In anticipation of the John 10:16 Conference, Michael Horton writes about “Why ‘Substitutionary Atonement’ Remains Crucial” at The Resurgence.
At least implicitly combining various subjective theories already mentioned, this trajectory is especially represented in the work of Jürgen Moltmann and liberation theology but also in much of the popular preaching and teaching in contemporary evangelicalism. In much of evangelicalism today, the emphasis falls on the question “What Would Jesus Do?” rather than “What Has Jesus Done?” Jesus provides the model for us to imitate for personal or social transformation. Especially in some contemporary Anabaptist and feminist theologies, the theme of God’s wrath against sinners is regarded as a form of violence that legitimizes human revenge. Rather than see Christ’s work as bearing a sentence that we deserved, it is seen as moral empowerment for our just praxis (good works) in transforming the world.
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