Latter-day Saint Perspectives on Atonement
Cloth: 01/02/2024
About the Book
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Christians have always shared a fundamental belief in the connection between personal salvation and the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. While having faith in and experiencing the atonement of Christ remains a core tenet for Latter-day Saints, some thinkers have in recent decades reconsidered traditional understandings of atonement.Deidre Nicole Green and Eric D. Huntsman edit a collection that brings together multiple and diverse approaches to thinking about Latter-day Saint views on this foundational area of theology. The essayists draw on and go beyond a wide range of perspectives, classical atonement theories, and contemporary reformulations of atonement theory. The first section focuses on scriptural and historical foundations while the second concentrates on theological explorations. Together, the contributors evaluate what is efficacious and ethical in the Latter-day Saint outlook and offer ways to reconceive those views to provide a robust theological response to contemporary criticisms about atonement.
Contributors: Nicholas J. Frederick, Fiona Givens, Deidre Nicole Green, Sharon J. Harris, J.B. Haws, Eric D. Huntsman, Benjamin Keogh, Ariel Bybee Laughton, Adam S. Miller, Jenny Reeder, T. Benjamin Spackman, and Joseph M. Spencer
About the Author
Deidre Nicole Green is an assistant professor of Latter-day Saint/Mormon studies at the Graduate Theological Union. She is the author of Works of Love in a World of Violence: Kierkegaard, Feminism, and the Limits of Self-Sacrifice. Eric D. Huntsman is a professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University. His many books include Becoming the Beloved Disciple: Coming unto Christ through the Gospel of John.Reviews
"It will likely be animportant reference point for future work on understanding the Atonement of Jesus Christ in the Church, especially in academic and intellectual circles. Beyond the importance to future work, however, the volume is a beautiful opportunity to reflect deeply on the work that Jesus Christ did and does as the Savior." --Times and Seasons"The lens-by-lens methodology deployed in assessing Latter-Day Saint Perspectives on Atonement is constructive and useful to gain an appreciation of the broad range of interpretations that can and do exist in different time periods and among different groups of believers." --Association for Mormon Letters
"Fiona Givens takes on a contemporary views of how the atonement can be seen as a source of healing of trauma. The final essays explore alternative views that will be thought-provoking to both Latter-day Saints and those outside the church." --Choice
Blurbs
“This is a landmark work that fills a desperate need for more serious attention to philosophy and theology in the Mormon tradition.”--Matthew Bowman, author of Christian: The Politics of a Word in America
Awards
• Finalist, 2024 Association for Mormon Letters Award in CriticismRelated Titles
