The Meaning of the Cross

by Leslie D. Weatherhead

Book by Weatherhead, Leslie D.

Paperback

Published April 1, 1982

About the author

Leslie Dixon Weatherhead was an English Christian theologian in the liberal Protestant tradition. Renowned as one of Britain's finest preachers in his day, Weatherhead achieved notoriety for his preaching ministry at City Temple in London and for his books, including The Will of God, The Christian Agnostic and Psychology, Religion, and Healing.

Reviews

[Sherri Losee]

This is an AMAZING book. There are many of us who have difficulty believing the very rigid view that Christ was given by God as a living sacrifice - a ransom - to save those who believe this - and ONLY this - from damnation. The first and foremost difficulty is that a loving God would not either A) sacrifice His son in this brutal, torturous way and B) send those who grew up in, and only know, a religion other than Christianity to a torturous hell. This book parses out other possibilities, based on scripture, that make far more sense than the Apostles early "take" on Christ's purpose. Jesus is my saviour because He shows me a radical and beautiful way to live. It was called The Way.

[Bruce]

I've never been able to accept the idea of Christ as a literal sacrifice and ransom for our salvation. Christ did indeed die for our salvation, but as the last possible resort to get through to us and lead us to communion with God. Weatherhead's book is an eloquent, closely reasoned explication of this view, though not presented argumentatively against the other view.