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Did God Kill Jesus?: Searching for Love in History's Most Famous Execution – Essential Biblical Theology on Atonement and Grace
The popular Patheos blogger wants to restore the cross as primarily a symbol of God's overwhelming love for us and to rescue Christians from the shame and guilt from seeing our situation as "sinners in the hands of an angry God," which was an invention of the medieval church and became enshrined as orthodox Christianity.
Many Christians believe that God the Father demanded his only Son die a cruel, gruesome death to appease His wrath, since humanity is so irredeemably sinful and therefore repugnant to God. Tony Jones, popular progressive Christian blogger, author, and scholar, argues that this understanding is actually a medieval invention and not what the Bible really teaches. He looks beyond medieval convictions and liberates how we see Jesus's death on the cross from this restrictive paradigm. Christians today must transcend the shame and guilt that have shaped conceptions of the human soul and made us fearful of God, and replace them with love, grace, and joyfulness, which better expresses what the cross is really about.
How we understand the cross reflects directly what kind of God we worship. By letting go of the wrathful God who cannot stand to be in our presence unless he pretends to see Jesus in our place, we discover the biblical God who reaches out to love and embrace us while "we were yet sinners." Jones offers a positive, loving, inclusive interpretation of the faith that is both challenging and inspiring. Did God Kill Jesus? is essential reading for modern Christians.
Many Christians believe that God the Father demanded his only Son die a cruel, gruesome death to appease His wrath, since humanity is so irredeemably sinful and therefore repugnant to God. Tony Jones, popular progressive Christian blogger, author, and scholar, argues that this understanding is actually a medieval invention and not what the Bible really teaches. He looks beyond medieval convictions and liberates how we see Jesus's death on the cross from this restrictive paradigm. Christians today must transcend the shame and guilt that have shaped conceptions of the human soul and made us fearful of God, and replace them with love, grace, and joyfulness, which better expresses what the cross is really about.
How we understand the cross reflects directly what kind of God we worship. By letting go of the wrathful God who cannot stand to be in our presence unless he pretends to see Jesus in our place, we discover the biblical God who reaches out to love and embrace us while "we were yet sinners." Jones offers a positive, loving, inclusive interpretation of the faith that is both challenging and inspiring. Did God Kill Jesus? is essential reading for modern Christians.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 15, 2015
77 people are currently reading
560 people want to read
About the author
Tony Jones
134 books112 followersTony 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.
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May 27, 2015
It takes 234 pages for Tony Jones to answer the central question in hisjones new book, Did God Kill Jesus? The author is a self-described "theological provocateur," so the question posed in his book should not surprise anyone. The answer that emerges on page 234 is crystal clear: "No, God did not kill Jesus," says Dr. Jones. Readers will find that the path to this answer is paved with doubt and skepticism. Frankly, it is a path fraught with theological compromise.
Tony Jones has a knack for asking questions. He has an uncanny ability of questioning the theological status quo and forcing readers to decide, even re-evaluate their cherished views. Unfortunately, some of the answers that Jones provides do not match the biblical record or pass the test of orthodoxy.
The author sets out to examine the various views of the atonement which have been offered up throughout church history. The questions he fires at these theories are fair enough:
What does the model say about God?
What does it say about Jesus?
What does the model say about the relationship between God and Jesus?
How does it make sense of violence?
What does it mean for us spiritually?
Where's the love?
Ultimately, none of the theories fully satisfy the author. But the one he finds the most repugnant is penal substitutionary atonement. Jones argues that this view, which he labels the payment model is currently in vogue "largely because it appeals to our sense of justice and our understanding of law and penalties." And he is not particularly bashful about how he feels about penal substitutionary atonement. In his previous book, A Better Atonement: Beyond the Depraved Doctrine of Original Sin, Jones writes, "I'm on no quest to reject the penal substitutionary theory of the atonement (PSA). (I merely intend to dethrone it)." However, what he fails to see is this: when penal substitutionary atonement is dethroned, the gospel of Jesus Christ is thrown into the ash heap and the hope of every person perishes.
In his explanation of penal substitutionary atonement, the author assures readers that "God is holy, and we are less-than-holy." This appears to be a strange starting point since all who hold to penal substitutionary atonement embrace the biblical idea of total depravity - which is quite a leap from "less-than-holy." However, Jones' starting point makes perfect sense (just not biblical sense) when one discovers that he has also discarded the doctrine of original sin:
"What I've come to realize is that the idea of original sin is not, in fact, God Eternal Truth. It is, instead, like so many other items of faith, historically conditioned."
To be fair Jones' acknowledges the existence of sin. However, he rejects the "notion that human beings are depraved from birth."
Jones caricatures the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement by placing God the Father in an untenable position by "sending his perfect Son to Earth, then letting him - or making him - die as a substitute for the billions of human beings past and future who are incapable of paying off the debt incurred by their sin. That's the Payment model" according to Tony Jones.
The biggest disappointment in this book is the repudiation of penal substitutionary atonement, the doctrine which contains the very core of the gospel message. As noted above, the path which leads to the ultimate question in the book is riddled with "rocks" and "weeds" and "branches" that careful readers should navigate in order to understand the position the author takes. Two of these stumbling blocks are noted below.
