Why God Killed Jesus

Get the complete show notes at http://thethink.institute. If you've been around churches, you've seen the crosses and crucifixes. The cross is central to Christian theology as a symbol of what we believe. But there's a lot of debate about what exactly the cross represents, and what Jesus did when he died on the cross.

Subscribe to the Think Update: http://thethink.institute/articles/update Get the complete show notes for this episode at http://thethink.institute. If you've been around churches, you've seen the crosses and crucifixes. The cross is central to Christian theology as a symbol of what we believe.

Welcome to the Think Podcast with Joel Settecase. I’m Joel Settecase, and this is the show that tackles impossible questions to equip you to explain, share and answer objections to the Christian perspective.
If you’ve been around churches, you’ve seen the crosses and crucifixes. The cross is central to Christian theology as a symbol of what we believe. But there’s a lot of debate about what exactly the cross represents, and what Jesus did when he died on the cross. Recently in my own circle, there’s been a lot of discussion on the subject of the Atonement. What did Jesus do when he died on the cross? And if the cross was part of God’s plan, is it fair to say God killed Jesus? So we could phrase the question this way: Why did God kill Jesus?

To answer this question, I reached out to my professor, Kevin Vanhoozer. And Dr. Vanhoozer connected me with Dr. Stephen Wellum. Dr. Wellum is Professor of Christian Theology and editor of the Southern Baptist Journal of Theology. He and his wife Karen have five adult children. Dr. Wellum has been influential in the development of New Covenant Theology and recently, Progressive Covenantalism, which are schools of thought for interpreting the whole Bible.

In this episode, Dr. Wellum and I are going to talk about the death of Jesus--what he did, why it matters, what it teaches us about God, and how we ought to respond in light of all this. We’ll unpack some of the competing views that are out there and get to the main idea, which is that the theory known as Penal Substitutionary Atonement is the best way of thinking about what Jesus accomplished.

It’s going to be a theologically rich episode, with very practical implications, and it will certainly make you think.

Let’s start with the basics: what does does the word atonement mean?
In your book, Christ Alone, you say that the Penal Substitionary Atonement view is the best way to interpret what Christ did on the cross. Could you briefly define what that view says?
Why does this subject matter? Isn’t this more of an abstract, high-falutin’ debate among theologians in their ivory towers?

What did the Early Church believe?

In your book, Christ Alone, you give a great, historical overview of what the church has believed throughout the centuries. Looking back in history, what has been the historical position of the big-C church regarding the atonement? How much consistency has there been?
What is the Recapitulation view about?
What about the Ransom and Victory position?
Is it possible for all three (recapitulation, ransom, and Penal Substitution) to be correct? Are these just different emphases? Or are they mutually exclusive?

What changed in the Medieval Era?

You write about how Thomas Aquinas changed things. How did he do that, and why did things seem to go off the rails theologically during the high Middle Ages?

The Reformation Era to now

In your view, how unified was the Reformation view of the atonement?
How has the debate changed from the Reformation era to the modern day?
You talk about two modern views, the Socinian view and the Governmental view. You explain why the Socinian view is actually heretical--false teaching--held primarily by those who don’t believe Scripture is authoritative or who even deny the Triune nature of God. But what about the Governmental view? Could you unpack that?
The Governmental view is held more by Arminians. Does this whole debate today, within biblical orthodoxy, come down to a debate between Calvinists and Arminians?

Conclusion

What do you hope our listeners will walk away with after our conversation? Why does any of this matter to everyday life or our walk with God?
What would you say to any non-Christians listening?
What resources would you recommend to those who want to take their study further?
How can my listeners connect with you? And please tell us about projects you’re currently working on.