On the cross of Calvary, God poured out his wrath on Christ, in the place of sinners.

Do you think that such a notion is a “twisted version of events,” or “morally dubious,” or a “huge barrier to faith”?Do you think that the doctrine of penal substitution, God punishing Christ in our place, is a form of “cosmic child abuse”?

Did you know that there is an ongoing debate among some in the evangelical camp who are embarrassed and even hate the truth claim that Jesus’ death was a divine wrath-bearing event?

A brand new book by Zondervan brings forth part of this discussion, focusing on the controversy as it appeared in the UK in the Evangelical Alliance. The Atonement Debate: Papers from the London Symposium on the Theology of Atonement is a collection of papers from a symposium held by the Evangelical Alliance and the London School of Theology. Here…

Is explicit faith in Christ necessary for eternal salvation?

Without a doubt, a question like this is provocative and elicits passion from all religious corners. However, questions like this are of foundational importance, so I am quite sure that these very topics will, in one shape or form, become part of the regular conversation around here on our blog.

In a brand new book, Faith Comes by Hearing: A Response to Inclusivism, nine Christian theologians give us an excellent introduction to this topic, arguing against the idea that salvation can take place apart from knowledge of Jesus Christ.

One of the editors, Robert Peterson, is a professor of theology here in St. Louis at Covenant Theological Seminary. There are a lot of new terms to get a handle on in this discussion, so Peterson opens with an introduction that defines the terms for us:

Pluralism is the view that all religions lead…