1. Dishonoring God
A.W. Tozer was certainly on target when he wrote, "What we think about God is the most important thing about us." Yet what we find here is view that has much in common with process theology. The author writes, "... We can surmise that in Jesus, God was learning." He continues, "But on the cross, something else happened altogether, possibly something that even God did not expect." The implication here appears to be a compromise of God's comprehensive omniscience, a troubling turn of events to be sure.
Additionally, the author promotes what he refers to as the "weakness of God." He adds,
"Here is the guiding idea: God has forsaken power in order to give creation freedom. In other words, God's primary posture in the world is that of weakness, not strength. This is a tough pill for many Christians to swallow - we've been taught to claim God's power in our lives, to pray for power, and to trust God's power and perfect plan for our lives ..."
A "tough pill" to swallow? You bet! Discerning readers would do well to keep that "pill" out of their mouths, especially when the testimony of Scripture points to a God who is all-together sovereign and omnipotent over everything and everyone in the cosmos. Swallow such a "pill" will leave readers spiritually sick.
2. Destroying the Heart of the Atonement
Jones makes it clear early in the book that he along with other liberals have "grown increasingly uncomfortable with the regnant interpretation of Jesus' death as primarily the propitiation of a wrathful God."
Yet, when one reduces the cross to a mere display of love and refuses to acknowledge that Jesus bore the wrath of God, the gospel is utterly stripped of its saving power. Such a move is to destroy the very heart of the atonement.
Summary
In the final analysis, the answer to the question of this book is not a simple yes or no answer. The Scripture makes it plain that both God and man killed Jesus Christ.
“... let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.” (Acts 4:10, ESV)
“... for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” (Acts 4:27–28, ESV)
This is a book that should upset a lot of people. Frankly, I'm glad Jones wrote the book because it will rally conservatives around the truth of the gospel. This book should motivate pastors and scholars to go deeper into the reality of the gospel and prompt God-centered reverence and worship as they glory in the beauty of penal substitutionary atonement.
Evangelicals need to pay careful attention to books like this that grow more and more popular. Jones urges readers to participate in what he calls, "the smell test." Unfortunately, something doesn't smell right about this book.
Admittedly, Tony Jones stands in a theological stream that is more liberal-minded. One important distinction between Jones and many other liberals is that he actually affirms the bodily resurrection of Jesus. For this we can be thankful. However, since he rejects penal substitution and as a result softens (or even eliminates) the wrath that Jesus bore on the cross, the scandal of the cross is blurred and even obscured. Indeed, as Jeffery, Ovey, and Sach have rightly written, "If we blunt the sharp edges of the cross, we dull the glittering diamond of God's love."
Whenever wrath is removed from the cross, something crucial is missing, which is to say, the gospel is at stake. For this reason, the view promoted here does not pass the "smell test."
Readers are encouraged to explore the God-honoring doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement in three powerful and provocative books which include: The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross - Leon Morris, Pierced For Our Transgressions - Steve Jeffery, Michael Ovey, Andrew Sach, and It is Well: Expositions on Substitutionary Atonement - Mark Dever and Michael Lawrence.
Tony Jones has a knack for asking questions. He has an uncanny ability of questioning the theological status quo and forcing readers to decide, even re-evaluate their cherished views. Unfortunately, some of the answers that Jones provides do not match the biblical record or pass the test of orthodoxy.
The author sets out to examine the various views of the atonement which have been offered up throughout church history. The questions he fires at these theories are fair enough:
What does the model say about God?
What does it say about Jesus?
What does the model say about the relationship between God and Jesus?
How does it make sense of violence?
What does it mean for us spiritually?
Where's the love?
Ultimately, none of the theories fully satisfy the author. But the one he finds the most repugnant is penal substitutionary atonement. Jones argues that this view, which he labels the payment model is currently in vogue "largely because it appeals to our sense of justice and our understanding of law and penalties." And he is not particularly bashful about how he feels about penal substitutionary atonement. In his previous book, A Better Atonement: Beyond the Depraved Doctrine of Original Sin, Jones writes, "I'm on no quest to reject the penal substitutionary theory of the atonement (PSA). (I merely intend to dethrone it)." However, what he fails to see is this: when penal substitutionary atonement is dethroned, the gospel of Jesus Christ is thrown into the ash heap and the hope of every person perishes.
In his explanation of penal substitutionary atonement, the author assures readers that "God is holy, and we are less-than-holy." This appears to be a strange starting point since all who hold to penal substitutionary atonement embrace the biblical idea of total depravity - which is quite a leap from "less-than-holy." However, Jones' starting point makes perfect sense (just not biblical sense) when one discovers that he has also discarded the doctrine of original sin:
"What I've come to realize is that the idea of original sin is not, in fact, God Eternal Truth. It is, instead, like so many other items of faith, historically conditioned."
To be fair Jones' acknowledges the existence of sin. However, he rejects the "notion that human beings are depraved from birth."
Jones caricatures the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement by placing God the Father in an untenable position by "sending his perfect Son to Earth, then letting him - or making him - die as a substitute for the billions of human beings past and future who are incapable of paying off the debt incurred by their sin. That's the Payment model" according to Tony Jones.
