The Substitutionary Atonement

Wikepedia puts it like this- "Substitutionary atonement is a doctrine in Christian theology which states that Jesus Christ died on the Cross as a propitiatory substitute provided by God for sinners. Hence, according to this doctrine, he dealt with the punishment that all sinners deserve, enabling them to have their sins forgiven by God.
Among those who pioneered the notion of substitutionary atonement in its fullest form are Anselm of Canterbury, Thomas Aquinas, Hugo Grotius, and John Calvin. Most contemporary Christian evangelicals adhere to some variation of substitutionary atonement theory. The least amount of support for this doctrine is found in the various Eastern Churches".

I have been dealing with this issue for quite a while now (like a year) and still haven't done what I said I was going to do: read a book on it. My friend Keith has said that he has a book that discusses some different views. I can't wait to borrow it and postpone reading any other books that I'm reading.

The reason I am suddenly interested again is because there has been some discussion on the Hippie Christian BB that I am a part of about the simplicity of the gospel. I think I did a good job of politely disagreeing with some comments about how easy it is to explain the gospel. "Either you believe that Jesus died for your sins or you don't. Either you go to heaven or you go to hell".

It was interesting to read the scriptures concerning this and to look them up and see what was being said. I am not convinced that I did a very good job of using scripture to explain my point, but I do believe in a redemptive theology that goes deeper than a mystical transaction to remove sin and make us blameless. I wish somebody smart would comment on this so they can support my view.

Oh, I'm thinking about going to seminary. I'd like to move to So Cal and go to Fuller. It could be a really good opportunity to get soem more education so I can get a job. The problem is that maybe some people would listen to my rants just because I have a degree from a seminary. Hopefully my rants will become sweeter smelling though and maybe more thought out. It would probably just be better for everybody all around.

Let me know what you think about the atonement.

What a Downer!

I got contacted today by the Episcopal churches. They are offering the position to the other applicant. I'm starting to run out of options and getting pretty discouraged. I am going to apply for a job at Church of the Servant which I hope will go well. If that doesn't work, I am thinking about going to seminary in California. I'll write more later.

More Troops

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/09/iraq.bush/index.html

Here's an article that is important. It's the W's plan for adding 20,000 more troops to Iraq. I won't comment on my thoughts about the proposal because I am trying to be posititve. I'd appreciate some comments and am still looking for the list of "good things the administration has done". PLease, Please, Please add to it before Ii drown in my cynicism.

On another note, I had a good talk with my friend Keith tonight (I ussually do). He's helping me get prepped for my interview on Friday. We also have been talking about a wide array of topics including, porn, Universalism, Greek philosophy, spiritual warfare, ecclesiology, and hemroids. (Thanks for the cream Keith).

I was researching some things about the anglican church. I have an interview on Friday for a position with two episcopal churches in Grand Rapids. I found this article and thought it was good. What say you?

"The Search for Spiritual Meaning
All humans have three things in common: We’re born, we live, and we die. For such simple facts, these truths raise profound questions for us.
We know about our bodies: we eat, sleep, work, and have children, for instance. We know about our feelings, about love, sorrow, joy, anger, or boredom. We form relationships with other people, we dream, we plan, we play, we get hurt, and most of the time, we take these events for granted and do what we need to do for another day.
But then sometimes something profound or miraculous or disastrous happens—like holding a baby, or falling in love, or being with someone who is dying—or some catastrophe strikes. At that moment we become aware of just how big the world is and how small we are in relation to it, and then we ask, “Why…?”
“Spirituality” describes, at least in part, that search for meaning and answers to our questions about life and death. We cannot answer them on our own, so we turn to others for help, like our friends, parents, religious leaders, or sometimes even strangers, just someone who can help make sense of life.
“Religion” is what we call the various ways in which different groups of people have found to answer these questions. The more people who have found a religion helpful and the longer they have practiced it together, the better they have organized it so that they could pass it on to others. Over time, the communities develop language, rites and ceremonies, and objects, all to express the profound experiences they have had and the truth they have found through them. The language and rites can be beautiful or frightening or confusing, yet at their core, they are still about those three simple facts: We’re born, we live, and we die—Why? What difference do we make?"

I think this is a pretty good description of religion and mankind's search for truth. I feel that Christianity is the best way to understand these questions and that Jesus Christ gives meaning and purpose (Rick Warren didn't make up the word you know) to life in general. I wonder why we can't get this message out to more people or why they more people dn't buy into it. I would propose that the reason is not because of the message, but because of the messanger. How can we get away from the reputation that we have given ourselves? Must we abandon the name of Christ to get away from the reputation? Must we start a New Church? Can the body of Christ which has "whored" itself out be redeemed as Gomer was? I must believe this is so. But where to start? I hope that working with youth again in a church is a good place to start. I've been through a kind of cloudy depression as far as spirituality goes. I have been a cynic when it comes to Christs' Body and continue to heal from the churches wounds as well as self destruction on my part. I have hope for His bride and for humanity and that for generations to come, we will help others to answer the "meaning of life" and to navigate through a world filled with injustice.

A little help from my Friends

On my hippie Christian Website that I've been spending so much time on, I was challenged to see the positives in what the administration has done in the last 6 years. Is the reason I can't come up with anything because I want to be negative? Maybe. Help me out. Give me a big list of positive things that W and co. has done. I'll start.
1. Admitted to gloabl warming and to do something to save the polar bear habitat.