A Better Atonement: Beyond the Depraved Doctrine of Original Sin

by Tony Jones

In A Better Atonement, theologian Tony Jones debunks the traditional doctrine of Original Sin and shows how that doctrine has polluted our view of the atonement.

In an intriguing interlude, Jones distances himself from other progressive theologians and biblical scholars by strongly defending the historical crucifixion and physical resurrection of Jesus.

Jones then summarizes various understandings of the atonement, from the ancient church to today, ultimately proposing a view that both takes into account a realistic view of sin and maintains an robust belief in the Trinity.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Christianity, Spirituality, Christian, Ebooks

46 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 18, 2012

About the author

Tony Jones is the author of The God of Wild Places: Rediscovering the Divine in the Untamed Outdoors (2024) and an award-winning outdoors writer. He’s written a dozen books, including Did God Kill Jesus? and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life. Tony hosts the Reverend Hunter Podcast, and teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary. He served as a consultant on the television show, The Path, and he owns an event planning company, Crucible Creative. He holds an A.B. from Dartmouth College, an M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. Tony is married, has three children, and lives in Edina, Minnesota.

Reviews

[Josh Hopping · Rating 5 out of 5]

Off and on over the last past few years I have been thinking about the different metaphors used in the Bible to describe why Jesus came to walk among humanity, died, rose again and etc. (the fancy theological word for this is the “atonement”). Interestingly enough I’m not the only person thinking about this issue as modern Jesus followers re-discover of the mystery of the atonement. Folks such as N.T. Wright, Scot McKnight, John Piper, Al Mohler and Brian McLaren are all offering their opinions on the subject – not to mention those from the mainline Protestant churches, Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Roman Catholic Church.

A big part of the reason why the atonement is such a big deal today is due to the increasing rift between neo- Calvinists evangelicals (John Piper, Al Mohler et al.) and the progressive evangelicals (N.T. Wright, Roger Olson, et al.). Add to this fire the growth of post-modern and post-post-modern Jesus followers who are looking at Christianity through different glasses/worldviews than their predecessor (Brian McLaren, David Fitch, Scot McKnight, et al.).

Knowing all this, I have every excited when I heard that Tony Jones had published an ebook on the atonement, “A Better Atonement: Beyond the Depraved Doctrine of Original Sin”. Tony, for those who don’t know, was a driving force in the emerging church movement of the past few decades and the author of the book “The New Christians: Dispatches From The Emergent Frontier”, which I thoroughly enjoyed. He is also an adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary and Andover Newton Theological School – meaning that he is a post-modern theologian scholar who, I was hoping, could bring some fresh air to the conversation.

And, to a certain extent, he does deliver - even though I disagree with his final conclusion, but I’m getting ahead of myself! =P

The outline of the book is fairly simple with the first part being more biographical in the sense that Tony shares with the reader why he started on the journey of questioning the predominant Protestant view of the atonement (i.e. penal substitutionary atonement or PSA). After the ground work is laid, Tony shifts gears into laying out all the views of the atonement the church has held since the time of Jesus (all quotes are from Tony’s ebook):

a) Penal Substitutionary Atonement – First proposed by St. Anselm of Canterbury in 1098 AD and picked up by Martin Luther and John Calvin in the 1500’s AD, this metaphors basically states that Jesus died to appease the wrath of God the Father that was directed towards humanity due to our rebellion against Him.

b) Union with God – A metaphor that was developed fairly early on in Christianity history with a strong connection to the Trinity and still held by the Eastern Orthodox Church today. In a nutshell, this metaphor views the atonement as an “invitation into the eternal, loving relationship of the Trinity – ultimately, into union with God.”

“Orthodox incarnational theology, which is at the core of the original Gospel, teaches that God Himself, the second Person of the Trinity, became incarnate, not in order to pay a debt to the devil or to God the Father, nor to be a substitutionary offering to appease a just God, but in order to rescue us from our fallen condition and transform us, enabling us to become godlike.”

c) Ransom Captive – This metaphor focuses on actions of Adam and Eve who “bargained away the freedom of the human race to Satan in exchange for the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Jesus, therefore, came as a ransom for the “captive human race” as stated by Jesus himself (Mt 20:28, Mk 10:45). While this metaphor has been around since the time of Jesus, some folks see “holes” in it as it seems to give the evil one too much power – or as Tony puts it in the book,

“It seems that if God is the creator of all that is, then God can act any way that God deems appropriate. And it seems rather unlikely that God would set up the cosmos in such a way that Satan could gain the upper hand and force God to negotiate a deal.”

