Atonement and the Life of Faith, by Adam Johnson  

'Covers a lot of ground in a short space, but has great theological reflection, offering fresh insights and bigger view of the centrality of atonement to our life of faith'

Atonement and the Life of Faith
By Adam Johnson 
Baker
ISBN: 978-1540961709
Reviewed by Andy Goodliff

This is not a long book, but it contains some great theological reflection. The book is part of a new series looking at the links between salvation and worship. (The other book in the series so far is Glorification and the Life of Faith by Ashley Cocksworth and David Ford and is equally good.)

Johnson covers a lot of ground in a short space. The chapters explore healing as a metaphor for atonement; how each line of the Apostle’s Creed has something to say about atonement; how Old Testament concepts or themes (covenant, law, sacrifice, temple, etc) contribute to atonement; how different periods of history have described atonement, and then two chapters on the place of the Holy Spirit in any understanding of the atonement (so challenging doctrines of atonement that have little or nothing to say about the Spirit).

In all of this is an attempt to show our atonement is a living doctrine, that is both past and present. One of the chapters on the Holy Spirit centres on atonement and forgiveness. Johnson says right at the beginning this is a book about worship and the Holy Spirit and the church.

The chapter on the creed and the atonement was the most important in how it helpfully shows that a Christian doctrine of atonement is not just about the death of the Jesus on the cross, but encompasses all of who God is and his works.

Johnson says, ‘We move through the Apostle’s Creed point by point, attending to some of the ways in which certain aspects of the creed play a particularly important role in properly perceiving and understanding the saving work of Christ.’

This is a good challenge to how often we can have a reductionist view of atonement, so we don’t separate it from creation, resurrection, the Holy Spirit and more.

This book would provide much that might shape a sermon or a series of reflections (particularly approaching Easter), helping a church or an individual to see fresh insights and bigger view of the centrality of atonement to our life of faith.  
 

Andy Goodliff is the minister of Belle Vue Baptist Church, Southend. He is a lecturer in Baptist History at Regent's Park College, Oxford