Although Jesus was the prince of peace and demonstrated love and non-violence throughout his life, evangelical Christians by and large have been the most consistent defenders of empire building, military action, and war. The reason for this anomaly among Christian behavior isn't simply hypocrisy, however. This behavior could very well be rooted in the way we have been taught to see the cross and the nature of divine justice. Because humans are reflective beings, people will always reflect the God they perceive.
I recently sat down with fellow Quoir authors Matthew Distefano & Keith Giles to record a podcast about how the Penal Substitution Atonement theory (held by evangelicalism) actually produces violence.
At the 6:15 mark, we discuss the disconnect that penal substitution theory causes between our view of God as father, and our view of Jesus.
At the 10:00 mark, we discuss the fallacy of believing that sin separates us from God.
At the 14:30 mark, we discuss why Jesus actually was crucified.
At the 20:54 mark, we discuss why Penal Substitution Theory of the cross was not a view held by early Christians. Penal Substitution Theory, as commonly found in modern evangelical thinking, was largely a creation of John Calvin.
The resources mentioned in this conversation were:
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