Progressive versus Evangelical Christianity (Part 2): Jesus' Death

Another major difference between evangelical and progressive Christians closely related to the nature of salvation (my last post) is the meaning and significance of Jesus’ death. Evangelicals are dominated by substitution/satisfaction theories of the atonement that became prominent in the Reformation, but first made their appearance in church history with Anselm in the 12^th century. These theories fit nicely with evangelical transactional view of salvation. Here is a description from a book I wrote back in 2013:

“Substitution/satisfaction theories emphasize the necessity of Jesus’ death for the forgiveness of sins. Within this framework, Jesus’ death was required to satisfy God’s offended justice, or appease/propitiate God’s wrath. Jesus’ death was demanded as a payment for the penalty of sin—a substitutionary sacrifice that bears the sinner’s punishment. These theories view Jesus’ violent death as a sacrifice demanded by God for the sinners’ atonement.

Progressive Christians level numerous criticisms against any view of Jesus’ death that seems to legitimize violence. Progressives suggest that some versions of substitutionary atonement reflect a picture of cosmic child abuse. Even Trinitarian formulations that emphasize the union between the Father and the Son must answer the question: Why does God need to save us from God?

Why would a God of love and grace demand a violent sacrifice in order to atone for sin? There is no system of justice apart from God. Why does God need to be paid off, or appeased, or have God’s honor or justice satisfied before God can forgive? What does such a view say about the character of God? Jesus spoke of God as Abba, a loving Parent who continually seeks what is best for God’s children. God forgives because it is the nature of God to do so. God is a forgiving God.”

Support for this view is drawn almost exclusively from the epistles of the New Testament. There are only three places in the Gospels where there is any implicit hint of substitution (I will address these in my next post). The epistles employ sacrificial imagery that had a rich history in Judaism, but interpreting this imagery to fit substitution theories requires interpreting it literally. Yet these are all metaphors there are simply left lose and dangling and can be subject to various interpretations.

In presenting the progressive view, again, I am going to draw from my book, “Being a Progressive Christian (is not) for Dummies (nor for know-it-alls)”:

“Progressive Christianity sees Jesus’ death as a sacrifice of devotion to God’s cause—he gave up his life while living for the good of others and doing the will of God. He put the good of others and God’s cause before his own life. But progressives do not believe that Jesus’ death was necessary in order to make forgiveness of sins possible. 

Perhaps the single word that best captures progressive interpretations of the redemptive value of Jesus’ death is participation. Progressives contend that we are redeemed/transformed as we participate with Jesus in the way of the cross, the way of self-giving service, humility, nonviolence, forgiveness, and suffering love. Death and resurrection constitute the transformative pattern. As we die to our selfish attitudes and ambitions and center our lives in the Spirit, manifesting the grace and goodness of the Christ life, we participate in Christ’s death and resurrection through the power of the Spirit (see Rom 6–8).

Jesus’ death exposes the evil—the greed, hate, and violence—of the domination system. Jesus defeats the principalities and powers, not through violence but nonviolence, by bearing the animosity and cruelty inflicted upon him through patient endurance and forgiveness. Jesus absorbs the hate and violence of the powers without returning the hate and violence, thus making it possible for the cycle of hate and violence to be broken.

Progressives also see the death of Jesus as a powerful revelation of God’s love for the world (Rom 5:8). God’s revelation of love in Christ inspires disciples of Jesus to offer their total selves to God as a living sacrifice, refusing to be conformed to the values of this world and embracing God’s good and gracious will (Rom 12:1–2). Jesus gave his life for God’s cause, for a vision of a world healed and made whole. Through Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and continued presence his disciples are inspired and empowered to do likewise.

Traditional Christianity makes the sacrificial metaphors of Paul fit a substitution/satisfaction theory and then reads the Gospels through the grid of their interpretation of Paul. Progressive Christians give priority to the Gospels and either downplay the sacrificial metaphors of Paul or interpret them in nonsubstitutionary ways. 

For example, when Paul says that Jesus “died for our sins” (1 Cor 15:3) or “gave himself for our sins” (Gal 1:4) progressives contend that such expressions can be interpreted in ways other than substitution. It may mean that Jesus died “on account of” or “because of” our sins—our sins being the sins of the domination system that crucified him. The meaning being that we are complicit in the system that crucified Jesus. Or it could mean that Jesus gave himself to deliver us from the controlling power of our sins like greed or hate. We are liberated from such sins as we follow Jesus in love of God and love of neighbor, even when our neighbor is the enemy who crucifies us.

It’s very possible that Paul and other early Christians referenced Jesus’ death as a concise way of summarizing the whole Christ Event—his incarnational life, death, resurrection/vindication, and continued presence through the Spirit. For example, in the Christ hymn of Philippians 2:6–11, Jesus’ death is spoken of as the culmination of a life of humility, service, and obedience to the will of God.

Thus, progressive Christians see the cross of Jesus as a paradigm for radical transformation. As we follow the path of humility, sacrificial love, and surrender to God’s will that culminated for Jesus in the cross, we are changed by the same Spirit that guided him. As we die to our little, small, ego-driven, false self, and live in the power of the Spirit, the power that generates suffering love and compassionate service, we conform to the way of the crucified Christ and grow in character and spiritual awareness. As we bear personal injustice through patient endurance and forgiveness, we clear a way forward for breaking the vicious cycles of hate and revenge, making reconciliation possible.

In substitution/satisfaction theories, salvation is often regarded as a kind of cosmic, legal, juridical transaction that, for all practical purposes, renders the life and teachings of Jesus irrelevant. In this system forgiveness is basically a declaration of acquittal or pronouncement of “not guilty” in the heavenly courtroom based on Jesus bearing the penalty and paying the price for our sins. In nonviolent participation theories, forgiveness is understood in the way Jesus treats it in the Gospels. Jesus’ concern is about restoring relationships, calling for repentance and reconciliation. For progressive Christians forgiveness is less a juridical pronouncement and more a relational process that constitutes a vital part of discipleship to Jesus.”