Proclaiming the Scandal of the Cross

by Baker, Mark D.

• ISBN13: 9780801027420
• ISBN10: 080102742X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-12-01
• Publisher: Baker Academic

Summary

Because many modern Christians can offer a reasonable explanation of the meaning of Jesus' death on the cross, they find it hard to understand the confusion displayed by the disciples after the events in the last pages of the Gospels. But if Paul were alive today, he would find it inexplicable that we modern believers are not scandalized by the cross. Proclaiming the Scandal of the Cross introduces pastors, church leaders, students, and lay readers to the need for contextualized atonement theology, offering creative examples of how the cross can be proclaimed today in culturally relevant and transformative ways. It makes helpful suggestions on how this vision for a culturally relevant message might be developed. The impressive list of contributors includes writings from C. S. Lewis, Rowan Williams, Frederica Mathewes-Green, Brian McLaren, and many more who are actively working out just how to make this life-transforming proclamation.

Author Biography

Mark D. Baker (PhD, Duke University) is associate professor of mission and theology at Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary in Fresno, California. In addition to coauthoring Recovering the Scandal of the Cross, he has written three other books.

Table of Contents

Contextualizing the scandal of the cross	p. 13
Deeper magic conquers death and the powers of evil	p. 37
Rising victorious	p. 42
Atonement in the coffee shop	p. 46
A different story : Mark 15:21-39	p. 62
Atonement as drama in a Sunday school class	p. 73
The forgiveness of sins : Hosea 11:1-9; Matthew 18:23-35	p. 77
Atonement : a beach parable for youth	p. 84
Made new by one man's obedience : Romans 5:12-19	p. 96
Participation and an atomized world : a reflection on Christ as representative New Adam	p. 103
The cross as prophetic action	p. 110
Naked but unashamed	p. 122
The family table	p. 135
Jesus, the ultimate outsider	p. 145
A father's advocacy	p. 153
Present	p. 160
Salvation through the sacrifice of God's firstborn son	p. 163
He shared our aches	p. 172
Absorbing the three D's of death	p. 184
Go and do likewise	p. 187
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