One good thing about the Ransom Captive metaphor of the atonement is that it has a strong emphasis on the resurrection of Jesus, which, sadly, is lacking in some of the other metaphors.

d) Christus Victor – This was THIS predominant understanding of the atonement for the first thousand years of the church and is still held by billions of believers today. At its heart, this metaphor simply states that Jesus’ “death is God’s victory over sin and death…the crucifixion is not a necessary transaction to appease a wrathful and justice-demanding deity, but an act of divine love. God entered fully into the bondage of death, turned it inside out by making it a moment of victory, and thereby liberates humanity to live lives of love without the fear of death”

e) Moral Exemplar – This is another fairly early metaphor with Jesus being “seen as a moral exemplar, who calls us toward a better life, both individually and corporately…God sent his son, Jesus, as the perfect example of a moral life. Jesus’ teachings and his healing miracles form the core of this message, and his death is as a martyr for this cause: the crucifixion both calls attention to Jesus’ life and message, and it is an act of self-sacrifice, one of the highest virtues of the moral life. We see Jesus’ death, and we are inspired to a better life ourselves.”

f) The Last Scapegoat – A recent player on the atonement scene developed by Rene Girard, a French anthropologist/literary critic who is still alive. While this metaphor is fairly complex, the root of it is this:

“In Christ, God becomes the one who is rejected and expelled. That is, the scapegoat is not one us who is sacrificed to appease an angry deity. Instead, the deity himself enters our society, becomes the scapegoat, and thereby eliminates the need for any future scapegoats or sacrifices.”

g) Substitution, Without the Penal – To be true to fair to St. Anselm of Canterbury, we must mention that his original theory of the atonement is different than the PSA it eventually developed into. For St. Anselm, humanity “owe God a debt, and that debt is obedience. But because of our sin, we are incapable of paying that debt, we are incapable of obedience to God. Jesus Christ, being perfectly obedient to God, is able to pay that debt, and he did so on the cross. We are not thereby freed of our obligation to obey, but we are freed of the arrears that we owe.”

h) God’s Solidarity With Us – Jurgen Moltmann, a German Reformed theologian, once proposed that common to every human being is the “experience of godforsakenness.” As such, in “act of ultimate solidarity with every human being who has ever existed, God voluntarily relinquished his godship, in part, in order to truly experience the human condition.” Because of this solidarity that was made available to humanity through the cross, we are “welcomed into the relation of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

[note: To me it seems that the primary difference between this theory and the “Union with God” theory is that the Union metaphor includes an element of humanity being rescued from our “fallen condition” and being transformed while the Solidarity theory is primarily about God experiencing godforsakenness with us.]

As you can see there are many, many view on how the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus effected humanity and the world at large. None of these, as Tony mentions, are “superior to the rest.” Each one developed out of the context of a particular time and place and each have a biblical foundation. Sadly though, some Protestant leaders (mostly neo-Calvinists evangelicals) are beginning to use the atonement as a measure of orthodoxy (i.e. if you don’t hold to the PSA view, you are not a Christian)…hence the rift mentioned earlier….

At the end of the ebook, Tony Jones does mention which view of the atonement he holds too as well as why he holds to it. I found this very re-refreshing as a lot of authors try to hide their personal presuppositions behind a mirage of Bible passages and philosophical arguments.

For Tony there are four main presuppositions that affect his view of the atonement:

1) He does not believe in demons nor Satan as a being.
2) He hold a high view of God’s freedom – meaning that God can do whatever He wishes.
3) He is a strong Trinitarian which maintains that both Jesus and the Holy Spirit has to have “full volition and participation in what the crucifixion achieves.”
4) Finally, Tony is interested in understanding sin as it relates to humanity both individually and socially.

