Atonement in Christianity

There are many things to learn about in C.S Lewis’s Mere Christianity, but the concept of the theories of atonement can confuse some readers who are not from a religious background. This essay will explain the concept of the theories of atonement. The idea of atonement is that, through the time when Jesus was alive, mankind was committing sin after sin, making everything off balance in the world and with God as well. “The death and resurrection of this one man is at the very heart of the Christian faith. For Christians it is through Jesus's death that people's broken relationship with God is restored” (Unknown Author). This quote seems to talking about exactly what atonement actually is and not just a basic idea of what it is thought to…

In the novel Atonement written by Ian McEwan, we as the readers learn more about the novel through interpreting the actions of the key character, Briony. At a young age Briony falsely accuses someone of a crime and spends the rest of her life trying to atone for her actions and redeem herself. Through the novel she undergoes three main actions, the false accusation, and the two main actions she undertakes to atone for her sins; joining a hospital as a nurse as penance for her sins and rewriting…

The Kite Runner showcases a variety of different themes; the major three themes are betrayal, forgiveness, and atonement. Betrayal can be described as a violation of trust or confidence, that results in moral and/or physical conflicts in relationships. Throughout the text almost every character must forgive another individual for trespassing against them, or they must work to be forgiven for their wrongdoings. Forgiveness is the act of forgiving someone or being forgiven for your harmful…

In Ian McEwan’s book Atonement, a story of how a little girl with a creative imagination produces false statements that lead to accusations, division, and death, the primary narrator, Briony publishes this novel within a novel in the hope of achieving atonement for her actions. Does she? Well in the book I believe Briony thinks she has, but in my opinion, I don’t think she can achieve it fully. My reasoning, for if Briony gains atonement comes from two thought processes. At the end of this…

In what ways does Ian McEwan’s use of setting reinforce the central ideas of Atonement? Ian McEwan spends a great deal of time describing the setting his characters inhabit. The descriptions are so in depth and thoughtful that the houses and buildings almost become characters in their own rights. This attention to detail comes from McEwan’s use of setting in reinforcing the central themes of Atonement, such as love, pretence and order and chaos. Although he used many techniques, descriptive…

William Tyndale and John Calvin were both essential and influential figures in the Protestant Reformation (when Martin Luther took the initiative to break away from the Catholic Church). Calvin was a pastor and a theocratic ruler of Geneva, and Tyndale was simply a scholar who mastered many languages and translated the Bible so that the common people could read it for themselves. They lived their lives in different parts of Europe, but still both supported and impacted the separation from…

“propitiation”—ἱλαστήριον—“and its cognates cannot be separated from God’s wrath.” While “propitiation” demonstrates the necessity to appease God’s wrath, “by his blood,” reveals the way God “took the initiative to satisfy and appease his own wrath.” Ἱλαστήριον is used most frequently in the LXX to refer to the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant, which was “the place of revelation symbolizing the very presence of Yahweh, where Israel’s sins were forgiven.” According to Leviticus, it was…

With there being many theories regarding the atonement, it not just one theory that can best explain the atonement; yet it is a more unified theory that most concisely and effectively explains the atoning work of Christ on the cross. Introduction There are an overwhelming number of theories taking place in scholarly circles regarding the atonement. For every paper or article written on a specific theory, there is at least one that argues against it. It is the student 's position that the…

Jesus was cast as a figure sympathetic to those who were considered to be society’s outcast and downtrodden. John 10:14-15 illuminates this characterization: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep” (NIV). The image of the “father” Christ differed from Roman and Greek gods who were often seen as aloof, violent, or ignorant of suffering. Therefore, as Christology embraced a caring god who…

Abelard believed that Heloise was wrong because he believed more in the actions, than the intent behind the actions, and that by going to the religious life Heloise "reshaped the truth," because while she joined under false pretenses, she did so much good while she stayed. Religious conundrums and debates like this one were common in the medieval world, and caused some troubling ambiguity when it came to the absolution of one's immortal soul. Tuchman discusses this vagueness of sin in her text.…