This week I want to resume asking this question, “What are some of the elements of ‘White Christianity’ that are different from ‘Christianity’ itself?” Keeping in mind that I do not believe we are able to tease out anything that could be called ‘pure Christianity,’ since the substance of religion seems always to be found in some kind of cultural form. What we’re after is not culture-less Christianity, but a self-awareness, self-critical ability to see how some forms of Christianity-as-we-know-it, are reflective of a peculiar cultural shape we can call ‘White Christianity.’ And this is not just an academic exercise. It is deadly serious, because throughout its history White Christianity has sanctioned things like crusades, holy wars, genocide, misogyny, and slavery. Unless we take a serious and deep self-critical look at the Christianity that we have inherited, we might well be serving the exact opposite of the gospel made known to us in Christ. So, this is not about political correctness; it is all about faithfulness.
In response to my invitation a few weeks ago to suggest qualities of White Christianity, one reader name Bill asked, “Is the almost mechanical understanding of ‘substitutionary atonement’ a product of the rise of science and manufactory in 18th-19thcentury Western thinking?” I find Bill’s question compelling in two respects. First, it renews for us the question of how much our doctrines of “atonement” are shaped by western culture. Second, it questions whether the Industrial revolution causes us to look at things that are not mechanical as if they were. Let’s look at both questions briefly.
The doctrine of “Atonement” refers to how we speak of being reconciled, or “at one” with God. The question of atonement is, “How are we reconciled to God, after being separated from God by sin?” The consistent Christian answer is, “through Jesus Christ,” but if the follow-up question is, “and how so?” then we get into various doctrinesof atonement. The most popular doctrine of atonement is often called the “satisfaction theory” of atonement. It says something like:
Sin is an offense against God, because God is just. So, God’s justice demands satisfaction of a penalty paid. Yet, because of loves us, God provides the
payment in the form of God’s only child who is crucified in our place.
In this theory, Jesus has “satisfied” the payment of the penalty for sin by being our “substitute,” bearing the punishment that we deserve.
The substitutionary approach to atonement coheres nicely with our doctrines of sin and grace. Bill’s question is whether the development of science and manufactory in the 18thand 19thcentury has shaped us to see the doctrine of atonement almost as a mechanism, rather than something more dynamic, like a birth or a journey of transformation. The mechanical transaction could even be a way of avoiding the cost of discipleship. Instead of focusing on Jesus’ words, “If anyone would be my disciple, let them take up their cross and follow me,” we might say instead, “Jesus has paid it all for me.”
Perhaps I’m reading some of my own questions into Bill’s question. Partly that is because Bill is currently serving a church in Sri Lanka, where three Christian churches and three hotels were bombed in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, resulting in over 300 deaths. Bill’s own congregation was not among those that were bombed and although his communication channels have been limited, we do know that his congregation are safe for now. Notice that the bombers targeted Christian churches and luxury hotels. To some extent that would indicate that the bombers see Christianity as part of the same kind of western influence as capitalism and affluence. And while Bill raised his question before the bombings, his sensitivities to how much “Western” influence there is in Christianity in Sri Lanka were prescient.
Has our doctrine of atonement allowed us to be comfortable with income inequality, oppression of the poor, and other such sins, because at least we know that Jesus paid the price for our sins? Does our doctrine prevent us from hearing the call to be part of God’s liberating activity on the earth, because we already have our blessed assurance? Does our doctrine tell us we are saved from sin of the world, rather than a calling to be engaged in transforming the world?
It is possible that if we see atonement chiefly as something Jesus did 2,000 years ago, which automatically ensures our salvation today, we may leave off fully embracing the meaning of the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ.
I have perhaps oversimplified the substitutionary atonement theory in this brief note. But, I do think it is one reason why White Christianity has been able so tolerant of oppression is because we have separated the process of salvation from the real conditions in which we participate.
Mark of St. Mark
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