The only two views of the atonement that withstand these presuppositions is the “Last Scapegoat” and the “God’s Solidarity With Us” theories. And of these two, the Solidarity one reflects his view the best.

As any long time reader would know, I happen to disagree with Tony’s first presupposition, which means that several additional atonement theories become ‘available.’ However, I do have to say that I do agree with his other three presuppositions which does knock a few of the views out to the side lines. I won’t say that any of them are ‘removed’ completely as they each bring something to the table that the others do not have. To that end, I prefer to hold all these views with open hands while recognizing the tensions caused by this mosaic view of the atonement. :D

[J.L. Neyhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite quotes:
"as an alternative to the version of the atonement you were taught in your youth, consider this: The work of atonement that is accomplished on the cross is one of invitation into the eternal, loving relationship of the Trinity—ultimately, into union with God."

"The early church did not understand the death of Christ as paying a penalty in some transactional sense that only God’s son could pay. The crucifixion is not, in that sense, cosmically necessary to reconcile God and humanity. Instead, Christ’s death is God’s victory over sin and death. God conquers death by fully entering into it."

"God demands justice because, Volf claims, God’s very nature is moral justice. However, no punishment can match our sin, not even death. God steps in, in the person of Jesus Christ, and forgives us. In Volf’s view, Jesus is not an innocent mediator between humanity and a wrathful God. Jesus is the forgiving God: “Christ is not a third party inserted between God and humanity. He is the God who was wronged.”[22] Volf calls this “inclusive substitution,” and it’s surely more palatable to many of us than the version proffered by Driscoll and Piper."

"not all atonement theories are created equal."

"I don’t believe in demons and I don’t think I believe in Satan—at least not in the personified form, so theories like Ransom Captive and Christus Victor that free us from Satan are solutions to a problem that I don’t have."

"I am drawn to understandings of the atonement that maintain God’s freedom, like the Last Scapegoat theory above and the Solidarity theory below. God’s hands are not tied. And neither are ours. God beckons us, calls us, and sets an example for us. Ultimately, God invites us into his trinitarian life. That’s what the cross is about."

"I am particularly interested in understandings of sin and atonement that take seriously and explain the social dimensions of sin. Sinfulness is not merely individual. It also becomes institutionalized in ways that, often, are even more destructive than original sin. Therefore, I think that the atoning work of Jesus on the cross must not only reconcile individual human beings to God, but must confront and redeem our corporate sin. Of the versions of the atonement herein, only the Last Scapegoat and the Solidarity theory adequately deal with social sin, in my estimation."

"sin has a social nature. We attempt to counteract our experience of godforsakenness by filling our lives with striving, often at the expense of others. This inexorably leads to wars, violence, oppression, and inequality. Jesus’ life, and particularly his death, show God’s ultimate solidarity with the marginalized and the oppressed—with those who most acutely experience godforsakenness."

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there may possibly be some useful theology going on behind the scenes here, it is far too thinly presented to ultimately be very useful. This book was obviously first a series of blog posts. This is obvious because references to previous 'posts' and similar language have not been edited out. In fact, it appears very little if any editing has happened. As a series of blog posts I'm sure this was was highly useful and appropriate. To simply gather a bunch of posts and publish them as a book is lazy, sloppy scholarship. If I just wanted to read his blog posts on this topic I would read his blog. Presenting them in a book adds nothing of value.
And because they are blog posts they are of necessity short, skimming across the surface of significant topics that deserve much more attention.

[David Wierzbicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

No punches pulled. Readers will be astounded as much by Jones' willingness to speak his mind about the most sacred of trendy evangelical doctrines as by his "conservative" belief and adherence to time-honored credal orthodoxies. These commitments hold together well and provide us with an honest and current rendering of how to clearly articulate an understanding of atonement theory in 2012.

[Daniel Hoffman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is almost more of a pamphlet (I read it on Kindle but I think it's under 50 pages). Basically, Jones denies the doctrine of Original Sin (without much argument) and then briefly discusses main theories of the atonement, denying penal substitution as traditionally understood, and embracing the view that the cross is primarily about God entering into humanity's experience of godforsakenness and enabling us to escape it. If that sounds vague, it really is. Granted, that is largely because the book itself is so cursory that Jones doesn't go into much detail.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting look at the theories of atonement and how they were developed and what are biblical models and what have been derived from the culture around these theories.

