At·one·ment: Reconstructing Our Theology of the Cross

Have you considered how wild it is that the cross became the central image of Christianity? Christians really took their most embarrassing, heartbreaking moment - the execution of Jesus by the government - and made it into a badge of honor. Crosses decorate our sanctuaries. People wear them as jewelry. Some get it tattooed on their skin. What had been a symbol of failure became a symbol of hope!

But it doesn’t always feel that hopeful, does it? When the crucifixion is the will of an angry God whose fury can only be soothed by the unmerited suffering of his child it can make it hard to believe that the cross is how humanity is reconciled with God.

The good news is that this is not the only way that Christians have understood the meaning of the Cross! Over six weeks we will explore the Jewish and Christian roots of…