Atonement Theory by Guest Speaker Jason Peterson

Atonement theories often raise a series of important philosophical concerns for thoughtful Christians. These concerns sometimes lead us to question why Jesus had to die on the cross to begin with. For as long as Christianity has been a religion, the why and what of Jesus’ death has been wrestled with, debated and challenged. And many ideas, originating with theologians, and not the Bible, have shaped our ideas of Jesus as a sacrifice for our sinful state. This has also forced many to believe they are too broken to go to God. This of course, is not true. As Richard Rohr says: “Jesus did not come to change God's mind about humanity. Jesus came to change the mind of humanity about God.” In this talk, Jason unpacks the various movements and ideas in Christianity around theories of atonement and invites us to develop a thoughtful approach to this  concept for ourselves.