Why Did Jesus Die and What Does That Have to Do with Me? (Fred R. Anderson) -- A Review
WHY DID JESUS DIE AND WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ME? A Biblical and Sacramental Understanding of Atonement. By Fred R. Anderson. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2022. Xvii + 330 pages.
Standing
at the center of the Christian confession of faith is the death and
resurrection of Jesus. As one reads through the New Testament, one finds
significant discussions of the cross and its meaning. The question that
continually gets raised in the New Testament and beyond concerns what Jesus'
death has to do with us. Was he a political revolutionary who got executed by
the Romans whose followers built a new religion around him? Did he die for our
sins, as texts in the New Testament suggest? In doing so did he take upon
himself our sins, so that he bore our divinely authorized punishment? Theologians
have been debating these kinds of questions for two millennia. We often
categorize these discussions and debates as expressions of one or more
atonement theories. While penal substitution (Jesus bore our punishment so we
would not have to bear it) has been a favorite among Protestants, it's not the
only option.
Among
the many who have attempted to engage the concept of atonement is Fred R.
Anderson, pastor emeritus of Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City.
The title of this book is—Why Did Jesus Die and What Does That Have to Dowith Me? —suggests that the author has undertaken a challenge that has
bedeviled theologians through the centuries. Thus, in the course of the book,
Anderson ranges across significant territory asking the question of the meaning
of Christ’s death on the cross. More specifically, he wants to explore the
second part of the title— “What does that have to do with me?” After all, that
is what gets the most attention in explorations of this topic. The subtitle reminds
us that even as Anderson is interested in what happens on the cross, he’s also interested
in the sacramental connection to the cross. Thus, he gives significant
attention to the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist.
Anderson
tells us that the book originated with a question posed to him by a parishioner
as they drove to a board meeting of an organization of which they were both
trustees. That question had to do with the relationship between the cross and
his salvation. Anderson made it clear that the answer is rather complicated as
there has never been just one authoritative answer. Nevertheless, the answer
might be complicated, but it does involve Jesus’ death on the cross. In other
words, it involves some form of atonement theory. In this book, Anderson seeks
to answer his friend's question by exploring the various atonement theories and
their implications. He writes that "atonement is about much more than the
cross and casts a net so wide it is safe to say that no aspect of the Christian
faith is left untouched by it." (p. 3). That is why Anderson roams across
a great deal of territory, including definitions of sin, original sin, the
nature of evil, the identity of Satan, and more. As for the intended audience
of this book, Anderson suggests that he has written for a large cross-section
of people ranging from working pastors to lay persons and everyone in between.
He has in mind specifically the members of the congregations he's served as
well as those who have left the church but not Jesus.
After laying
out the question of the atonement in Chapter 1, Anderson moves in Chapter 2 to what
he believes is the origin of the story of the cross and salvation, and that is
Jesus’ Passover celebration. That is
because the discussion of the cross begins in earnest at the meal we call the
Last Supper, during which Jesus applies to himself what Anderson terms a New
Passover. That leads to a discussion of the various passages in the Gospels and
in Paul's letters (primarily 1 Corinthians 11), where this meal is discussed.
From
that initial biblical discussion, we move to a discussion in chapter 3 of
Baptism and the Lord's Supper, both as they were understood/practiced in the
ancient church and are practiced today. He also spends time looking at the
creeds, which have sacramental connections. He moves through history, showing
the development of how the sacraments came to be understood, including the
medieval debates over transubstantiation, that led to official Catholic
doctrine. From there the Reformation response (rejection of
transubstantiation), including Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin. From the
Reformation, we move forward to the present, including the convergence document
from the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches—the Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry Document. This chapter seeks to connect the
discussion of the atonement to sacramental theology, something that Anderson
has a special interest in.
The
question taken up in Chapter 4 has to do with why we need atonement. He asks what
the problem is that led to the development of this concept. The problem is sin.
In answer to this question, Anderson begins with the Creation stories of
Genesis 1 and 2 and then brings in the Fall in Genesis 3. The biblical story
speaks to God's work to undo that event, which begins with the call of Abraham.
Since sacrificial language is often part of the discussion of atonement,
Anderson devotes Chapter 5 to a discussion of the place of sacrifice in
Israel's life and places it in the context of sacrificial practice in the
Ancient Near East. What he makes clear, after exploring every aspect of
sacrificial practice and theology, is that in Jewish/Israelite perspective, it
has nothing to do with the appeasement of divine wrath.
