Mark D. Eikost

Here is an assertion that an "either/or" exists when in fact it is taught as a "both/and" in Scripture and in Christianity through the ages. Unfortunately Rohr characterizes the cross that each follower of Jesus is supposed to take up and carry as a situation "that we cannot fix, control, explain, change, or even understand." When in fact it is an act of service and obedience to the One who redeems us. The cross that Jesus carried was with purpose, on purpose: "Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures," Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:3. Jesus said in Mark 10:45, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." You might argue with the name "atonement theory" or with some of the specifics of what Jesus' death means as it is explained throughout history, but Scripture is clear that Jesus' death is a ransom. Jesus' death was not something that was beyond explaining or understanding. Jesus embraced the cross for us, purposefully. And he asks us to carry a cross as well.