I appreciated Tony going out of way to show that Original Sin is not held by the conglomeration of Orthodox Churches (Eastern, Oriental, etc.) and has never been held by these Christians. Which then presents a problem for modern day Protestants and Catholics, as that is the fundamental doctrine underpinning Penal Substitution Atonement. Take that away, what do you have?

I think this book does a great job of presenting to those who don't hold this view, what the views that have been held throughout Church history have been, and how the developments occurred.

I gave it a 4 star rating, because alot of this I have actually read before in another book written by an Orthodox theologian, Father A. James Bernstein which Tony Jones endnotes in his book and can be found here: http://www.orthodox-christianity.com/...

Thanks Tony for making this an accessible book, that challenges liberal and conservative minds on this issue.

[Marty Solomon · Rating 5 out of 5]

It will be hard to expound on this book by Tony Jones and do it the credit it deserves.

Tony writes a book that addresses the mess of an understanding on atonement that we are interacting with today. With the Penal Substitution Theory being the dominant view of the evangelical movement, and with Christus Victor being given new prominence through thinkers like Greg Boyd, this very short read is timely and useful.

In the first part, Tony addresses the issue of Original Sin. Where did the doctrine come from? Is it reasonable? Is it Biblical? After dealing with on of the most essential understandings of human nature, Jones takes time to affirm the literal life, literal death and literal resurrection of Jesus and why such an affirmation is so important (note: his reasons are not necessarily "typical"). He then closes the book with a VERY useful explanation of the different atonement theories and what they bring to the table.

The book is very illuminating and challenging and I would recommend it to be read by anyone interested in matters of theology.

[MaryAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent overview of the different views of the atonement. I'm leading a discussion in January at the church I serve on "why did Jesus have to die" which was suggested by members of the church. This will help.

I think the book is short by design, but I did want a little longer description of the different views, including where Tony eventually lands. The book ends abruptly--I wanted more discussion about the implications of the solidarity approach to the atonement.

That said, it's a quick read and very accessible.

[Richard Propes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tony Jones seems to have much the same impact on me as does Nadia Bolz-Weber; I enjoy hearing them speak, admire and often agree with their work, but simply don't find myself immersed within their writing. I've had "A Better Atonement" for quite a while, but I'd never really entered the world of e-books and had, as such, never sat down and actually read it. As a fairly new Amazon Prime member and Fire owner, I've finally been doing some heavy reading and finally got around to reading this book.

"A Better Atonement" is, essentially, a primer into atonement that debunks Original Sin yet also find disagreement with other aspects of progressive theology, such as the historicity of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. It's a well informed book that seems to almost be written in an off the cuff manner, though I'm fairly certain it was not. "A Better Atonement" reads like a Tony Jones dialogue, yet one that has been well researched and heavily contemplated. How you accept a more progressive theology will likely at least partly determine your embrace of the book. This is especially true when Jones adopts an almost snarky attitude toward more conservative doctrines.

I had few issues with the actual material contained within "A Better Atonement," but instead found myself simply weary of what feels like a flippant attitude and a simplification that appears largely based upon the fact that Jones is clearly writing from his own personal experiences and perspectives. Having seen Jones speak, he's confident yet not flippant. This book isn't nearly as engaging as a Jones speaking engagement.

I appreciated "A Better Atonement," but didn't particularly "learn" anything from it. I was aware of the doctrines already - essentially, the book adds Jones's own thoughts and beliefs to the equation. That for me, makes it only modestly worthwhile. For those less familiar with atonement doctrines and theories, "A Better Atonement" may actually be a good place to start as it's written rather fundamentally and provides solid, generalized description of several theories. It'd be a great place to start. For those of us who graduated seminary? There's simply nothing new offered here.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of atonement theory, but doesn't dig too deeply into any one argument. Even Jones' personal conviction is a gloss. Reads pretty quickly and is honest in presenting both the strengths and weaknesses of various positions, but won't lead to a very thorough understanding of much in the field of soteriology.