Now we
turn to the question taken up in Chapter 6, which has to do with the New
Testament discussion of Jesus' view of sacrifice and the application of
sacrificial language to the death of Jesus. Anderson acknowledges both that as
a faithful Jew Jesus would have offered sacrifices and that Jesus never speaks
of himself in the Gospels directly using sacrificial language. Interestingly,
Anderson suggests that in the New Testament Jesus is most often understood not
as the atoning sacrifice but as the place of atonement. Not only is he the
possible expiation for sin, but his blood carries life to us. For the most
part, in the New Testament sacrificial language is metaphorical, but things
change as the Christian community moves into the second century.
In Chapter
7, Anderson starts looking at the various atonement theories, beginning with
the post-apostolic church. In this chapter, he takes the conversation through
the Reformation. Thus, he discusses Ireneaus' intriguing recapitulation theory,
Anselm's satisfaction model, and Abelard's moral example model. The chapter
continues the discussion with the views of the Reformers—Luther and Calvin—focusing
on the emergence of penal substitution. While this was being formulated,
questions emerged as to who the recipient was. Thus, Arminius and the
Remonstrants argued for universal atonement (not universal salvation). Then
there is the Moral Government theory of Hugo Grotius, in which he argued that
Jesus didn't suffer punishment on our behalf, but that his death expressed
God's displeasure for sin, thereby inviting us to embrace God's grace.
Chapter
8 extends the conversation about the various atonement theories, beginning with
the Enlightenment and taking the discussion
to the early Twentieth century. Thus, he shares the views of Friedrich Schleiermacher,
Charles Hodge, John McLeod Campbell, Soren Kierkegaard, Horace Bushnell, and
Walter Rauschenbusch, among others. He also takes note of the views of German
theologians such as Adolph von Harnack, Ernst Troestch, and Albert Schweitzer,
as well as the Swedish theologian Gustav Aulen, who sought to reclaim the
earlier Christus Victor theory. Then in Chapter 9, he focuses on various
twentieth-century theologians, beginning with Donald M. Baillie, who brought
the incarnation back into the conversation. From there we move to Karl Barth,
T.F. Torrance, and Jürgen Moltmann. He closes that chapter with a discussion of
the resurrection, through which God transforms the world into the New Creation.
Thus, even as the cross divided God from God, the resurrection “unites God with
God in the most intimate fellowship.” While the cross occurred on Good Friday,
the resurrection is an eschatological event that occurred in Jesus’
resurrection (p. 190).
Perhaps
you’ve noticed that to this point the figures under discussion are all white
males—whether European or American. While these theologians have been very
influential when it comes to my own theology, I was beginning to wonder if this
was all there would be. Anderson shifts our attention from white males to theologians
that until recently have not received much attention. Thus, chapter 10 is devoted
to “Feminist and Liberation Theologians.” Anderson notes that feminist
theologians began to make themselves heard in the second half of the twentieth
century, challenging the way theology had been done. As for Liberation, this
began to emerge in Latin America, with the work of people such as Gustavo
Gutierrez and others. Then in the United States, we have the emergence of Black
Theology, including the work of James Cone. These theologians have offered important
critiques of traditional atonement theories, including the interpretation of
sacrifice.
When we
arrive at Chapter 11, Anderson lays out what he believes God has done through
Jesus. He focuses our attention on Scripture once again, beginning with the
call of Abraham and Sarah. From this foundational couple, we move forward
through the history of Israel/Judah, with the greatest attention given to the
Exile and its aftermath. That is where Jesus comes into the story. Here he
gives attention to taking note of the various aspects of Jesus' life and death
and what that has to do with salvation. What begins in Chapter 11 is continued
in Chapter 12, where Anderson discusses God's New Creation—that is, God's work
of reconciliation in and through Jesus and his death and resurrection. This act
of reconciliation includes our participation in the life of Jesus through his
death and resurrection. Moving to Chapter 13, Anderson brings into the
conversation our growth in Christ, that is, putting Jesus on. The key here is
the Sacraments. as the means of at-one-ment. He speaks of three means of grace,
beginning with hearing the Word, moving to Baptism, and then to the Eucharist.
I should note that as a Presbyterian, he strongly embraces weekly communion!
This is
one of those summative exercises that writers sometimes engage in that seek to
offer a broad look at ideas that have proven important to one’s life. For
clergy, the death and resurrection of Jesus and their implication for the lives
of those for whom a pastor has accepted responsibility is one of those
categories that will emerge. My sense is that this should be a helpful book for
many as he addresses atonement theory in a broad context, including sacramental
theology. Too often atonement theories are addressed in isolation, but Anderson
believes that they are best understood contextually. For that, we can be
thankful that Fred Anderson has given us Why Did Jesus Die and What Does That
Have to Do with Me? A Biblical and Sacramental Understanding of Atonement.
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