Christ on the Cross: Mark Driscoll on Substitutionary Atonement

Substitutionary atonement, the biblical idea that Jesus died in our place, bearing the wrath of God the Father because of the punishment that our sins deserve, is not popular these days, especially among emerging-type evangelicals. Mark Driscoll observes: "This is the growing hot issue among emerging-type evangelicals who see the cross as too bloody, too violent, and too male for itching postmodern ears. In the fall of 2005, I preached a lengthy series on the accomplishments of Jesus’ crucifixion and came to realize that the cross was as foolish and offensive as ever. We had to call 911 for a woman who passed out during the sermon on blood. We had more than one angry person try and get on the stage to fight me during the propitiation sermon, which resulted in beefing up our security on Sundays and having a police officer on site." For more on this subject, including a brief biblical defence of substitutionary atonement by Driscoll, go here.