tony jones wrote a couple posts—why jesus died and why jesus rose—in which he attempts to offer a “minority” view of the atoning work of christ. there are many theories of the atonement and tony presents one that, while it’s been around for a very long time, isn’t the prevailing theory (theory being the operative word). penal substitution is the most commonly accepted theory and i think tony does a decent job of offering an introduction to an alternative. it’s worth the read.

also, on a very different note, i thought i would link to one of my favorite theologians/thinkers/authors/etc that i’ve blogged about many times, tony campolo. his most famous sermon, it’s friday, but sunday’s comin’ is worth taking a listen. he spits, he yells, he gets worked into a frenzy…and it’s brilliant. 🙂 you can either stream it or download it here.

no matter if you read any of these or listen to campolo’s sermon or whatever, the key here is that today, on easter, we commemorate the life, death and, most importantly, the resurrection of jesus the messiah. if not for the resurrection, christianity would be little more than a nice way to live and be a good person. jesus is a living savior and that makes all the difference.