The second quarter has arrived! We've kicked off the quarter by delving into the Atonement. We've been asking "how did Jesus' death on a Roman cross open up the way for their to be oneness between God and humanity?" We've surveyed four different theories of the Atonement that Christians have held throughout Church history: Christus Victor, Penal Substitution, Healing/Restorative, and Kaleidoscopic. Christus Victor emphasizes Christ conquering of evil/demonic powers. Penal Subsitution emphasizes Christ bearing punishment for sin in our place. Healing empahsizes our being made whole by his wounds. Kaleidoscopic emphasizes that any serious Atonement theory needs to hold multiple facets/dimentions of the Atonement together.
Gospel Reading/Observations- in class; continuing in the book of Matthew
Atonement Theories Quiz- in class Friday, Oct. 31st
Understanding the Atonement Essay (details on Canvas)- due Wednesday, Nov. 5th
Next week, students will have several full class periods to work on their essays on the Atonement (see Canvas). This is a position paper where they have to explain the four views of the atonement that we've covered, and say which theory they find to be most helpful/impactful and why. The hope is that, if students use their class time wisely, they will have work on this essay very little at home.
Then, we will transition to a new unit on the Resurrection midweek. What do we do with the biblical claims that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead? Is there historical evidence for an empty tomb? Was it all one big conspiracy?