The biggest disappointment in this book is the repudiation of penal substitutionary atonement, the doctrine which contains the very core of the gospel message. As noted above, the path which leads to the ultimate question in the book is riddled with "rocks" and "weeds" and "branches" that careful readers should navigate in order to understand the position the author takes. Two of these stumbling blocks are noted below.
1. Dishonoring God
A.W. Tozer was certainly on target when he wrote, "What we think about God is the most important thing about us." Yet what we find here is view that has much in common with process theology. The author writes, "... We can surmise that in Jesus, God was learning." He continues, "But on the cross, something else happened altogether, possibly something that even God did not expect." The implication here appears to be a compromise of God's comprehensive omniscience, a troubling turn of events to be sure.
Additionally, the author promotes what he refers to as the "weakness of God." He adds,
"Here is the guiding idea: God has forsaken power in order to give creation freedom. In other words, God's primary posture in the world is that of weakness, not strength. This is a tough pill for many Christians to swallow - we've been taught to claim God's power in our lives, to pray for power, and to trust God's power and perfect plan for our lives ..."
A "tough pill" to swallow? You bet! Discerning readers would do well to keep that "pill" out of their mouths, especially when the testimony of Scripture points to a God who is all-together sovereign and omnipotent over everything and everyone in the cosmos. Swallow such a "pill" will leave readers spiritually sick.
2. Destroying the Heart of the Atonement
Jones makes it clear early in the book that he along with other liberals have "grown increasingly uncomfortable with the regnant interpretation of Jesus' death as primarily the propitiation of a wrathful God."
Yet, when one reduces the cross to a mere display of love and refuses to acknowledge that Jesus bore the wrath of God, the gospel is utterly stripped of its saving power. Such a move is to destroy the very heart of the atonement.
Summary
In the final analysis, the answer to the question of this book is not a simple yes or no answer. The Scripture makes it plain that both God and man killed Jesus Christ.
“... let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.” (Acts 4:10, ESV)
“... for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” (Acts 4:27–28, ESV)
This is a book that should upset a lot of people. Frankly, I'm glad Jones wrote the book because it will rally conservatives around the truth of the gospel. This book should motivate pastors and scholars to go deeper into the reality of the gospel and prompt God-centered reverence and worship as they glory in the beauty of penal substitutionary atonement.
Evangelicals need to pay careful attention to books like this that grow more and more popular. Jones urges readers to participate in what he calls, "the smell test." Unfortunately, something doesn't smell right about this book.
Admittedly, Tony Jones stands in a theological stream that is more liberal-minded. One important distinction between Jones and many other liberals is that he actually affirms the bodily resurrection of Jesus. For this we can be thankful. However, since he rejects penal substitution and as a result softens (or even eliminates) the wrath that Jesus bore on the cross, the scandal of the cross is blurred and even obscured. Indeed, as Jeffery, Ovey, and Sach have rightly written, "If we blunt the sharp edges of the cross, we dull the glittering diamond of God's love."
Whenever wrath is removed from the cross, something crucial is missing, which is to say, the gospel is at stake. For this reason, the view promoted here does not pass the "smell test."
Readers are encouraged to explore the God-honoring doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement in three powerful and provocative books which include: The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross - Leon Morris, Pierced For Our Transgressions - Steve Jeffery, Michael Ovey, Andrew Sach, and It is Well: Expositions on Substitutionary Atonement - Mark Dever and Michael Lawrence.
May 1, 2016
All I wanted for Easter was to paint eggs and drink wine and have breakfast with my friends, but of course Kubilay and Hüseyin started asking me questions that I had no answers for, and I was confronted again with the fact that I have never understood or particularly cared about the implications of the Christian Easter story. Jesus being born and living - "pleased, as man, with men to dwell" - has always been cooler and more meaningful to me than his dying, though this has not been true of most churches I have been to.
We are told to think of God as a father, and then we're given multiple bible stories about fathers killing their children at God's request, and God himself sending his son to earth to die. I have a really good dad, but many people don't, and if these stories are appalling to me, how could they possibly make someone with a shitty dad respond to God in any way besides being disgusted?
Tony Jones wants to figure this out, and he begins by pointing out that "While the early church cast out those who didn't affirm the trinity or didn't believe that Jesus was fully human and fully divine, the atonement never rose to that level. ... They recognized that the event of Jesus' death on the cross was much deeper and more mysterious than our explanations of it could describe - let alone there be one single explanation." He also looks through the bible and finds that it "lacks one single perspective on the meaning of sacrifice in general and Jesus' death specifically. Instead, the sixty-six books that make up the Bible display a trajectory that evolves over thousands of years." Today though, it seems like the only explanation of Jesus' death that you ever hear from christians is something like "God loves u so much that Jesus had to die so u could go to heaven becuz uuhhh u r a sinner and Jesus is a perfect sacrifice." WHAT?? So the best way to show someone you love them is to get MURDERED? And who is Jesus being sacrificed to? God? The devil? The Romans? The Jewish leaders? None of this makes any sense.
