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Reviewed by Darren Cushman-Wood, pastor of Speedway United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana Atonement and Violence: A Theological Conversation, edited by John Sanders Atonement and Violence is a lively conversation of four theologians over the problems related to this doctrine. Each writer offers a chapter laying out his beliefs which is followed by short responses from the other three. The writers come from Mennonite, Reformed and Holiness backgrounds. This dialogical format is helpful for the reader to develop his or her own perspective. J. Denny Weaver lays out his theory of “Narrative Christus Victor” in the first chapter. According to Weaver, “divine violence [is] intrinsic to any and all forms of satisfaction atonement.” In a useful and readable style, he outlines the underlying assumptions of the three classic (Christus Victor, moral influence, and substitutionary) theories of atonement. Weaver seeks to develop an explanation of the atonement which does not sanction violence. His solution is a reworking of the classical theory of Christus Victor. Drawing upon the entire life of Christ and the book of Revelation, he concludes that the crucifixion was the inevitable result of the conflict between the Reign of God and the reign of evil, not the fulfillment of divine violence. Christ’s resurrection enables us to resist evil and to participate in the Reign of God. Defending substitutionary atonement Hans Boersma opts for a “modified Reformed view.” He acknowledges the need to “guard against juridicizing, individualizing, and dehistoricizing the atonement.” Boersma draws upon Irenaeus’ understanding of “recapitulation” and N.T. Wright’s analysis of “reconstitution” to describe how substitutionary atonement does not sanction unjust forms of violence. Attempts to purge the atonement of violence are both unbiblical as well as meaningless because of overly negative definitions of violence and punishment. For him, nonviolent views of the atonement obliterate the boundaries of the church and society and set the stage for social chaos. Like Weaver, Thomas Finger is a Mennonite who sees the Christus Victor model as a biblically faithful description of how nonviolence is at the center of atonement. Like Boersma, Finger draws upon Irenaeus to support his position. His essay gives a good description of the relationship between the Trinity and atonement. He shows the parallels between moral influence model and Christus Victor. He also acknowledges that substitutionary theory is right insofar as it makes plain that Christ did something for us which we could not do on our own, but he rejects substitution when it goes too far and makes the act of atonement simply a legal transaction. T. Scott Daniels’ essay is a welcomed addition to the other essays because he explores the implications of atonement theory for worship. He claims that our worship has turned us into “appreciative observers of Christ’s redemption” rather than “calling believers to participate in the reconciling work of God in the world.” The root cause of this problem is that our worship has become “too substitutionary.” He argues that worship needs to be founded on a non-substitutionary, participatory understanding of the atonement. To do this, Daniels relies on Rene Girard’s description of Christ as the scapegoat who exposes violence. He provides a good summary of Girard’s ideas and outlines its implications for the sacraments. If the book suffers from anything it is the limitation of who is a part of the conversation. In the introduction, Sanders admits that they were unsuccessful in finding a feminist theologian to join the conversation. Even so, it would have been useful if the introduction included a more detailed account of the views of feminist theologians whose critiques started this scrutiny of Atonement. Along with feminism, the book may have benefited from the inclusion of a Catholic or Orthodox perspective which would have contributed a mystical or participatory view of the atonement. But then again, one book cannot do it all. In spite of these shortcomings, the book is a worthy addition to anyone’s theological bookshelf. Atonement and Violence would be especially helpful for anyone who is developing a sermon series or teaching a small group study on the subject. Its readable style does not compromise the depth of the controversy and each writer approaches the subject with special attention to the real-life issues of war, abuse and violence.
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