{"id":4026,"date":"2016-11-05T21:48:16","date_gmt":"2016-11-06T02:48:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/teachingnonviolentatonement\/?p=4026"},"modified":"2016-11-05T21:48:16","modified_gmt":"2016-11-06T02:48:16","slug":"review-from-the-blood-of-abel-by-matthew-distefano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/teachingnonviolentatonement\/2016\/11\/review-from-the-blood-of-abel-by-matthew-distefano\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: “From the Blood of Abel” By Matthew Distefano"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"ftboa_cover<\/a>As a father with young children, I often have to go to obligatory birthday parties. Every parent knows what I\u2019m talking about \u2013 my son brought home an invitation to the event and pleaded with me to take him. So, my son and his introverted father went to the party, which happened to be at a bowling alley. He bowled while I made my way to the bar to sit with the other dads.<\/span><\/p>\n

I made small talk with them. As an introvert, I\u2019ve learned to ask a lot of questions, which keeps the attention off of me and onto others. But I soon ran out of questions. Thus ensued the dreaded Awkward Silence. A sense existential angst poured into my body as I knew what was about to happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo,\u201d my conversation partner began, \u201cwhat do you do for a living?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And here is where I came to my dilemma. Do I tell the truth, which is usually adds to the Awkward Silence, or do I make up something really exciting \u2013 the FBI, CIA, or Video Game Tester?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a pastor,\u201d I replied, \u201cand a blogger for the Raven Foundation and Teaching Nonviolent Atonement websites.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yep. Our friend Awkward Silence came for a visit. Few know how to respond to \u201cHi. My name is Adam. I\u2019m a pastor and a blogger.\u201d But words soon began to fill the silence. Another dad sitting next to us heard the word Atonement and wanted to talk.. I was completely surprised when he said with a great deal of passion, \u201cI don\u2019t think Jesus should have done it. He shouldn\u2019t have gone to the cross. He should have resisted. Think of all the great things he could have done if he\u2019d just stayed alive!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

There was an edge to his voice that made me very uncomfortable. So, I asked the bartender for another drink and looked this dad square in the face and said, \u201cYeah, so, what do you do?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Introverts know the art of the pivot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, I wish I\u2019d had a better response. In fact, I wish I\u2019d had a copy of Matthew Distefano\u2019s latest book <\/span>From the Blood of Abel: Humanity\u2019s Causes of Violence and the Bible\u2019s Theological-Anthropological Solution<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Of course, people have been asking this question for 2,000 years. Matthew asks it like this, \u201cWhy does Jesus do this? Why does he lay down his life? Surely, he would have had a better chance of bringing about change had he stood up and fought for himself. All of this forgiveness and mercy talk is good for what, now that he is dead?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Indeed, that\u2019s exactly what this dad was saying. But he was missing the point, and Matthew explains the importance of Jesus\u2019 death and resurrection so beautifully in this book. The build up to Jesus\u2019 death is referred to as the Passion narratives. Matthew explains the Passion and Resurrection like this, \u201c\u2026the Passion and the Resurrection is all about the pouring out of one\u2019s self for the other, in the spirit of love, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul, one of the earliest Christians, <\/span>claimed<\/span><\/a> that many found the cross to be a stumbling block or just foolish. Many believed it was foolish because Jesus was a failure. He was killed, after all. It\u2019s a stumbling block for many modern people because of a later theological development that claimed Jesus atoned for human sin by channeling the wrath of God upon himself, thus saving Christians from God\u2019s wrath \u2013 a wrath that sinners will surely receive.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Matthew provides an important corrective to both of these mistaken beliefs. Jesus\u2019 mission was to reveal who God is. Jesus went to the cross to show the extent of God\u2019s love. The cross shows that there is no wrath in God. Rather, It reveals that wrath belongs to humans alone. Wrathful humans killed Jesus, not God. This is the biggest problem with our species, for we\u2019ve been wrathfully killing one another since the beginning of human culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

But how does God respond to the murder of the Son? If we take the Incarnation seriously, then God loves humanity so much that God forgives us even when we kill God. Humans enacted deicide; we killed God in Christ. If God were ever to be wrathful, it would be at this moment. But Jesus changes everything we thought we knew about God by responding with words of forgiveness, \u201cFather, forgive them, for they know not what they do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Matthew explains it like this, \u201c\u2026the death of Jesus represents all of humanity\u2019s judgment against God.\u201d Matthew then explains the resurrection in a refreshing way that is consistent with Jesus\u2019 words on the cross. In the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to his followers, those who had abandoned him to the cross a mere three day before, and said, \u201cPeace be with you.\u201d In contrast to humanity\u2019s judgment against God on the cross, Matthew writes that, \u201cthe peace and forgiveness the Resurrection brought was God\u2019s judgement for humanity.\u201d Jesus went to the cross to reveal that God\u2019s judgment for humanity is forgiveness and peace!<\/span><\/p>\n

From the Blood of Abel<\/span><\/i><\/a> is an exciting and hopeful book. It\u2019s easy to understand and invites us to follow the God of nonviolent love. In doing so, we will participate with God in the healing of ourselves and the world. Indeed, I wish I could have given this book to that other dad at the bowling alley. It\u2019s definitely a strike!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a father with young children, I often have to go to obligatory birthday parties. Every parent knows what I\u2019m talking about \u2013 my son brought home an invitation to the event and pleaded with me to take him. So, my son and his introverted father went to the party, which happened to be at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1651,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[20,429,2109,107,1793],"class_list":["post-4026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-atonement","tag-book-review","tag-from-the-blood-of-abel","tag-jesus","tag-matthew-distefano"],"yoast_head":"\nReview: "From the Blood of Abel" By Matthew Distefano<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As a father with young children, I often have to go to obligatory birthday parties. 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