reclaiming the Divine: Identification and the Recapitulation of Peace in St. Irenaeus of Lyons' Atonement Narrative   Andrew P. Klager     422
Juridical Justification Theology and a Statement of the Orthodox Teaching   Kharalambos Anstall     482
Divinization, the Church and Prophetic Politics in Our Post 9-11 World   Ronald S. Dart     504
Permissions     519
Scripture Index     520

Editorial Reviews

René Girard
"This wonderful book is must reading for those who want to keep abreast of current thought on atonement theory. The essays in this work consider whether the suffering servant of Isaiah was truly 'stricken by God.' . . . A rich variety of analyses whose common thread is that violence comes from man and not from God."

Stanley Hauerwas
"Satisfaction theories of atonement have had the negative results of isolating Jesus' death from his life and resurrection. We are therefore fortunate to have this book of essays that challenges that isolation by connecting Jesus' death with the restoration of God's peace, making possible a new reality in the world."

Brian D. McLaren
"Stricken by God? is a highly important contribution at a critical time, bringing together a range of thoughtful voices who raise important questions and pose needed and well-defended answers."

Ted Grimsrud
"It is difficult to overstate the importance of this collection. . . A good part of the power of Stricken by God? comes from the impressive diversity of its authors. These essays prove that crucial work in articulating peaceable approaches to atonement is being done across the theological spectrum -- and they further that work in powerful ways."

S. Mark Heim
"In the search for constructive rethinking of the cross, this book is a mother lode of resources. The stature of the contributors, the focused clarity of the conversation, and the urgency of the topic make Stricken by God? a work that will be accessible and transforming for a wide audience."

Gregory A. Boyd
"Stricken by God? is as fine a collection of scholarly essays on the atonement as one can find in print. This book offers insightful, compelling, and refreshing alternatives to penal substitution and is a must-read for all who care deeply about how Jesus' death saves us."

Theological Studies
"The operative and apt word here is kaleidoscope. Not only is the collection a mix of genres, theological perspectives, and disciplines of expertise, but the shapes keep changing. Different authors tackle different issues, from biblical exegesis to ritual performance. We do not find here a coherent approach or 'school of thought.' Rather, we can dabble in a variety of conversations around 'problems with atonement, ' thereby gaining a good introduction to the concerns and innovations at large in today's theological world. . . Because of both the innovation it represents and the controversy it is likely to engender, Stricken by God? is well worth the investment of time and money."

Interpretation
"This fine collection of twenty essays proposes a new paradigm for understanding the doctrine of the atonement in the twenty-first century."

Theoforum
"A rich anthology. . . . Full of exciting and interesting ideas that will engage Christian theologians of many stripes in a rewarding and compelling conversation."

Trinity Journal
"This is a helpful work for those who are keen to explore the issues related to the violence which is inherent in Christ's work on the cross in the context of a violent world."

From the Publisher