Stephen Finlan, PhD, is an adjunct professor at Drew University and has taught at Fordham. He is also author of Problems with Atonement and Options on Atonement in Christian Thought (both published by Liturgical Press) as well as The Background and Content of Paul's Cultic Atonement Metaphors (SBL and Brill, 2004).
. . . this little book is valuable for its clear exposition of the
various strands of ancient tradition that early Christians,
especially Paul, used in their reflections on Christ’s work of
salvation.Catholic Books Review
[The] book is worth reading for giving us the ‘lay of the land’
regarding the biblical background and the theological traditions
behind our heritage of atonement theology and the issues that must
be addressed if the use of biblical atonement imagery is to be
pastorally effective.The Catholic Biblical Quarterly
This slim volume with its focus on questions facing many of today’s
Christians is an excellent resource for individuals and
groups.Writing Works
Finlan expertly untangles the various concepts of atonement in the
Bible and teases out their different theological assumptions and
implications. While demonstrating that atonement doctrines
inevitably attribute violence and injustice to God, the author
argues persuasively that none of the atonement thinking in
Christianity derives from the historical Jesus. As Finlan charts
the spiritual and psychological damage in which atonement thinking
is implicated and the human violence it can incite, he offers a
theological alternative based on the teachings of Jesus. Built on
solid erudition and driven by a moral purpose, Options on Atonement
invites Christians to move beyond violent images of God while
keeping faith with their biblical tradition.Robert J. Miller,
Professor of Religious Studies, Juniata College
Stephen Finlan argues for the rejection of blood sacrifice and all
related themes, such as payment of debt and penal substitution, in
the Christian doctrine of salvation. Options on Atonement is an
important work which should stimulate reflection and stir up
theological debate. It will be of particular interest to a growing
number of theologians and ethicists who are concerned to articulate
and practice a theology of peacemaking.James G. Williams, author of
The Bible, Violence, and the Sacred and editor of The Girard Reader
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