Tony clarifies this theory a little bit by placing it within the context of the Jewish sacrificial system, but he's clearly not very convinced by it. He also explains a number of other theories that christian thinkers have used throughout history to explain what Jesus' death accomplished or what it symbolizes, and how each of these theories would influence our understanding of God, Jesus, love, and violence. This part of the book was excellent. I learned a lot and had many thoughts and have been pointed towards some other books by Jurgen Moltmann, Rita Nakashima Park and Rebecca Ann Parker, and especially Rene Girard that I would like to eventually read.
What I have thought for the last few years was that by dying a violent, unjust death, Jesus was saying "Look. Look what you guys do to each other. Look what yr empires do. Look what yr religions do. The end result of every power structure you've created is the humiliation and torture and death of innocent people." Which is true - but so what? The Romans still won. Even if Jesus did come back to life, the Romans eventually killed most of his friends. The empire lasted for another couple hundred years, Constantine co-opted Jesus' teachings and twisted them into another system of hierarchy and oppression, and two thousand years later the world is still full of horrible violence and injustice.
In one of Par Lagerkvist's books, a character says something that I often think about: "It could not be the most difficult thing of all to walk up a hill and let oneself be crucified. They say that his suffering and death are the greatest events ever to have come to pass in the world, and the most significant. Perhaps; that may be so. But how many there are who must suffer without their suffering having any significance at all!" By the end of his book, Tony seems to be saying that through Jesus, God was not only trying to help humans understand God, but that God was trying to understand humans. God doesn't only abstractly "love" all the people who have endured meaningless suffering and died meaningless deaths, more than that, God is one of those people. And not only does God "love" people who feel abandoned by God or who think the idea of God is meaningless or absurd, as Jesus is dying, God is abandoned by God. "God experienced the absence of God. God experienced atheism."
Although Jesus' death is frustrating to me because I don't understand what the point was or what it symbolizes, I love his life and the things he said, partly because they're so bewildering. Maybe he did die and then come back to life and it did something totally cosmic; who knows. Feeding people, healing people, forgiving people, praying on mountains, sleeping on boats, eating and drinking, spitting in the mud and writing in the dirt, telling bizarre stories, mocking every empire, "love God and yr neighbor and yrself and yr enemy," cooking breakfast for his friends: that's my favorite Jesus.
We are told to think of God as a father, and then we're given multiple bible stories about fathers killing their children at God's request, and God himself sending his son to earth to die. I have a really good dad, but many people don't, and if these stories are appalling to me, how could they possibly make someone with a shitty dad respond to God in any way besides being disgusted?
Tony Jones wants to figure this out, and he begins by pointing out that "While the early church cast out those who didn't affirm the trinity or didn't believe that Jesus was fully human and fully divine, the atonement never rose to that level. ... They recognized that the event of Jesus' death on the cross was much deeper and more mysterious than our explanations of it could describe - let alone there be one single explanation." He also looks through the bible and finds that it "lacks one single perspective on the meaning of sacrifice in general and Jesus' death specifically. Instead, the sixty-six books that make up the Bible display a trajectory that evolves over thousands of years." Today though, it seems like the only explanation of Jesus' death that you ever hear from christians is something like "God loves u so much that Jesus had to die so u could go to heaven becuz uuhhh u r a sinner and Jesus is a perfect sacrifice." WHAT?? So the best way to show someone you love them is to get MURDERED? And who is Jesus being sacrificed to? God? The devil? The Romans? The Jewish leaders? None of this makes any sense.
Tony clarifies this theory a little bit by placing it within the context of the Jewish sacrificial system, but he's clearly not very convinced by it. He also explains a number of other theories that christian thinkers have used throughout history to explain what Jesus' death accomplished or what it symbolizes, and how each of these theories would influence our understanding of God, Jesus, love, and violence. This part of the book was excellent. I learned a lot and had many thoughts and have been pointed towards some other books by Jurgen Moltmann, Rita Nakashima Park and Rebecca Ann Parker, and especially Rene Girard that I would like to eventually read.
What I have thought for the last few years was that by dying a violent, unjust death, Jesus was saying "Look. Look what you guys do to each other. Look what yr empires do. Look what yr religions do. The end result of every power structure you've created is the humiliation and torture and death of innocent people." Which is true - but so what? The Romans still won. Even if Jesus did come back to life, the Romans eventually killed most of his friends. The empire lasted for another couple hundred years, Constantine co-opted Jesus' teachings and twisted them into another system of hierarchy and oppression, and two thousand years later the world is still full of horrible violence and injustice.
In one of Par Lagerkvist's books, a character says something that I often think about: "It could not be the most difficult thing of all to walk up a hill and let oneself be crucified. They say that his suffering and death are the greatest events ever to have come to pass in the world, and the most significant. Perhaps; that may be so. But how many there are who must suffer without their suffering having any significance at all!" By the end of his book, Tony seems to be saying that through Jesus, God was not only trying to help humans understand God, but that God was trying to understand humans. God doesn't only abstractly "love" all the people who have endured meaningless suffering and died meaningless deaths, more than that, God is one of those people. And not only does God "love" people who feel abandoned by God or who think the idea of God is meaningless or absurd, as Jesus is dying, God is abandoned by God. "God experienced the absence of God. God experienced atheism."
