Redskins 26 Cowboys 24

enough politics...onto something really important--The Redskins beat the Cowboys!

great day today; church at New Hope this morning with my family, then a reception for the current exhibit in our gallery, with artist Carl Lennartson.

worship tonight was good. we talked about the atonement--looking at four different models or theories, how none of them is complete on their own, and how a theology based on more than one model can change how we see God.

Here are summaries we looked at--taken from a variety of sources:

Models of Atonement

Christus Victor

Atonement is about the incarnation of Jesus into this world, and of participation and sharing in the suffering of humanity, taking them to the cross, so that God triumphs over evil and all of creation is restored and recreated.

Satisfaction

This model is grounded in the concept of personal honor found in the European feudal culture. Sin dishonors God. A price must be paid to satisfy God and restore his divine honor. The only penalty suitable to God was Christ’s obedience to death.

Moral Influence

Jesus’ self-giving love, expressed in his death on the cross, leads us to love God and love others fully, giving our lives back to God.

Penal Substitution

Christ, by his own sacrificial choice, was punished in the place of sinners, thus satisfying the demands of justice so God can justly forgive sins.