Jesus Saves

1
Jesus Saves?

• Session 4
• Feminist theory
• Ecological theory
• Modern Lutheran theory

2
Feminist theology and Salvation

• Variety within feminist interpretations
• Two feminist thinkers

Rebecca Parker
Rita Nakashima Brock
3
Feminist Critique

• Atonement is the greatest of Christian
  heresies. Brock
• God did not want, will, require, approve, cause,
  or allow Jesus violent death it was an act of
  state-sponsored violence.

4
Feminist Critique Violence

• A different starting point violence and victims
  of violence
• Intimate violence (Family violence, emotional
  abuse, child abuse, rape, incest)
• State-sponsored violence (war, crusades, capital
  punishment, execution, torture)

5
Feminist Critique Violence

• Violence does not save death does not save
  violence is not redemptive
• Violence doesnt create, console, heal, repair
  what has been lost, or bring peace

6
Feminist Critique

• Reject the idea that God sent Jesus to suffer,
  violently die in order to save us from our sins
  because that idea
• valorizes suffering
• says that Divine child abuse saves
• says that intimate, family violence is a form of
  redemption
• has led to women being counseled to stay in
  abusive relationships
• has caused victims of violence to remain silent
  and bear their cross

7
Whats wrong with the world?

• Violence is a sin, both in its intimate and
  state-sponsored forms
• Human violence has both victims and perpetrators
• Victims of violence experience physical,
  emotional, psychological, and spiritual pain,
  suffering, trauma, and broken-heartedness
• Victims of violence are in need of love,
  healing, caring community

8
How should it be? (Salvation)

• Physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual,
  and relational healing
• Restoration, wholeness, well-being, flourishing
• Paradise/restoration of life
  on earth

9
What is Jesus role?

• To heal, restore life
• To reject violence (Jesus was non-violent to the
  end)
• To show people how to experience and create the
  kingdom of God on earth
• To embody the fullness of Gods love
• To show people how to love each other

10
What is Gods role?

• To be the active presence of love working through
  people to repair lifes injuries, bring new
  possibilities
• To be the power of love, passion, compassion,
  liberation, and healing working in and through
  people

11
What is our role?

• To be steady witnesses that face into the reality
  of suffering and violence and move to resist it
  and stop it
• To love one another
• To be communities that help people heal and
  recover from violence, pain and suffering

12
Eco-theology and salvation

• Variety within ecological interpretations
• An ecological theologian

Sallie McFague
13
Ecological Critique

• Traditional atonement theories and ideas about
  salvation are too human-centered
• The whole earth cries out for salvation our
  planet is suffering
• God created the whole universe God is present in
  all of creation
• Humans are not the center of the salvation story

14
Whats wrong with the world?

• We live in sin, thinking that we are the center
  of the universe
• Sin is communal and systemic as well as
  individual
• We destroy creation and harm one another
• We do not live in right relationship with God,
  one another, or creation

15
How should it be? (Salvation)

• Restoration of the whole earth/universe
• Living in Gods presence imitating Gods love
  for the world
• Living appropriately on our planet, co-creating
  with God the beloved community on earth
• The flourishing of all people and all creation
  every creature fully alive
• Becoming like God by following Jesus
• Living the abundant life in union with God and
  creation

16
What is Jesus role?

• To be the incarnation of Gods love
• To love the world fully and completely without
  condition
• To show us what we are meant to be
• To preach liberation of the oppressed
• His death was a defiance of the powers of greed,
  hatred and domination
• In Jesus execution, he totally
  identified with the worlds suffering

17
What is Gods role?

• To participate in the creation of and be in
  relationship with everything that is
• The whole world is Gods body
• To be present (incarnate) in all of creation,
  down to the tiniest sub-atomic particles
• To be the source of all life and love
• To love the world unconditionally and
  abundantly

18
What is our role?

• To follow Jesus by living differently, in full
  communion with God
• To live rightly with creation and people
• To be conformed to live as Jesus lived
• To heal Gods body (the whole world)
• To work towards the flourishing of all creation
• To participate in an ecological reformation

19
Dr. Gerhard Forde, Luther Seminary

• Modern Lutheran response
• Builds on Martin Luther
• Luther close to Classic Theory
• Agrees with some feminist critiques

20
Gerhard Forde

• Key questions Why was Jesus killed?
• What are the brute facts?
• Look at what actually happened, actual events.

21
Critique of Satisfaction Theory

• God seems like a vindictive tyrant demanding a
  pound of flesh
• These ideas dont make the character of God look
  very good
• God needed Jesus death to show mercy?
• Gods honor had to be satisfied payment made?

22
Critique of Satisfaction Theory

• Gods nature is love and mercy
• If mercy is mercy, why couldnt God just up and
  forgive?
• Jesus did forgive before his death
• Death not necessary (at least for this reason)
  for forgiveness
• God is paid doesnt freely forgive

23
Critique of Classic Theory

• Christ triumphed for us over the tyrants,
  demons, sin, death, devil/evil
• Jesus death not necessary to defeat tyrants
• If God is God, God could have put demons out of
  commission at any point
• Obscured the truth of the murder of Jesus shifts
  the blame to the demons

24
Whats wrong with the world?

• We need mercy and forgiveness
• We cant accept unconditional mercy and
  forgiveness
• Our world isnt run on mercy we live by
  conditional rule
• We are the obstacle to reconciliation, not God

25
How should it be? (Salvation)

• Acceptance of Gods unconditional mercy and
  forgiveness
• Resurrection vindicates Jesus message of
  forgiveness

26
What is Jesus role?

• Dangerous because he offers total compassion
• Dangerous because he came to realize the kingdom
  of God on earth
• Offers unconditional mercy and forgiveness in his
  life and message
• Offers it in the name of God
• Dies at our hands, gets out of our way

27
What is Gods role?

• God must come to us to have mercy
• God will have mercy on whom God will have mercy
• God is only satisfied when faith is created and
  people accept Gods unconditional mercy

28
What is our role?

• To accept Gods unconditional love and
  forgiveness
• To believe in God and Gods mercy

29
Discussion

• Which of the theories of salvation is most
  helpful to you?
• What do you believe about Jesus death? About
  salvation?
• Did you ever think there could be so many ways to
  understand how Jesus saves?