Title: Jesus Saves
1Jesus Saves?
- Session 4
- Feminist theory
- Ecological theory
- Modern Lutheran theory
2Feminist theology and Salvation
- Variety within feminist interpretations
- Two feminist thinkers
Rebecca Parker
Rita Nakashima Brock
3Feminist 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.
4Feminist 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)
5Feminist 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
6Feminist 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
7Whats 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
8How should it be? (Salvation)
- Physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual,
and relational healing - Restoration, wholeness, well-being, flourishing
- Paradise/restoration of life
on earth
9What 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
10What 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
11What 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
12Eco-theology and salvation
- Variety within ecological interpretations
- An ecological theologian
Sallie McFague
13Ecological 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
14Whats 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
15How 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
16What 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
17What 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
18What 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
19Dr. Gerhard Forde, Luther Seminary
- Modern Lutheran response
- Builds on Martin Luther
- Luther close to Classic Theory
- Agrees with some feminist critiques
20Gerhard Forde
- Key questions Why was Jesus killed?
- What are the brute facts?
- Look at what actually happened, actual events.
21Critique 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?
22Critique 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
23Critique 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
24Whats 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
25How should it be? (Salvation)
- Acceptance of Gods unconditional mercy and
forgiveness - Resurrection vindicates Jesus message of
forgiveness
26What 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
27What 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
28What is our role?
- To accept Gods unconditional love and
forgiveness - To believe in God and Gods mercy
29Discussion
- 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?