My friend, Amy Peterson, invited me to contribute to her series on our Second Simplicity. Amy is an amazing writer, skilled editor and smart + witty friend. It’s an honor to share my own second naiveté with her… about my own understanding of the cross.
I came of age in evangelical circles where the cross was the high ground, the holy pinnacle of faith. The cross was the symbol above all others, the metaphor not to be desecrated with any understanding other than blood spilled as a sacrifice for my sin. My personal salvation clung to that old rugged cross where Jesus died for my sins.
Everything I knew about salvation was moored to that cross, that sacrifice for me.
Years after graduating from a Christian liberal arts college, years after completing my Masters of Divinity degree from an evangelical seminary, even years after leadership in my local charismatic church I noticed a shift.
I was reading a book about Jesus written by Marcus Borg. (This was my first foray into any scholarship stemming from the Jesus Seminar, which my evangelical colleagues convinced me to be wary of.)
“According to the Gospels Jesus did not die for the sins of the world…He was killed because of the sins of the world.”
I underlined these words as I read the fuller chapter on the personal and political meaning surrounding the death of Jesus. I underlined them in a spirit of agreement. I kept reading.
It took me about three or four pages to realize what I just did. I stopped. I thumbed my way back to that page and read the words again. Jesus died because of sin, not for sin. Do I really agree with this? – because if I do then my understanding of the cross has just moved into uncharted territory.
Kelly,
Thank you for your courage to stand in the gap here. Have you written more on this distinction or can you recommend other authors with this specific topic. I’m not clear on the difference. I’ve left the evangelical church for many reasons but still find my heart tied to Christ- weaving a path I didn’t expect to. Thanks.
Lori,
Many have written well about another way to understand the cross and theories of atonement. I’ve learned much from Marcus Borg (Jesus), Brian McLaren (The Secret Message of Jesus) and John Dominic Crossan, among others. Crossan and Borg wrote a provocative book on Holy Week (The Last Week) which helped me find some new frames for the cross, suffering and resurrection. I think one important thing is to be willing to hold a few understandings at once, to not opt for one or the other as if to find ‘the right way,’ but to understand something as important as the cross is going to be mystical and a bit beyond us at all times. But seeing the cross as both personal and political, as Borg says, helped me move forward at a critical juncture in my faith. Blessings to you.