RE: Rant against anti-atheist agnostics.
September 22, 2014 at 4:10 pm
(This post was last modified: September 22, 2014 at 4:20 pm by Michael B.)
On the vicarious nature of redemption, back on page 2, some (actually many) Christians have held to a moral influence view of the cross, where Jesus is leading the way in rejection of sin and violence. In this case Jesus points towards a sacrifice we all make (the rejection of violence, even in response to evil). This view of the cross has a very long history in the Church (it is a much more traditional view than 'Penal substitution', for example).
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_inf..._atonement
Certainly it should also be remembered that 'penal substitution' was not an atonement theory held for the first 1,500 years of the Church, and today is rejected by all the ancient Churches: the Catholic, Orthodox and Coptic Churches (though it is probably the theology held to most commonly in the US).
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_inf..._atonement
Certainly it should also be remembered that 'penal substitution' was not an atonement theory held for the first 1,500 years of the Church, and today is rejected by all the ancient Churches: the Catholic, Orthodox and Coptic Churches (though it is probably the theology held to most commonly in the US).