{"id":1144,"date":"2006-03-21T06:00:58","date_gmt":"2006-03-21T11:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/jesuscreed\/2006\/03\/21\/emerging-atonement-what-is-sin\/"},"modified":"2006-03-21T06:00:58","modified_gmt":"2006-03-21T11:00:58","slug":"emerging-atonement-what-is-sin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2006\/03\/21\/emerging-atonement-what-is-sin\/","title":{"rendered":"Emerging Atonement: What is sin?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

The closest thing I\u2019ve seen to an emerging theory of the atonement is that of Alan Mann, in his book Atonement for a \u2018Sinless\u2019 Society: Engaging with an emerging culture<\/em>, in the new Paternoster series called Faith in an Emerging Culture. Because some of you will be interested, here\u2019s the Amazon link<\/a>. There are three separable sections to this book, each of which is innovative.
\nThe three sections concern (1) Sin as shame, (2) atonement as story, and (3) the use of Mark\u2019s passion narrative as a story for converting to the atonement story of Jesus. I will look today at the first one: shame.
\nHere\u2019s the question<\/em>: \u201cHow does the story of Jesus\u2019 death touch base with the life stories of contemporary Westerners in a culture that no longer believes in the reality of sin?\u201d The problem <\/em>is this: \u201cindividuals no longer live with a sense of sin or guilt in the way that evangelists would wish them to in order to successfully communicate the atoning work of Christ\u201d (4). That is, postmoderns are sinners with no word for it. The need <\/em>is for an incarnation of atonement in the postmodernist context.
\nHere\u2019s our question: How does the postmodern experience \u201csin\u201d? (And let\u2019s assume two things: that it does experience sin at some level, and let\u2019s also assume that the word \u201csin\u201d doesn\u2019t work for them \u2014 so we need to explore images and terms that seem to connect more with this generation. There is no reason, let me hasten to add, to think this is inherently dangerous to theology. Paul, after all, created several images for Jesus\u2019 redemptive work. Image-exploration is always needed in good theology.)
\nMann contends that the operative word for the postmodernist is not \u201csin\u201d but \u201cshame,\u201d and he defines shame as an \u201cabsence of mutual, intimate, undistorted relating that ultimately leads the postmodern self into a lack of ontological (or narrative) coherence\u201d (19). Lots of verbage here, but the sense is this: postmoderns are not guilty of law because they don\u2019t tell that \u201cstory\u201d of sin; instead, there is an overwhelming sense that the \u201cideal\u201d self and the \u201creal\u201d self are so far out of whack that they are \u201cshamed\u201d and afraid to disclose who and what they really are. A lack of inner coherence is what this shame is all about; the lack of a meaningful story or narrative that tells \u201cmy story\u201d truly.
\nImportant for Mann is that the postmodern self doesn\u2019t know the \u201cOther\u201d (in a big, divine, sense and in a little, human, sense) and this leads to sin being the lack of self-realization. The cause of sin is victimization.
\nShame is not the same as guilt, though they can overlap. Shame is about the self; guilt requires the Other. [My observation: Here we are finding a radical theory of relationality at work in defining sin, and I think Mann is onto something here.]
\nHere\u2019s a telling implication: \u201cThe chronically shamed, \u2018sinless\u2019 self needs to be saved \u2014 not from divine wrath, but from self-judgement, which isolates and alienates the self from (each) Other\u201d (52).
\nAnother telling insight: postmoderns are not \u201ca\u201dmoral but \u201cpre\u201dmoral.
\nAnd one more: the biggest issue for the postmodern here is confession, or public exposure of the real self and the public recognition that the real self is not the presented self. Atonement, he suggests, can occur for these folks in safe environments where they can hear the atonement story and where they can tell their story safely and where they can find the atonement story to be their story.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The closest thing I\u2019ve seen to an emerging theory of the atonement is that of Alan Mann, in his book Atonement for a \u2018Sinless\u2019 Society: Engaging with an emerging culture, in the new Paternoster series called Faith in an Emerging Culture. Because some of you will be interested, here\u2019s the Amazon link. There are three […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1744],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-atonement"],"yoast_head":"\nEmerging Atonement: What is sin?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The closest thing I've seen to an emerging theory of the atonement is that of Alan Mann, in his book Atonement for a 'Sinless' Society: Engaging with an\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2006\/03\/21\/emerging-atonement-what-is-sin\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Emerging Atonement: What is sin?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The closest thing I've seen to an emerging theory of the atonement is that of Alan Mann, in his book Atonement for a 'Sinless' Society: Engaging with an\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2006\/03\/21\/emerging-atonement-what-is-sin\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jesus Creed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2006-03-21T11:00:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Scot McKnight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Scot McKnight\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2006\/03\/21\/emerging-atonement-what-is-sin\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2006\/03\/21\/emerging-atonement-what-is-sin\/\",\"name\":\"Emerging Atonement: What is sin?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2006-03-21T11:00:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2006-03-21T11:00:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#\/schema\/person\/5919e847c58ffe6efb5899fb61797252\"},\"description\":\"The closest thing I've seen to an emerging theory of the atonement is that of Alan Mann, in his book Atonement for a 'Sinless' Society: Engaging with an\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2006\/03\/21\/emerging-atonement-what-is-sin\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2006\/03\/21\/emerging-atonement-what-is-sin\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2006\/03\/21\/emerging-atonement-what-is-sin\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Emerging Atonement: What is sin?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/\",\"name\":\"Jesus Creed\",\"description\":\"Scot McKnight on Jesus and orthodox faith in the 21st century\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#\/schema\/person\/5919e847c58ffe6efb5899fb61797252\",\"name\":\"Scot McKnight\",\"description\":\"Scot McKnight is a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. McKnight, author of more than fifty books, is the Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/author\/scotmcknight\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Emerging Atonement: What is sin?","description":"The closest thing I've seen to an emerging theory of the atonement is that of Alan Mann, in his book Atonement for a 'Sinless' Society: Engaging with an","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2006\/03\/21\/emerging-atonement-what-is-sin\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Emerging Atonement: What is sin?","og_description":"The closest thing I've seen to an emerging theory of the atonement is that of Alan Mann, in his book Atonement for a 'Sinless' Society: Engaging with an","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2006\/03\/21\/emerging-atonement-what-is-sin\/","og_site_name":"Jesus Creed","article_published_time":"2006-03-21T11:00:58+00:00","author":"Scot McKnight","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Scot McKnight","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2006\/03\/21\/emerging-atonement-what-is-sin\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2006\/03\/21\/emerging-atonement-what-is-sin\/","name":"Emerging Atonement: What is sin?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#website"},"datePublished":"2006-03-21T11:00:58+00:00","dateModified":"2006-03-21T11:00:58+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#\/schema\/person\/5919e847c58ffe6efb5899fb61797252"},"description":"The closest thing I've seen to an emerging theory of the atonement is that of Alan Mann, in his book Atonement for a 'Sinless' Society: Engaging with an","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2006\/03\/21\/emerging-atonement-what-is-sin\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2006\/03\/21\/emerging-atonement-what-is-sin\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/2006\/03\/21\/emerging-atonement-what-is-sin\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Emerging Atonement: What is sin?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/","name":"Jesus Creed","description":"Scot McKnight on Jesus and orthodox faith in the 21st century","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/#\/schema\/person\/5919e847c58ffe6efb5899fb61797252","name":"Scot McKnight","description":"Scot McKnight is a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. McKnight, author of more than fifty books, is the Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL.","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/author\/scotmcknight\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/197"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1144\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jesuscreed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}