Although Jesus' death is frustrating to me because I don't understand what the point was or what it symbolizes, I love his life and the things he said, partly because they're so bewildering. Maybe he did die and then come back to life and it did something totally cosmic; who knows. Feeding people, healing people, forgiving people, praying on mountains, sleeping on boats, eating and drinking, spitting in the mud and writing in the dirt, telling bizarre stories, mocking every empire, "love God and yr neighbor and yrself and yr enemy," cooking breakfast for his friends: that's my favorite Jesus.
April 14, 2015
All my life, I've witnessed pastors (and more recently, films) depict how a crucified person's body slowly and painfully fails. No matter where the speaker is on the theological spectrum, there's always agreement around one thing: Jesus' death was horrific...which is usually followed by mentions of blood loss, suffocation, and humiliation. Both conservative and progressive listeners react similarly to these descriptions. They are resolved in their faith but are inwardly or outwardly troubled by why God would allow the brutal execution of Jesus.
Jones' book is the first book I've read that hones in on the sorts of questions one has coming to this story. Did God really demand Jesus' death as a payment for sin? And if so, why? Couldn't there have been another way to reconcile humans to their creator? This book looks at a variety of explanations different groups of Christians from different camps and different places in history have offered about the crucifixion. Reading these theories in this book would be a great overview for any person, from any tribe, who wants to understand how ideas about the crucifixion have changed or differed over time. And while some readers may not agree with Jones' every twist and turn along the way, I think they will appreciate how his conclusion helps us balance our ideas about the crucifixion (and what caused it) against our ideas about God's loving nature. For a small investment of time, I think most readers would walk away feeling like they just took a seminary course on the subject.
Jones' book is the first book I've read that hones in on the sorts of questions one has coming to this story. Did God really demand Jesus' death as a payment for sin? And if so, why? Couldn't there have been another way to reconcile humans to their creator? This book looks at a variety of explanations different groups of Christians from different camps and different places in history have offered about the crucifixion. Reading these theories in this book would be a great overview for any person, from any tribe, who wants to understand how ideas about the crucifixion have changed or differed over time. And while some readers may not agree with Jones' every twist and turn along the way, I think they will appreciate how his conclusion helps us balance our ideas about the crucifixion (and what caused it) against our ideas about God's loving nature. For a small investment of time, I think most readers would walk away feeling like they just took a seminary course on the subject.
August 28, 2023
Tony Jones' understanding and then the communicating of what the Atonement means for us is quite beautiful and brilliant. His words are timely and relevant and even forceful in what it means to be a follower of Christ. "The way of the cross demands nothing less then the total commitment to solidarity with others, especially those who are lonely and outcast. Again I say, if Jesus' death does not provoke that kind of love in us, then we're not truly understanding the magnitude of the cross." (p.270) In a purely academic review, Tony does not offer us any different ways around his arguments against the other theories. He simply re-interprets the Biblical material and offers us a different way to see, hear and think about the cross, the theory of Atonement and who God is or isn't. His writing about God's self limitation and humility, will surely seem heretical to more hardline conservative evangelicals. As well as his understanding that in Jesus something was added to God, that God changed and learned. I do not personally feel this way. I think Tony is brilliant, and a deep thinker and he calls us to love like Jesus did, like God did through Jesus; to identify with and in solidarity with the those at the margins and our modern day outcasts. In Tony I find my own faith, and theology challenged and strengthened. This book will truly make a difference in Christianity and how we live as Christians in our daily lives.
February 27, 2016
Where to start? Well, first off... I wish I could give it negative five stars.
While Jones claims to work within the Christian tradition, he doesn't... at all.
Here are a few assertions scattered throughout the book that clue you in that the author isn't a Christian and proud of it.
1. He subjects the Scripture to the "smell test." If you think it's wrong, it's wrong.
2. He claims that most of Jesus' sayings didn't originate with him.
3. He claims that Cain had no way to know God wanted blood (even though Genesis 3 gives all the info you need on this).
4. He is an avowed open theist.
5. He asserts Markan primacy as an established fact. Of course, he provides no evidence for this assertion because there is none extant.
6. He believes that there is such a creature as a "non-Trinitarian Christian" (Socinus, for example).
7. He believes that thinking you're right is a sign you're wrong. Of course, he's absolutely sure he's right about this.
I could go on, but why bother. He believes that Anselm of Canterbury invented the substitionary view of the atonement (which dates back to at least the second century: Cyril of Jerusalem, and further... the entire New Testament), and that because it's steeped in violence, it's wrong (just like the God of the Old Testament).
Don't read it. The Satanic Bible has better theology.
While Jones claims to work within the Christian tradition, he doesn't... at all.
Here are a few assertions scattered throughout the book that clue you in that the author isn't a Christian and proud of it.
1. He subjects the Scripture to the "smell test." If you think it's wrong, it's wrong.
2. He claims that most of Jesus' sayings didn't originate with him.
3. He claims that Cain had no way to know God wanted blood (even though Genesis 3 gives all the info you need on this).
4. He is an avowed open theist.
5. He asserts Markan primacy as an established fact. Of course, he provides no evidence for this assertion because there is none extant.
