Atonement Argument Scuttles UK's "Word Alive" Youth Conference

This insanity frankly reflects a great fear which does nothing to further the kingdom of God. This is simply another example in a long line of human errors in the history of the church which alienates the message of Jesus from a world in need.

Frankly the argument is not cool, but I must admit it is nice to see intellectual “discussion” over the atonement. Most would not even know what it is. And sadly, i have a feeling it will do nothing for creating a deeper level of thought to most, especially those beyond the Kingdom. But I have hope.

Jesus said, “No one takes my life from me; I have the power to lay it down and the power to take it up again.” If Jesus is fully God as well as fully man, and he voluntarily laid down his life, how can one say that substitutionary atonement is “child abuse?” That is a non-sequitur, given who Jesus is.

My observation of and experience with theologicans not holding unto substitutional penalty is a correlating down-play of the reality of the human corrupt nature leading to a non-conversional attitude. “Cosmic child abuse” is just another example of a political correctness invading sound, classical orthodoxy. The anti-thesis Christus Victor and substitutional penalty is false, different biblical metaphors of the atonement need not to be contra-positioned. Christus Victor without substitional atonement will practically and experimentally end up in liberal understanding of the corrupt nature thus affirming it in its non-redemptive status, and subsitional atonement without the Christus Victor motive will in reality end up in a non-redemptive state of the human nature as well.
In order to gain victory over sin, man has to know both himself in his lost status without grace to appreciate and grasp in faith the penalty paid (no cheap grace!) AND the Power of the Christus Victor the live a redeemed live progressing in faith, love and hope towards total liberation though death and ressurection in Christ by faith. Knowing sin AND knowing Christ is the inner reprocity of true apostolic faith. Only the powerfull gift of the Spirit brings the faith that grasps this secret, thus putting sin to death and a new creature to life.

I have said for a long time that the cross would have been the worse evil had it not been for the fact that the savior gave his life voluntarily in order to accomplish the Father’s will. Anyone who wants to believe that the cross is “cosmic child abuse” or any such thing, is simply a poor reader of the Bible.