Mcknight's View Of Atonement

(1) What is the basic premise / theme of the third section of McKnight’s book (117-124)? How does this premise move beyond most traditional models of atonement? Do you find the claim that the people of God can participate in ‘atonement’ helpful or controversial? 


Answer: In the third section of A Community Called Atonement, Scot MnKnight says, “Atonement is something done not only by God for us but also something we do with God for others” (McKnight 117). His point is the people of God who have been atoned for by Christ should then join Christ in his atoning work in the world. At first glance, McKnight’s point could conger up a hint of Christians atoning for others, but McKnight clears the air by stating, “I do not believe humans atone for

For example, the Black Lives Matter movement wants justice for blacks who have been wrongly treated. Yet what does that mean? In the church, the term that is often associated to this matter is “social justice.” Therefore, McKnight says, social justice “tends to imply an old-fashioned dualistic spirituality in which some things are spiritual and some things are social” (McKnight 124). McKnight’s point is that there should not be a separation of justice in the church because it is the very goal of atonement. Also, social justice in the West tends to take on an American view of justice, rather than God’s standard. Therefore, in order to redefine justice in a biblically sound way, McKnight suggests we not ask, “What is justice?” but rather “Whose justice is it?” (McKnight 124). He proposes that justice would be “consistent with what Jesus meant by

Baptism: McKnight expresses that “Baptism is the church's rite of offering to others entrance into the waters in order to be purified so that the person can enter into union with Christ and the body of Christ. This is what atonement is all about. Baptism is the church's praxis-rite of atonement; it is one way that the church offers atonement to others; and it is how the church offers purification and incorporation—or restored relationship—with God, self, and others as a missional people” (McKnight 152). Therefore, a churches missional performance could be measured by the amount of baptisms celebrated beyond new infant births. Also, baptism celebrations should friends and family who have yet to cross the line of faith. There is nothing more powerful than hearing the story of transformation and then believing that God can do that in my life