[Grace Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

succinct overview

The author gives an overview of theories of atonement and ends with his own. Quick and easy read on this topic.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book lacks any kind of robust interaction with God’s Word in its attempt to (dis)prove a variety of atonement theories. I wouldn’t recommend wasting time on it.

[Jay Ruebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

clear, brief and helpful

These theories are often dense and overwhelming. Jones makes them easier to understand in a way that is clear and concise.

[Rick Klotz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

Interesting take on Christianity. Not a traditional approach to Christianity. Perhaps this is a way of looking at atonement for the 21st century.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating this book was very difficult. At times it deserved the three stars it eventually got, other times it deserved 5 stars....easily.

Tony Jones pulls no punches in denying original sin and does a decent job of providing numerous reasons as to why it may not be such a clear cut doctrine as we are typically, at least those of us raised in christian homes and churches, bound to believe. This does not mean that I have dropped my position of adhering to the idea of original sin, but it does mean that I am at least willing to listen to what he has to say and to consider his perspective.

In some ways what Tony does in this book is no different than what many recent authors have been doing in other places. First, they are challenging the idea that we can simply look at the bible and walk away with the "plain meaning" of scripture. We cannot do this because none of us come to the text without influences that color, shade and even blind us to how we read and understand the Bible. It just simply doesn't happen. To say "this is what the Bible says" is nothing more, at least on one level than saying, "this is my understanding of what the Bible says". Second, Tony and others are opening up the doctrine of the atonement and doing a couple of things. A.) They are allowing the atonement to have its full breath rather than simply pigeon-holing an entire doctrine into one idea that scripture itself does speak to but also uses the atonement to talk about ransom, victory, etc. B.) They are allowing the doctrine of the atonement, in it's full vibrancy and color, to speak to how we understand what really happened through the death (and resurrection) of Christ.

What does all this have to do with Original Sin? According to Tony Jones and, again, others, where one starts will help determine where one ends up. If one starts with the idea that we are bad creatures with a sin problem that is somehow passed down from generation to generation then what we need is some legal transaction that takes away that sin by a capable person who is able to satisfy the wrath and judgment of the one we have offended.

**I intend to finish and update this review over the next few days.

[Joel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book - more of a booklet, really - was more of an interesting introduction to the author's personal tableau of doctrines than anything else. It seems pretty clear that this work started out as a series of blog posts rather than as a book proper. What that means is that the emphasis is more on a conversational tone at the expense of being patient and comprehensive. Theological ideas and propositions are tossed out there for your consideration and you are casually invited to consider how the implications affect each other, without being offered a comprehensive treatment of the author's preparing. In other words, most of the thinking is left as an exercise to the reader.

That's not necessarily good or bad, it's just a function of expectations. Personally when I go to read something I'm likely to disagree with, I like to see the author do his/her homework, lay some groundwork, and make a serious attempt to convince me. I would have perhaps liked to see the words "sketch" or "introduction" in the title to set the reader's expectations to match the booklet's quick, broad outline mode of presenting the ideas.

Some compelling examples and arguments were made in this book, nearly all from church history rather than the scriptural text. His main argument seems to be that moral depravity was the invention of Augustine and later augmented by Calvin et. al. While noting the beliefs of early Christians (and modern-day Orthodox) certainly has some weight, the author almost ignores the greatest and most obvious *scriptural* arguments that are usually offered in opposition to his ideas.

For example, when the booklet shifted into a discussion of penal substitution atonement, the first thing that came to mind are verses that specifically use the word "propitiation" which strongly suggests a PSA interpretation. Nowhere was this addressed or even mentioned.

Ultimately the booklet gave me enough material to consider these "alternative" ideas about atonement and moral depravity, but left the vast majority of my questions unanswered. I am glad he wrote it, however; I find it best to think of it as basically one round in an ongoing discussion, and a very civil one at that.

