Abstract
Have Christians entered evil and violence into the heart of God by suggesting that God wills Jesus to experience a torturous death in order to redeem humankind? In this lecture, Kimberly Vrudny will show how some classical theories of atonement fall short. She will propose a restorative model of atonement that takes seriously the political history of what happened to Jesus on the night he was betrayed, and that upholds faith in God’s redemptive activity in the world.
Dr. Vrudny is an associate professor of systematic theology who teaches in the areas of theological aesthetics and the arts. In her book, Beauty's Vineyard: A Theological Aesthetic of Anguish and Anticipation, she reflects on works by contemporary social realists in light of two parables told by Jesus in order to construct a socially engaged theology of Beauty.