6. He believes that there is such a creature as a "non-Trinitarian Christian" (Socinus, for example).
7. He believes that thinking you're right is a sign you're wrong. Of course, he's absolutely sure he's right about this.
I could go on, but why bother. He believes that Anselm of Canterbury invented the substitionary view of the atonement (which dates back to at least the second century: Cyril of Jerusalem, and further... the entire New Testament), and that because it's steeped in violence, it's wrong (just like the God of the Old Testament).
Don't read it. The Satanic Bible has better theology.
December 19, 2024
Took me forever to read (hello 4 month first semester hiatus…) but super interesting and def one I want to read again. It was really interesting hearing about all of the different theological interpretations of the cross, and how each one profoundly shapes our lives. Jones’ own understanding of the cross is really thought provoking and one I hadn’t heard before, but an honest, loving and valuable understanding of the life and death of Jesus and what it means for us today. Leaving with questions, which is a good thing. Back to scripture & centering prayer I go!
May 13, 2015
Great book, really enjoyed it. Confirms last 10 years of my own thinking. A really helpful historic review of the role of sacrifice in biblical times including present dominant views of God as angry and vengeful, plus alternative Christian views. I found his outlines of various views very helpfully linked to their sociological and political periods. I did not agree with everything later in the book but then that's not the point. Thoroughly recommend it to thinking people in the pews able to read a bit more deeply.
March 4, 2019
I was curious enough to start reading this book, wondering what insight it might give me for my own faith journey. While it introduces some good material, to be totally honest, after the 3rd chapter I got bored and quickly skimmed the rest wondering if I was the only one who didn't need the question 'Did God Kill Jesus?' answered to make sense of my faith.
August 9, 2019
Jones explores various understandings of the meaning of the cross -- atonement theories -- which I have been thinking about for some time myself. Turns out that historically and currently Christians are not monolithic in their understanding of it, even while all agreeing on its importance.
February 24, 2019
Easy to read--full of enlightening ideas. This opens up rather than narrows Christianity.
April 10, 2017
Tony Jones has offered a thoughtful and meaningful gift to the church with this book. He offers biblical interpretation, an amazing history lesson, incisive theological analysis, and a fresh-eyed look at what Jesus' life and death and resurrection mean without having his mind made up before he started. In fact, one of the things I love about the book is that he doesn't end up as a proponent of any one of the familiar atonement theories, but offers a wider way of talking about what it means to follow Christ in the shadow of the Cross.
I wish he were close enough to come over for dinner. I'd like to continue the conversation.
I wish he were close enough to come over for dinner. I'd like to continue the conversation.
June 17, 2015
Great book for anyone looking for a way into atonement theory. Part biblical survey of sacrifice, part historical theological analysis of atonement theories and part constructive exercise in developing an atonement model for today. I especially liked his last section and look forward to reading Moltmann and others who have influenced Tony.
July 15, 2015
Really interesting book about different theories on the atonement. Some I had never heard of. His ultimate convulsion is God did not kill Jesus but Jesus died to bridge the gap between God & humanity. His explanation of how the crucifixion and resurrection provide Christians with peace and hope was enlightening.
December 13, 2015
Jones lays out his Christology in a very accessible way. He questions every understanding of Jesus' atonement equally against the overall message of Jesus' ministry. I appreciate his way of testing all understandings of Jesus equally yet fairly and never letting our human ways of understanding conflict with God's ultimate love for all of us.
April 20, 2015
This book was terrific- read for Bible Study! Answered many questions I had about the history and stories around the Resurrection. Thank u Tony Jones!
June 4, 2015
Even if you don't totally agree with Tony (I tend to, mostly), this is a great book to stimulate thought about the Atonement. I've enjoyed it immensly.
Read
April 14, 2015Loved it!
Smart enough for many, accessible enough for everyone.
Smart enough for many, accessible enough for everyone.
February 14, 2016
Helpful review of some ways of understanding the crucifixion besides substitutionary atonement.
November 27, 2022
*Read with caution*
I am pleased if only to paraphrase Luther: one must study other views in order to refute them
This book is well-constructed in its mission to lead the reader away from the truth about God and the Bible.
Jones spends nine chapters attempting to pick apart much of Hebrew thought (especially regarding ritual sacrifice). He also seems suspicious of the majority of the New Testament. Playing fast and loose with scripture in this way is dangerous.
He discusses the error often made in forcing God (including Jesus) to fit into a mould of our own making/choosing and proceeds to do just that.
He spends three chapters stating why he doesn't like penal substitution, but is unconvincing in his refutation of it.
He spends a further five chapters describing ten other models of the Atonement (that all contain aspects of penal substitution), but fail to satisfy.
Along the way Jones also denies the doctrine of original sin, without which there is no need for an Atonement in the first place.
He bands about ideas of God changing, God learning, and God experiencing Godlessness (which in and of itself doesn't make sense). All of this would mean God is not God at which point all of this is a waste of time.
When he comes in to land this roller coaster of emotional manipulation becomes a "choose your own adventure novel" and you choose "which model works for you" or a combination of many.
Tony Jones is a very clever man. He uses provocative language to evoke reactions around God's ethics.
Quite frankly, to take away penal substitution from the gospel is not good news. To discard 2000 years of orthodoxy is a bold, yet misguided move on the part of Jones.
