Five Views on the Extent of the Atonement

Counterpoints

by Adam J. Johnson (Editor), Michael Scott Horton (Contributor)

For whom did Christ die? Who may be saved? are questions of perennial interest and importance for the Christian faith. In a familiar Counterpoints format, this book explores the question of the extent of Christ's atonement, going beyond simple Reformed vs. non-Reformed understandings. This volume elevates the conversation to a broader plane, including contributors who represent the breadth of Christian tradition:


Eastern Orthodox: Andrew Louth
Roman Catholic: Matthew Levering
Traditional Reformed: Michael Horton
Wesleyan: Fred Sanders
Barthian Universalism: Tom Greggs
This book serves not only as a single-volume resource for engaging the views on the extent of the atonement but also as a catalyst for understanding and advancing a balanced approach to this core Christian doctrine. The Counterpoints series provides a forum for comparison and critique of different views on issues important to Christians. Counterpoints books address two categories: Church Life and Bible and Theology. Complete your library with other books in the Counterpoints series.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity

256 pages, Paperback

Published July 2, 2019

About the author

I am a theologian who focuses on the doctrine of the atonement, exploring the many ways in which the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ effect the reconciliation of all things to God.

In addition to biblical, theological and historical explorations of the atonement, I also enjoy exploring the contribution of literature and other fields to the topic.

I am an Assistant Professor in the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University in La Mirada, CA.

My wife, Katrina, and I have been married 12 years, and have three sons. We love camping and exploring America's National Parks.

Reviews

[Suzanne McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four of the five contributors make this a very worthwhile volume. Even with the limits of a format such as this, which prohibits deep engagement with the topic and with one another, they raise substantive issues within and between their essays, and some quite subtle distinctions (this is in part because in Sanders and Levering we have Wesleyan and Roman Catholic voices that are much closer than many in those traditions to some of the priorities of the Reformed tradition. It will be interesting to see the extent to which others in their respective traditions are happy to claim their views as representative). Levering, Sanders, Horton, and Greggs make the most of their essays and are committed to grace-full, pointed, and substantive engagement with one another. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Andrew Louth. His essay is largely an exercise in avoiding issues of substance in relation to the topic for as long as possible, and his responses to the other essays are token at best, betraying a rushed and superficial reading of them. This is most disappointing, because there is much scope for significant engagement between East and West on this topic, and Louth blew off the opportunity to do that well. It is also frustrating, because his contributions substantially diminish the value of the book as a whole, especially in a classroom setting. My sense is that Louth really wanted to have nothing to do with this topic or this project, and I rather wish that Zondervan could have obliged, by cutting his contributions entirely and simply making this a ‘Four Views’ book.

[Jaden A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the contributions and responses of Michael Horton (Reformed) and Fred Sanders (Wesleyan). Neither author engages in polemical ad hominems that are all too common in discussions had over topics belonging to soteriology. One must remember that theology (in most cases) is an abductive enterprise, so we mustn't be overly dogmatic toward other parties lest their view be explicitly refuted by Scripture. Some verses undoubtedly have a universal note (1 John 2:2; 1 Timothy 2:6; Titus 2:11), whereas others seem to indicate that Christ did not die for all (John 6:38-39; 15:16; 17:9, Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:4-5, 7, 15). The goal of course as Sanders points out is to responsibly exegete the witness of Scripture while not falling trap to "special pleading or obfuscation" (p. 170).

[James Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edited book containing five essays by theologians from five distinct Christian communities on the extent of the atonement. After each essay, the other writers engage what has been said from the perspective of their own faith communities. Excellent read, but not a beginner's primer on the topic.

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unfortunately there’s no clear answer 😂

Found myself living between Greggs essay and Horton’s rebuttal, but what’s new?