Heretic Happy Hour #048: The Atonement (HOTW: Brian Zahnd)
Apr 30, 2019
In this engaging discussion, Brian Zahnd, an author and pastor known for his thought-provoking works on faith, delves deep into the complexities of atonement. He challenges penal substitution theories, advocating for a perspective centered on God's love and forgiveness. Zahnd explores the healing nature of sin and how it reflects a loving Father rather than a punitive deity. He also connects the Easter story to modern conceptions of loyalty, urging a reevaluation of Jesus's teachings beyond the cross and emphasizing the transformative power of love.
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Overcome Conditioned Shame
- Observe and feel your feelings of shame without judgment.
- Trace those feelings to their origins to free yourself from conditioned guilt.
Rethinking the Atonement
- Brian Zahnd rejects penal substitution theory, seeing the cross as God's act of forgiving the world, not punishing Jesus.
- The cross exposes worldly powers' injustice and reveals God as a loving reconciler, not a wrathful punisher.
God Forgives Without Punishment
- Penal substitution relies on a violent notion of justice where God must punish Jesus to forgive.
- Brian Zahnd argues God can simply forgive; the cross is not about satisfying wrath or justice.