[Greg D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book although somewhat poorly written. Written in a very casual way as if I was sitting across from the author at a cafe having a conversation. Normally, this is good if it is done well. But, Tony hasn't quite mastered the craft of casual writing like other authors have such as Rob Bell. Nevertheless, I give this a high rating because the content was spectacular. Jones does a good job dismantling the doctrine of Original Sin in the first half of the book, albeit with some loopholes. He then introduces the various types of atonement theories in the second half. I was particularly struck by the introduction of Christus Victor, an early church term used to describe Christ's victory on the cross over sin and death which liberates humanity to live lives of love without the fear of death. I was also struck by an atonement theory he introduces by Miroslav Volf called "Inclusive Substitution" whereby God himself in the person of Jesus Christ put himself between God and humanity on the cross as an act of forgiveness. In other words, Jesus was not some third party, but instead He is the forgiving God himself who put his life on the cross to bridge the gap between man and God.

Overall, excellent content but written fairly choppy. And, it seems to end abruptly without Tony giving us a summarization of what he believes to be the best atonement theory. But, because of the content of this book, and the many new and fresh things I was introduced to, most of which makes sense.... I give it a 4-star rating. Highly recommended for those who want an easy-to-read and brief theological subject that will get you thinking long and hard about some key points of long held and perhaps faulty doctrinal beliefs.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is in two parts. The first part, on Original Sin, takes on the Calvinist doctrine or Original Sin. Jones explains his rejection of this doctrine. He fails, however, to show alternatives. I am a Lutheran, so our confession is not the "total depravity" of Calvinism, but that "we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves." This has to do with our sinful condition both personally and societally. I wish Tony Jones had included this type of alternative in Part One.

However, I loved the second part. In a simple but not simplistic way he summarizes the major atonement theories, sets them in historical context and cites some of the source documents, and evaluates their impact. This approach is important in our teaching among Christians. I find that few Christians know or have been taught these things, though worship songs and hymnody and prayers often include the presumption of one or more specific atonement theories. Like John Piper, some Christians equate Satisfaction, or Penal Substitutionary Atonement (a la Anselm) with the gospel itself. It is important for us to learn together the difference, and as a Lutheran pastor I will design a course to use in my congregation during Lent where we will look at the atonement - the meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus - and I will share Jones' work as a resource.

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does something important for Christians: it shines the spotlight on the harmful and depraved ideologies that engendered the monstrous theodicy of original sin, at it makes a strong intuitive appeal for the abandonment of that doctrine. It showcases multiple alternative theories of atonement too, which is valuable for those less informed on the wide range of perspectives on atonement that are present throughout Christianity.

I wish I could give it a higher rating just because I think this message is so important. But I can’t, because it doesn’t go much deeper in its case than a mere appeal to our modern intuition. To be fair, I can see that perhaps that’s enough for the purposes of the author. But for me personally, I would have liked the content to be aware of the apologetic role of the doctrine (it’s primarily a theodicy) and address that aspect a lot more. And other than exposing the reader to various theories of atonement, I would have appreciated a deeper examination of the implications of each of those alternatives — my skepticism about whether those alternatives are any better was very far from satisfied.

Having said that, I think any Christian convinced by the doctrine/theodicy of original sin, or those who aren’t convinced by it but also don’t know much about theories of atonement, would do very well to read this book.

[Elsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little book seems to end without a conclusion. As much as Tony tries to explain the various approaches to atonement over the centuries, he hesitates to claim one for himself. This doesn't bother me except for the fact that the opening chapter seems to insist upon clarity.

It is written in such a way that he seems to be arguing with himself or some other conversation partner. I want to know his intended audience and why he's chosen to pick this fight. Perhaps this missing voice explains the lack of conclusion.

What I appreciate most is the observation that the early church never argued over this matter, so that atonement may not actually be a central matter of faith. This is a new idea to me and one I'm grateful to have read.

[Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tony provides a clear, concise discussion of atonement theories in this little book. I would have liked to see a more nuanced take on Christus Victor in the vein of Gustaf Aulén and, more recently, Richard Beck, but it seems like Tony is trying to tease out the non-demonological formulation of CV into its own separate theory. I would give the first half of the book (dealing with the shortcomings of penal substitution) five stars and the second half of the book (dealing with alternative atonement theories) three stars with an average of four stars. The Slavery of Death by Richard Beck is a good follow-up for anyone interesting in approaching atonement with a stronger existential and empirical grounding.

