Hans Boersma's "Violence, Hospitality, and the Cross"
One of the things Scot McKnight does on his blog is review books chapter by chapter. Since reading retention and theme-discovery is rather important when working with many heavy sources, I am hoping this practice will help me out. So, I'm going to post summaries and thoughts on chapters from books I'm reading for my own benefit. Feel free to comment whether or not you've read the book. The first book is going to be Hans Boersma's "Violence, Hospitality, and the Cross" (Baker Academic, 2004).
Boersma's book is "about atonement theology as an expression of God's hospitality toward us" (15). He seeks to explore human hospitality after considering the nature of divine hospitality as it is most thoroughly shown in the cross (15-16). In this work, Boersma seeks to argue that seeing "hospitality as a metaphor for the love of God, as embodied in the life of Israel, the Church, and the world," shows that "this hospitality, while necessarily involving violence, retains its integrity as hospitality" (17).
His book takes the following form. Chapter 1 sets out that we can only speak about human hospitality after looking at divine hospitality. In this, he argues that violence should be understood in the Augustinian tradition, which says that "violence [is] any use of coercion that causes injury, whether that coercion is positive or negative" (17). Chapter 2 is an argument against Calvinism's Limited Atonement and Unconditional Election, saying that such a position draws violence into the very heart of God. Chapter 3 argues, instead, for a covenental understanding of election which is to form the people of God, to invite the world into relationship with him. Election, "preferential hospitality" (18) (for the poor), is for mission. Chapter 4 defends the position that metaphorical understandings of atonement are not simply helpful, but the most accurate language available for describing the atonement. "[A]ll language is metaphoric in character" says Boersma (18).
Chapters 5-8 form the heart of the book. They discuss, respectively, the moral influence, mimetic violence, penal substitution, and Christus Victor theories in atonement.
The final two chapters discuss Church hospitality and public hospitality. The Church remains Christ's presence in the world and reflects aspects of the atonement. With a public worship, the Church influences public work for justice prophetically, which should thereby take its cues from divine hospitality (and thereby, divine violence).
What do you think of the paradox of divine violence and hospitality in the cross?
Are there questions you're hoping Boersma will answer?
Do you have reservations about divine violence?
Boersma's book is "about atonement theology as an expression of God's hospitality toward us" (15). He seeks to explore human hospitality after considering the nature of divine hospitality as it is most thoroughly shown in the cross (15-16). In this work, Boersma seeks to argue that seeing "hospitality as a metaphor for the love of God, as embodied in the life of Israel, the Church, and the world," shows that "this hospitality, while necessarily involving violence, retains its integrity as hospitality" (17).
His book takes the following form. Chapter 1 sets out that we can only speak about human hospitality after looking at divine hospitality. In this, he argues that violence should be understood in the Augustinian tradition, which says that "violence [is] any use of coercion that causes injury, whether that coercion is positive or negative" (17). Chapter 2 is an argument against Calvinism's Limited Atonement and Unconditional Election, saying that such a position draws violence into the very heart of God. Chapter 3 argues, instead, for a covenental understanding of election which is to form the people of God, to invite the world into relationship with him. Election, "preferential hospitality" (18) (for the poor), is for mission. Chapter 4 defends the position that metaphorical understandings of atonement are not simply helpful, but the most accurate language available for describing the atonement. "[A]ll language is metaphoric in character" says Boersma (18).
Chapters 5-8 form the heart of the book. They discuss, respectively, the moral influence, mimetic violence, penal substitution, and Christus Victor theories in atonement.
The final two chapters discuss Church hospitality and public hospitality. The Church remains Christ's presence in the world and reflects aspects of the atonement. With a public worship, the Church influences public work for justice prophetically, which should thereby take its cues from divine hospitality (and thereby, divine violence).
What do you think of the paradox of divine violence and hospitality in the cross?
Are there questions you're hoping Boersma will answer?
Do you have reservations about divine violence?
posted by Aaron Perry at
10:18 AM
4 Comments:
I'd clearly have to read this book before making an intelligent comment on your questions. However, kudos on your post - I'm now looking into another book.
you can give your thoughts before the book gets discussed...no problem there. some are uncomfortable with violence in the atonement at all. we'll see if the book changes minds.
i definately want to read the book before i want to comment...uh, i mean, have my protests 'gently slaughtered' (now that's a paradox). my reservations abound. alas, i'm reading other required stuff and i'm poor. hey, maybe you could illegally e-copy the entire book and jeopardize your entire sanctification in the process all so i can learn? no? i thought as much. shucks.
Best book on the atonement available today -- I have a review coming out in Books and Culture. Glad you are working through it for us.
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