Read with care, have your bible handy, and do not be blown about by the wind.
I am pleased if only to paraphrase Luther: one must study other views in order to refute them
This book is well-constructed in its mission to lead the reader away from the truth about God and the Bible.
Jones spends nine chapters attempting to pick apart much of Hebrew thought (especially regarding ritual sacrifice). He also seems suspicious of the majority of the New Testament. Playing fast and loose with scripture in this way is dangerous.
He discusses the error often made in forcing God (including Jesus) to fit into a mould of our own making/choosing and proceeds to do just that.
He spends three chapters stating why he doesn't like penal substitution, but is unconvincing in his refutation of it.
He spends a further five chapters describing ten other models of the Atonement (that all contain aspects of penal substitution), but fail to satisfy.
Along the way Jones also denies the doctrine of original sin, without which there is no need for an Atonement in the first place.
He bands about ideas of God changing, God learning, and God experiencing Godlessness (which in and of itself doesn't make sense). All of this would mean God is not God at which point all of this is a waste of time.
When he comes in to land this roller coaster of emotional manipulation becomes a "choose your own adventure novel" and you choose "which model works for you" or a combination of many.
Tony Jones is a very clever man. He uses provocative language to evoke reactions around God's ethics.
Quite frankly, to take away penal substitution from the gospel is not good news. To discard 2000 years of orthodoxy is a bold, yet misguided move on the part of Jones.
Read with care, have your bible handy, and do not be blown about by the wind.
November 9, 2020
I have quite a few gripes with this book. Mainly, Dr. Jones takes a completely unbiblical stance on the Biblical nature of Christ's crucifixion. He openly disdains the concept of the penal substitutionary model of attonement, blatantly denies original sin, and contradicts the word of God's Law through sinful, false doctrine he is trying to sell to the masses.
This book, for a more liberally-based person, is the perfect explanation of the Gospel as it denies responsibility of the individual and pronounces God's love as the means of making sin irrelevant for those that choose to continue wallowing in their own darkness instead of seeking the change of heart that God promises all those that repent and trust in Jesus. Not only that, but Jones limits God by saying that he cannot be both all-loving and all-righteous at the same time. Jones's views put limitations on the heavenly Father that should not be there.
Ultimately, I pray for Dr. Jones. I hope that he takes time for reflection through his faith to see that writing in this manner can only lead folks seeking the truth of salvation down the wrong path. In fact, it seems that the only redemptive quality of this book, and Jones's beliefs within, seems to be his belief that Christ was of the Triune God, he died on Calvary, and he rose again in three days time. Thank the Lord for small blessings.
This book, for a more liberally-based person, is the perfect explanation of the Gospel as it denies responsibility of the individual and pronounces God's love as the means of making sin irrelevant for those that choose to continue wallowing in their own darkness instead of seeking the change of heart that God promises all those that repent and trust in Jesus. Not only that, but Jones limits God by saying that he cannot be both all-loving and all-righteous at the same time. Jones's views put limitations on the heavenly Father that should not be there.
Ultimately, I pray for Dr. Jones. I hope that he takes time for reflection through his faith to see that writing in this manner can only lead folks seeking the truth of salvation down the wrong path. In fact, it seems that the only redemptive quality of this book, and Jones's beliefs within, seems to be his belief that Christ was of the Triune God, he died on Calvary, and he rose again in three days time. Thank the Lord for small blessings.
January 30, 2019
Okay, this book definitely wasn't my cup of tea- I was assigned to read it for my 'Readings in Popular Theology' class.
This book gives modern Christians an interesting way to look at and understand the basics of atonement theory and some of the most well-known theories of atonement. It discusses the merits and downfalls of: subsitution, ransom, Christus Victor, satisfaction, moral institution, recapitulation, and mimetic theory.
Even though the author does a good job of explaining the basics, his arguments can be illogical at times and he makes assumptions about which type of sin Jesus is atoning for humanity and he changes his definitions to support his own favorite theory.
Any theological book is going to be full of opinions, but I'd be much more inclined to be understanding of Jones's if his argument for the validity of theology wasn't solely based on your personal feelings and if someone else that believes a certain theory is a good person.
The book does pose interesting questions that anyone can use to evaluate the validity of atonement theory.
Overall, the book was about an interesting subject and easy to read, but I'm not a fan of the logic used and the way Jones supports his arguments.
2 stars
This book gives modern Christians an interesting way to look at and understand the basics of atonement theory and some of the most well-known theories of atonement. It discusses the merits and downfalls of: subsitution, ransom, Christus Victor, satisfaction, moral institution, recapitulation, and mimetic theory.
Even though the author does a good job of explaining the basics, his arguments can be illogical at times and he makes assumptions about which type of sin Jesus is atoning for humanity and he changes his definitions to support his own favorite theory.
Any theological book is going to be full of opinions, but I'd be much more inclined to be understanding of Jones's if his argument for the validity of theology wasn't solely based on your personal feelings and if someone else that believes a certain theory is a good person.
The book does pose interesting questions that anyone can use to evaluate the validity of atonement theory.
Overall, the book was about an interesting subject and easy to read, but I'm not a fan of the logic used and the way Jones supports his arguments.
