However, this study is based on the view that there is a noticeable gap in scholarship surrounding the criticism of the Christian belief system, and in particular one of its doctrinal pillars, that of vicarious salvation. 1 It begins by stating that while “vicarious salvation” is not strictly speaking a Biblical construct, it is the central idea of the Christian belief system.
The Personal Journey to this Study
To what extent is the construct of mediatory salvation important for the religio-culture of the modern era. For the purposes of this study, the main interest is focused on the fundamental understandings of salvation and substitutionary salvation within the Christian religious system in order to proceed with a meaningful critique of the works of Christopher Hitchens.
Research Method and Format
Some of the data for this study will be accessible from the publications of the New Atheist School. In the context of the Christian religious system, Hastings constructs the following meaning of the term "salvation".
Pre-Christian Understandings of Redemption
Learnings from Greek Theatre and The Greek Tragedy
In the latter connection, Dillistone (1968, p.122) paints the eternal relevance of the Greek tragic form, throughout any time. Central to this Jewish worldview was the deliverance of the Jewish people from Egypt.
The Old Testament and Judaic Customary Redemption Practices
Cross (1929, p.34) further roots this conception of God48 in the everyday life of the Jewish people with the following comments. In this respect, the place of 'blood' becomes a central aspect of Hebrew sacrificial practice.
Sin and Original Sin
An understanding of the concepts of sin and 'original sin' cuts to the heart of Christopher Hitchens' critique of vicarious redemption and the Christian belief system. While the origin of the term 'original sin' may not be entirely attributable to St.
Sin and Vicarious Redemption within the New Testament
Further accounts of the Apostle Paul, in Romans 5:12, expand on Adam as the source of sin and death. Jesus Christ is presented as the only source of redemption and restoration of the broken relationship between God and humanity.
Theories of Atonement and Redemption
Quote from Origen's work, Homilies on Leviticus, 9.9; Paul Fiddes (1989, p. 131) notes Origen's interpretation of the key idea that led to the ransom theory. A key element of the satisfaction theory is the shame brought upon God by this very sinfulness of mankind. This view led him to the exemplarist theory of the atonement, according to which the suffering Christ was the supreme example.
However, Paul (1960, p.83) goes on to add that "the great characteristic of the Abelardian theory is that it is extremely simple to explain but extremely difficult to live." If God's love is expressed as just described, then the criticism of the theory postulated by Abelard, as embodied in the question raised by Fiddes (1989, p.155), does require consideration. The Penal Substitution Theory has its foundations in the period of the Reformation78 which, according to Fiddes (1989, p.9), cast the understanding of reconciliation within a legal paradigm.
Robert Paul (1960, p.92), in his work, Atonement and the Sacraments, credits the formulation of the Penal theory to Martin Luther.
The Holy Eucharist and Transubstantiation
²⁸For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.” According to this account [Exodus, the blood of sacrificial lambs provided deliverance for the Israelites. A lamb would be slain and its blood exposed on the ark and doorposts of the house.
It can be argued that this passage from Heim reflects the essence of the 'new testament'. Not unlike his work on Miss Bojaxhiu114, Hitchens' account of the Kissinger recording was based on detail. The purpose of the book can be summed up in Hitchens' closing lines in the Introduction (p.33).
131 The film 'The Passion of The Christ' released in 2004 was directed and co-produced by Mel Gibson.
Vicarious Redemption : Key Elements of the Hitchens Critique
Mark D. Roberts's summary of the criticism followed a radio debate he had with Christopher Hitchens. On the other hand, it should be noted that one of the key focuses of this study is to examine responses within the school of Christian apologetics to the work.
Christopher Hitchens and that of other leading advocates within the New Atheist movement, such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett, in particular. 173 Guidelines for interpreting the term or category 'Christian Apologetics' are drawn from the work of theologian, Bart D. The decision to expand the scope of this study to include people like Hedges was based on the need to embrace the change in gravity of.
