In fact, it’s likely one of the key reasons for the steep decline in mainline churches. The importance of rejecting substitutionary atonement is tough to overstate, with ramifications across the full spectrum of spiritual, social, and cultural engagement. This is the essence of the doctrine of substitutionary atonement, and mainline protestantism is increasingly rejecting it in favor of a doctrine that places Jesus not as Savior in the orthodox sense but more as an example of love and nonviolent resistance, Gandhi on divine steroids. Or, as the Prophet Isaiah prophesied: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” God’s wrath against sin - our sin - was atoned through Christ’s sacrifice.
In orthodox Christianity, sin demands sacrifice. The core of the dispute is the mainline break with orthodoxy on the very nature of God and mission of Jesus. The reason? The PCUSA Committee on Congregational Song objected to the lyric that proclaims “Till on that cross as Jesus died/The wrath of God was satisfied.” The Committee proposed an alternative: “Till on that cross as Jesus died/the love of God was magnified.” Getty and Townend refused the change, and the Committee voted to exclude the song. So it was with some sorrow that I read yesterday in First Things that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted to exclude the song from the church hymnal. And it’s a beautiful song, covered by countless Christian artists. It avoids shallow promises of earthly comfort in favor of the ultimate comfort - no matter our earthly destiny - found in Christ. While the entire hymn is outstanding, the last verse was particularly meaningful: Called “In Christ Alone,” it bucks the contemporary worship trend of shallow, emotional lyrics in favor of a theologically rich presentation of the Gospel. When I was in Iraq - especially as casualties mounted, and the IED menace seemed overwhelming - I took great comfort in a contemporary hymn written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. What do hymn choices tell us about a denomination? A lot, it turns out.įirst, forgive me for a bit of a personal reflection.
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