N.T. Wright Speaks of a Greater Atonement

Theologian N.T. (Tom) Wright was busy last week addressing three different audiences in Grand Rapids, Mich., on a range of topics, including the use of lots of water when doing a baptism and the full meaning of Christ’s death on the cross.

Wright, a New Testament scholar and author of some 30 books, is known for his ability to make complex theological issues accessible to people in and outside of academic circles. And this trait was evident as he spoke at the 2017 January Series, delivered the Stob lecture at Calvin Theological Seminary, and served as a keynote speaker for the Calvin College 2017 Symposium on Worship.

Although he tackled some tough topics, Wright, who served the Anglican Church as Bishop of Durham until his retirement in 2010, lectured eloquently and with a clear passion for the gospel. As the last person to appear at this year’s month-long January Series, Wright spoke on “The Royal Revolution: Fresh Perspectives on the Cross,” offering reflections on his newest book, The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Christ’s Crucifixion.

Wright opened by talking about the scene in the 13th chapter of the gospel of John that describes how, before the Passover feast, Christ set aside his robe, put on an apron, and began to wash the feet of his disciples.

“In this we glimpse a tableau which is intimate but also scary and dangerous,” he said. “This is an act of divine redemption revealing the divine glory in rescuing us from our plight.”

The footwashing, which Peter at first vehemently declined but then effusively welcomed when Christ admonished him, is a symbol of what was to occur the next day on Good Friday, said Wright. It was a story about redemption, about new glory and fulfillment of Scripture.

“John’s story points forward to the great saving action that is to come, in which the filth and mire of the centuries would be washed away in a torrent of water and blood,” said Wright.

After the footwashing, Judas, the one who is to betray Jesus, leaves the room and goes out into the night, Wright added,  explaining that here “Satan is working through Judas to bring Jesus to trial. In this we see the raging howl arising from all of the accumulated forces of of evil.”

In his talk, Wright said he wants to expand the idea that Christ’s death on the cross was, as commonly believed by many evangelical Christians, an act that absolved people from their sins. This is the teaching commonly known as the atonement.

While he believes in this teaching, which is also called “penal substitution,” emphasizing that  Jesus died on the cross as our substitute to defeat sin for our sake, Wright said he also thinks there is much more to it: it has opened the door, he said, to a transformation of creation.

“On the cross the dark powers were defeated so the power of love could fill the world,” said Wright. “We need a larger vision of the biblical narrative if we are to understand, preach, and live out the message and meaning of the cross.”

The Stob Lecture program is jointly run by the college and the seminary, supported by an endowment from the Stob family. Besides the public lecture (called the Stob Lecture) within the January Series, there was then evening colloquium intended for students and faculty of the college and the faculty of the seminary.

So, a few hours after he spoke at the January Series, Wright appeared in the seminary chapel for a question-and-answer session with John Witvliet, director of the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship.

Again, Wright spoke about Christ dying on the cross and his rising again, saying, “It sent shock waves through the whole of creation. It was the victory over the dark power of evil.”

Wright also noted that he is troubled by the idea “of God being determined to get his revenge on someone for something and then taking it out on someone who is innocent. . . . The trouble is, people can take this idea and use violence to justify what they believe is right.”

Asked about heaven, Wright said, “The whole emphasis of the New Testament is not interested in where people go when they die. What is significant is about the kingdom coming to earth as it is in heaven.”

On the topic of baptism, he told a funny story about how he used lots of water when he baptized his grandson, who looked up at him with a surprised expression, as if asking, What was it with all of the water?

“The drama of baptism is important,” said Wright. “When someone is baptized, it is happening to all of us as a congregation. We are all plunged into the water and changed by Jesus and his death and resurrection.”

Speaking again later at the Worship Symposium as he delivered his keynote “Sign and Means of New Creation: Public Worship and the Creative Reading of Scripture,” Wright said it is crucial to realize that the underlying problem in the world is not sin — although sin is important — but idolatry.

Wright emphasized that idolatry means worshiping false gods, which is nothing more than “eating with demons,” as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 10:21.

“When we worship the false gods of this world, we hand over to them the power which is ours in virtue of our creation as image-bearing human beings designed to be set in authority over the whole world,” Wright said.

Creative, life-giving worship occurs, he said, when we open ourselves to the whole of Scripture, to the grand story that starts with Genesis and ends with Revelation, and when we use this story week in and week out in worship.

“I think it’s time for a fresh look at how we use the Bible in church: how we can ourselves, in planning and leading worship, make sure we are doing justice and honor to Scripture itself, rather than simply using it within schemes of our own making,” said Wright.