By What Atonement? - God's Failed Plan?

Ideas have consequences, and I wonder sometimes if people were to follow some of their ideas through to their logical conclusion, if they would/could still hold to them.

For the last 2000+ years, the Christian church has preached that the gospel - the good news - is that Christ died in our place, paying the ransom, fulfilling the law, and making atonement for our sin. We were once alienated from God, in darkness, but have now been converted, and born again, through the work of Christ on the cross. He died so that we would have life. The death of Christ on the cross is pretty much the central point of the Christian faith, and without it, we would all still be stuck in our sins and death.

Yet, to read that many in the modern dispensationalist camp teach that the crucifixion of Christ was in fact not the plan, and that had the Jews not rejected and crucified him, that he would have in fact set up the promised earthly kingdom.

Review: Satan: The Early Christian Tradition (Jeffrey Burton Russell)

Satan: The Early Christian Tradition by Jeffrey Burton Russell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



In Russell's first volume, The Devil Personifications of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity, he dealt with an era of time that was much more diverse, covering ancient history of all kinds of religious views. This time around, he sticks with Christian history, and focuses on only the first few hundred years of church history. A much easier read than the first volume, and covering an era already somewhat familiar to me, this volume was easier to digest overall.

Review: Hudson Taylor

Hudson Taylor by J. Hudson Taylor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The power of prayer cannot be diminished by distance; it is not limited by age, infirmity, or daily duty; political changes and restrictions cannot alter its effectiveness; for the word still stands, "If ye shall ask anything in my name I will do it." The power of prayer in the life of an obedient Christian can only be undermined by neglect."

Thus is the ending of an amazing little autobiography of Hudson Taylor. So many times while reading this book, I could only sit and shake my head, wondering why I do not have the faith that this man had. I have seen other reviewers states that this is a must read book for any Christian, and I agree. This is one of those book that all new converts should be handed as part of their conversion material.