[Paul Rack · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of the debates over atonement theory in emerging Christianity. Lots of common sense and balance. Rejects, or at least severely demotes, the traditional western "penal-substitutionary" view, for well-articulated good reasons, mainly that it reduces the resurrection to an afterthought. However, my view of the atonement is that it has to be based on Old Testament understanding derived from Leviticus 16, Exodus 12, Isaiah 53, etc. Jones still tends to look backward from our situation to the NT text, rather than forward from the OT context. I'm glad he agrees with me on the importance of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. And he is critical of the Jesus Seminar types on this and other points, showing, to me anyway, that emergent and progressive are not identical.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short but accessible introduction to the issues surrounding various theories of atonement. It was an engaging and thought provoking essay but it really left me wanting more depth and detail. Of course, I am not sure I have the time or focus to really dig into these issues.

Jones rejects the concept of Original Sin and the growing tendency to equate Penal Substitution as the Gospel. He reviews the various historical approaches to atonement and then offers his own.

Books like this are really one of the benefits of the growth of ebook publishing. A nice extended essay on a hot topic for only a couple of dollars.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I admire Jones' efforts, and am profoundly grateful that he would attempt to ignite conversation around the atonement, I certainly can't say he convinced me of anything.
This booklet was immensely helpful as a brief compendium of theories of the atonement, and gave me new knowledge and things to think about.
He needs more space and more time to fill in the things he presupposes in order to get to his conclusion. There were far too many places where he led into his evidence or arguments by stating that they're less effective if you haven't already taken theological leaps on topics like creation, sin, and demons.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tony Jones is working to fill the gap, or perhaps answer the criticism, that says the "emerging church" is light on theology. This little book, an essay really, critiques the doctrine of original sin, questions the primacy of substitutionary atonement and argues for a better way to view the atonement. I suppose those predisposed to not like such a rethinking, those who see penal substitution as the pinnacle of gospel truth, will hate this work and those who are predisposed to question it will love it. Hopefully those who read it will come with an open mind because it is quite good.

[Pat Loughery · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work contains a nice summary of atonement theories from the perspective of a progressive Christian. If the dominant Evangelical model of Penal Substitutionary Atonement doesn't seem to you like the only or best illustration of God's saving work in Jesus, this book is a worthwhile read.

It is approachable, having begun its life as a blog series. It is not particularly technical, but it is helpful for curious Christians who wish to broaden their understanding of historical developments in atonement theory and the models we have developed to illustrate them.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swift and beautiful. Wonderful historical and personal exploration of the *many* ways atonement has been thought through Christian history. Best, this historical perspective allows us to see a way forward from here, free of the distortions and blind spots forced upon us by idolatrous elevation of Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA) over all others. Tony Jones, Peter Rollins, Moltmann, Volf, Girard, Trible, even Rob Bell, there's some real life and transformational thinking going on. Progress. New life. I'm excited.

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am sympathetic with the need, but Jones is too simplistic, snarky, and dismissive (until actually addressing John Piper when a bit more snark might be welcome). Too little of anything new (aside from a couple of pages on Rene Girard) and way too much of Jones. And when he offers his own view of the atonement it's rushed in a couple of paragraphs at the end. Scot McKnight's book on the Atonement is much better in both its summaries of historical thought and in offering another potential way for understanding the atonement.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book if you like reading something that might question your beliefs.

Jones does a good job breaking down his personal beliefs of the doctrine of Original Sin and then moves on to the doctrine of Atonement and what it means once you remove Original Sin from the equation. The rest of this short book is made up of various explanations for the purpose of the Atonement, or why exactly Jesus had to die.

[Robbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked his discussion of original sin and I found his arguments pretty convincing. I think reading this book in conjunction with Peter Enns book on evolution and the creation story is a good idea. Enns book provides a more in depth discussion of the creation narrative which can be helpful in understanding Tony Jones' perspective. Overall I would recommend this book to individuals that want an introduction to this theological perspective.