VHC 5: Model Hospitality
Chapter 5 is Boersma's effort to address the moral influence theory (MIT) of atonement and its connection to hospitality. In this atonement model, Jesus is exemplary in his teaching of what true love is and how it is modeled. God's hospitality and not his violence come to center stage here. The reason the imitation of Christ is essential to atonement is because "[atonement]...remains a forensic fiction unless it receives a subjective telos in the lives of Christians today" (116).
Does this mean that violence has no place in atonement? No. "As soon as a [MIT of atonement] introduces any divine purpose at all into the crucifixion, an element of violence or exclusion is introduced into our understanding of the cross" (117). This is because (and here Boersma quotes J. Denny Weaver) if the death of Christ is salvific, then it is intended by God; if intended, then God sends his son to die and is thereby implicated in the violence. The MIT only avoids God's involvement in violence if it says that God does not use the death of Christ as a redemptive act. From here, Boersma addresses the feminist critique against self-sacrifice and its encouragement for the victim to continue suffering by saying these claims are exaggerated, but admits their point--stressing again the weakness of absolute hospitality. The victim is not to suffer incessantly when modeling God's hospitatility. For this reason, the MIT cannot be the only atonement model used as it might perpetuate violence in extreme self-sacrifice.
Boersma then turns to see how the MIT might be used appropriately. Dealing with Irenaeus, Boersma says that recapitulation has three roles: prophetic (MIT), priestly (representative punishment), and royal (Christus Victor). Recapitulation says that Christ takes the place of all humanity in his life. In this way, our fellowship with Christ makes us sons and daughters of God. For this to happen, the incarnation was necessary, but insufficient (123-24). In his incarnate form, Christ's obedience against Satan's temptation forms how Christ gains the victory (124).
This victory of Christ is to be passed on: there is a subjective element to atonement. So, Christ becomes the teacher of true humanity. Further, because Irenaeus is fighting the Gnostic heresy, obedience and action must be public--and not merely inward and spiritual (127). Christ's obedience and our following and learning from him defeats Satan and makes atonement effective for the believer. This is undoubtedly synergistic thinking and highlights the freedom involved for the believer in the atonement. God's work is not solely one-sided, but involves response. Imitation of Christ, modeling divine hospitality, then, may involve suffering and violence, but always for faithfulness to the gospel, not for suffering's own sake (132).
Does this mean that violence has no place in atonement? No. "As soon as a [MIT of atonement] introduces any divine purpose at all into the crucifixion, an element of violence or exclusion is introduced into our understanding of the cross" (117). This is because (and here Boersma quotes J. Denny Weaver) if the death of Christ is salvific, then it is intended by God; if intended, then God sends his son to die and is thereby implicated in the violence. The MIT only avoids God's involvement in violence if it says that God does not use the death of Christ as a redemptive act. From here, Boersma addresses the feminist critique against self-sacrifice and its encouragement for the victim to continue suffering by saying these claims are exaggerated, but admits their point--stressing again the weakness of absolute hospitality. The victim is not to suffer incessantly when modeling God's hospitatility. For this reason, the MIT cannot be the only atonement model used as it might perpetuate violence in extreme self-sacrifice.
Boersma then turns to see how the MIT might be used appropriately. Dealing with Irenaeus, Boersma says that recapitulation has three roles: prophetic (MIT), priestly (representative punishment), and royal (Christus Victor). Recapitulation says that Christ takes the place of all humanity in his life. In this way, our fellowship with Christ makes us sons and daughters of God. For this to happen, the incarnation was necessary, but insufficient (123-24). In his incarnate form, Christ's obedience against Satan's temptation forms how Christ gains the victory (124).
This victory of Christ is to be passed on: there is a subjective element to atonement. So, Christ becomes the teacher of true humanity. Further, because Irenaeus is fighting the Gnostic heresy, obedience and action must be public--and not merely inward and spiritual (127). Christ's obedience and our following and learning from him defeats Satan and makes atonement effective for the believer. This is undoubtedly synergistic thinking and highlights the freedom involved for the believer in the atonement. God's work is not solely one-sided, but involves response. Imitation of Christ, modeling divine hospitality, then, may involve suffering and violence, but always for faithfulness to the gospel, not for suffering's own sake (132).
posted by Aaron Perry at
11:23 AM
1 Comments:
i find boersma's connection of moral influence with divine violence to be an excellent critique of the ridiculous notion of "divine child abuse" in penal substitution (penal representation as boersma says, and i concur). who, after all, would say that a parent's intention for their child to suffer violence, even if not at their own hands, was not child abuse?
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home