The Nonviolent Atonement, 2nd ed.

by J. Denny Weaver

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2011

Overview

A provocative study that cuts to the very heart of Christian thought, The Nonviolent Atonement challenges the traditional, Anselmian understanding of atonement—along with the assumption that heavenly justice depends on Christ’s passive, innocent submission to violent death at the hands of a cruel God. Instead J. Denny Weaver offers a thoroughly nonviolent paradigm for understanding atonement, grounded in the New Testament and sensitive to the concerns of pacifist, black, feminist, and womanist theology.

While many scholars have engaged the subject of violence in atonement theology, Weaver’s Nonviolent Atonement is the only book that offers a radically new theory rather than simply refurbishing existing theories. Key features of this revised and updated second edition include new material on Paul and Anselm, expanded discussion on the development of violence in theology, interaction with recent scholarship on atonement, and response to criticisms of Weaver's original work.

Key Features

• Explores an ancient and classic question from a new and different standpoint
• Includes new material on Paul and Anselm
• Features responses to criticisms of Weaver’s original work

Contents

• Introduction
• Narrative Christus Victor: The Revisioning of Atonement
• Narrative Christus Victor: Some Comparisons and Its Demise
• Black Theology on Atonement
• Feminist Theology on Atonement
• Womanist Theology on Atonement
• Conversation with Anselm and His Defenders and Detractors
• Conclusion

Praise for the Print Edition

Weaver provides an important contribution to atonement theories by seriously inserting the contemporary concerns of pacifist, feminist, womanist, and black theologians into the centuries-old christological conversation. . . A provocative but faithful proposal benefiting any student of christology.

—Religious Studies Review

A noteworthy contribution to the literature on the atonement. Weaver provides a useful critique of the history of atonement motifs; he does a fine job of placing Anselm's theology in its historical context; he creatively fuses a singular biblical vision from the earthly narrative of the Gospels and the cosmic perspective of the Apocalypse; and he attempts to relate discussions of the atonement to Christian social ethics.

—Trinity Journal

This is a superb succinct survey and analysis of classical and contemporary theories of the atonement, ideal for students and general readers. . . A clearly written, passionately expressed introduction to current debates on the atonement. . . Excellent resource.

—Reviews in Religion and Theology

Product Details

• Title: The Nonviolent Atonement (Second Edition, Greatly Revised and Expanded)
• Author: J. Denny Weaver
• Edition: Second Edition, Greatly Revised and Expanded
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 2011
• Logos Release Date: 2021
• Pages: 346
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Atonement; Black theology; Feminist theology; Nonviolence › Religious aspects--Christianity
• ISBNs: 9780802864376, 0802864376
• Resource ID: LLS:NNVLNTTNMNT2ED
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-05-31T19:22:13Z

About J. Denny Weaver

J. Denny Weaver is Professor Emeritus of Religion at Bluffton (Ohio) University. His other books include Keeping Salvation Ethical (1997); Anabaptist Theology in Face of Postmodernity (2000); Teaching Peace (coedited with Gerald Biesecker-Mast, 2003); Becoming Anabaptist (2nd ed., 2005); Defenseless Christianity (coauthored with Gerald J. Mast, 2009); The Nonviolent Atonement (2nd ed., 2011); and The Nonviolent God (2013). He has lectured on atonement theology in the United Kingdom, the Congo, and Germany. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.