2 stars
August 10, 2025
The author identified an issue worth discussing, rejected the arguments for certain theses, and offered a completely unsatisfactory alternative explanation. I find the traditional interpretation of Christ's sacrifice as a ransom for humanity to God’s justice more compelling. The writer’s thesis—that Jesus wanted to see what it was like to be abandoned by God—is strange and raises the question: So what? Did it somehow affect what God does? It seems not. One could therefore say that this so-called “solidarity with humanity” is more akin to dark tourism in countries ravaged by war and poverty: the traveler goes there, experiences what it’s like firsthand, and then returns to a comfortable life in their own country, while the locals gain nothing from it. The situation is different in the case of a substitutionary sacrifice, where humanity was given the opportunity to have its sins forgiven thanks to the sacrifice of the Messiah. The author portrays preachers who proclaim this message in a negative light, depicting them as merciless teachers who use it to demean people. Yet if his own view of the meaning of Jesus’ death were equally widely proclaimed, there would surely be even more offensive speeches.
May 21, 2018
Excellent book, well written, accessible very, thought provoking
I really struggle with the idea of penal substitutionary atonement (struggle is a nice way to say I think it’s crap to believe that God hates us but for Jesus). This book was a nice reminder that we have ‘theories’ of atonement because while the Bible is clear Jesus died for our sins, it does not really spell out how exactly that happens. It was refreshing to learn that substitutionary atonement theory developed in the last thousand years of Christianity and ‘penal’ substitutionary (that Jesus was punished instead of us) is more recent still. Jones does an excellent job of laying out the traditional, historic theories and measuring them according to six questions; what does this model say about God, about Jesus, about their relationship, how does it make sense of violence, what does it mean for us spiritually, and where is the love? After review and exploration of the major atonement theories (and some of the minor ones), he then presents his own theory based on satisfactory answers to those six questions. I would have no trouble saying “Amen!” to his atonement theory.
I really struggle with the idea of penal substitutionary atonement (struggle is a nice way to say I think it’s crap to believe that God hates us but for Jesus). This book was a nice reminder that we have ‘theories’ of atonement because while the Bible is clear Jesus died for our sins, it does not really spell out how exactly that happens. It was refreshing to learn that substitutionary atonement theory developed in the last thousand years of Christianity and ‘penal’ substitutionary (that Jesus was punished instead of us) is more recent still. Jones does an excellent job of laying out the traditional, historic theories and measuring them according to six questions; what does this model say about God, about Jesus, about their relationship, how does it make sense of violence, what does it mean for us spiritually, and where is the love? After review and exploration of the major atonement theories (and some of the minor ones), he then presents his own theory based on satisfactory answers to those six questions. I would have no trouble saying “Amen!” to his atonement theory.
July 18, 2022
I'd almost say this is a necessary book for those who believe in Jesus and a plausible book for those who find the whole Jesus crucifixion story mythically strange. The first 70% is a good and readable overview of several ancient and modern understandings of the crucifixion examining each through the lens of how does it reconcile with a loving god, what does it say about the trinity, what does it say about Jesus as both a human and a part of the trinity, and what does it say about humanity.
If you're a believer who has never questioned the reason and meaning of the crucifixion, here's a good place to begin and you definitely should. An unexamined faith is not worth living imho.
The last couple chapters don't really fit well and seem to be either padding or zealous preaching. I did find myself highlighting a lot of sections in one of them, but still it didn't quite fit with the book's theme.
If you're a believer who has never questioned the reason and meaning of the crucifixion, here's a good place to begin and you definitely should. An unexamined faith is not worth living imho.
The last couple chapters don't really fit well and seem to be either padding or zealous preaching. I did find myself highlighting a lot of sections in one of them, but still it didn't quite fit with the book's theme.
March 26, 2020
Good overview on different views of the crucifixion
An enjoyable and educational read. Introduced me to some theologians and views that I hadn't heard before - some of which I disagree with, some I agree with and some I'm not sure about but got me thinking.
Overall I do recommend this book.
An enjoyable and educational read. Introduced me to some theologians and views that I hadn't heard before - some of which I disagree with, some I agree with and some I'm not sure about but got me thinking.
Overall I do recommend this book.
March 15, 2018
This a theology book. I felt like I was back in college in a religion class. Having said that, it was a very good book. Lots of viewpoints of the meaning of the cross, Theological views through time and what we can do today to continue the message of God’s love.
March 16, 2021
The author is abusive trash. Some of his work here and his dissertation (the church is flat) does reframe some discussions that the new reformed and emergent folks had over the 2000s in a more helpful manner.
Support other authors on these topics. There's plenty of them out there.
Support other authors on these topics. There's plenty of them out there.
December 6, 2017
Solid read as far as theories of atonement go - Jones has matured in outlook and in humility. Good outside sourcing and does an interesting development of the history of human religion in general.
June 21, 2019
Refreshing and beautiful point of view of Jesus and the meaning of his life for Christianity.
June 16, 2020
Radical rethink
A great read. Well worth the rime. This book challenged me and gave me a much need fresh perspective on the subject of the crucifixion
A great read. Well worth the rime. This book challenged me and gave me a much need fresh perspective on the subject of the crucifixion
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