185 In this regard, the work of Sean Fairclough (2012), 'The Attack of The Theocrats', is a significant contribution to this discourse. The first big question of the presentation hits the heart of the Christian journey from creation to redemption. In this context he is understood to be referring to the story of the incarnation of Jesus Christ and his part in the divine 'plan'.
Debate Title 1: ‘What Best Explains Reality – Theism or Atheism’
In the case of the Christian salvation account; how do we get to the redemptive power of the cross. Again, Hitchens leaves the members of the audience in no doubt about his position on the Christian plan of salvation; start to finish It is clear that the foundational elements of Hitchens' case against salvation are rooted in his rejection of the doctrine of 'original sin'.
But surely being originally sinful is part of Christian dogma, isn't it. Central to this research is the question of the necessity or necessity of a divine lawgiver. His critique of the Christian idea of vicarious salvation can only find its full meaning in an understanding of his position on the redundancy of the Christian case for a code of moral principles.
This should also include his articulate use of the theme of morality to open up the doctrine of substitutionary atonement for further scrutiny. That with his strong critique of vicarious redemption, Christopher Hitchens has struck at the very foundations of the Christian faith; of that there can be no doubt. Hitchens' critique of the Christian belief system has undone the 'spiral' of his doctrinal formation and isolated faith as the key element underpinning doctrine.
The Future Relevance of the Doctrine of Vicarious Redemption
Second, the reality of how New Media works can compromise the requisite in-depth analysis needed to construct good arguments for or against a particular topic or position. The reality of the changed world that Batstone (2001, p. 226) describes requires the church and Christianity to pursue new ways to maintain its relevance in the world. Now that we have invested this study in a poststructuralist paradigm, it may be worthwhile to consider the following questions to get to the heart of the future relevance of the doctrine of substitutionary salvation.
What would be the relevance of proposing the Christian brand of salvation in a post-apocalyptic world. 264 Craig Venter is the world-renowned geneticist who was part of the team that first achieved the decoding of the Human Genome (DNA) in 2000, under the Human Genome Project, led by scientist Francis Collins. An excerpt from this interview carries significance for this study and the questions raised about the future relevance of the Christian doctrine of salvation.
Collins worked closely with Hitchens' medical team in an attempt to isolate the gene associated with the spread of the cancer.
CHAPTER SIX-CONCLUSION
On the central topic of vicarious redemption, Christopher Hitchens was unequivocal in his rejection of the doctrine as well as the Christian belief system as a whole. Hitchen's range of criticisms, in relation to the doctrine of vicarious redemption, included his deconstruction and case against what is claimed to be revealed Holy Scripture, of the Bible. There could be no credible criticism of Christopher Hitchens' work on a subject as central and as complex as vicarious redemption without engaging in a fair degree of his particular kind of biblical criticism, which was heavily influenced by the works of Thomas Paine.
A theme central to his stance against vicarious salvation and the Christian faith, as well as the lived reality and sociological manifestations of faith, was the degree to which this primary doctrine of the Christian religious apparatus was given any semblance of a moral code. Although it may seem contradictory to the point just made, Christopher Hitchens supported the protection of individual rights to freedom of religion within a secular state, but he went a step further by embracing the cause of individual rights to freedom from religion. Christopher Hitchens has had a profound impact on the world of religion and Christianity; there can be no doubt about it.
For the world of Christian apologetics, once the step is taken to engage with the work of Christopher Hitchens, leaving behind vested interests in the industry of Christendom, the rediscovery of new meanings of 'revealed wisdom', regarding the issues and doctrine, and redemption in particular, can begin to take hold with revised and refreshed interpretations of the promise of emancipation from these ideas and doctrines.
Chomsky on Hitchens, Harris and Skinner. lt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt9QCAUPPeY>. Christopher Hitchens vs Tony Blair debate: is religion a force for good in the world. lt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddsz9XBhrYA>. lt;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By9JJSVzlTw>.
