Cross Purposes: The Violent Grammar of Christian Atonement [Paperback]

Anthony Bartlett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2001

This seminal study of the Christian theory of the atonement examines the story of Christian violence. In Cross Purposes, Anthony Bartlett claims that the key Western doctrines of atonement have been dominated by a logic of violence and sacrifice as a means of salvation. Subsequently, the graphic suffering of the crucified in images and narrative has served to unleash a prolonged sacrificial crisis in which there is always a potential need to displace blame. These doctrines of atonement have sanctioned wide-spread violence in the name of Christ throughout history. But Bartlett argues that a minority tradition also exists. He contends that the tradition of the compassion of Christ provides the possible way out of Christian violence. Bartlett's study gives this tradition a dynamic new reading, showing how it undoes both divine and human violence and offers a powerfully transformative version of atonement for the contemporary world. Cross Purposes provides a rich historical and theological overview of the evolution of various atonement theories, using literature, art, and philosophy to provide a creative and provocative reading of Christian atonement. Anthony Bartlett is engaged in post-doctoral research and is an instructor in Religion at Syracuse University. For: Seminarians; clergy; graduate students; professors>

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Anthony Bartlett offers a groundbreaking thesis on how and why Christ saves us from sin and death. Bartlett argues forcefully and persuasively that Christ overcomes violence and scandal in the weakness of the Cross, which is the transforming power of infinite compassion seeking us in the depth of our anxiety and forsakenness. This is a treatise that uses Girard’s idea of the generative mimetic scapegoat mechanism and Kierkegaard’s concepts of repetition and anxiety in a brilliant fashion."--James G. Williams, the author of The Bible, Violence, and The Sacred and editor of The Girard Reader (James G. Williams )

"In this powerful book, Anthony Bartlett shows that, just as the Gospels claim, the apocalyptic theme must belong to Jesus' own understanding of the Cross. Jesus' violent death reveals the violent origin of all the human cultures which separate us from God, and it unleashes both the total violence of man and the 'abysmal' love of God. A milestone in the new understanding of the Cross." -- René Girard, author of Violence and the Sacred (René Girard )

“…[A] powerful and provocative read for Christians and non-Christians alike. Anthony Bartlett has accomplished quite a feat: he has managed to say something new and profound about Christianity, and has done so with deep erudition and in such a humanly compelling voice that even non-theists may well find themselves seduced by his argument, as I was. No issue could be more important for those effected by the power of monotheism in the world today – and that, for better or worse, includes just about everyone – than the question of violence and atonement. Bartlett’s thesis is radical and provocative, and his book will stimulate much reflection and, literally, soul searching on the part of Christians and non-Christians alike.” – Larry George, PhD., Dept. of Political Science, Adelphia University

“Bartlett’s book evinces prodigious scholarship as well as an acute insight and poetic skill at conveying the contemporary experience of abandonment to violence. The strongest part of Bartlett’s discussion of the experience of the first Christians, and his argument that the conversion experience sprang more from ‘an apocalyptic crisis bringing the end of an old order, rather than a sacrificial reading that essentially reaffirms a traditional Temple order on a cosmic scale’ (p. 207)” –The Heythrop Journal, July 2004 (vol. 45, issue #3)

"Anthony Bartlett offers a groundbreaking thesis on how and why Christ saves us from sin and death. Bartlett argues forcefully and persuasively that Christ overcomes violence and scandal in the weakness of the Cross, which is the transforming power of infinite compassion seeking us in the depth of our anxiety and forsakenness. This is a treatise that uses Girard’s idea of the generative mimetic scapegoat mechanism and Kierkegaard’s concepts of repetition and anxiety in a brilliant fashion."--James G. Williams, the author of The Bible, Violence, and The Sacred and editor of The Girard Reader (, )

"In this powerful book, Anthony Bartlett shows that, just as the Gospels claim, the apocalyptic theme must belong to Jesus' own understanding of the Cross. Jesus' violent death reveals the violent origin of all the human cultures which separate us from God, and it unleashes both the total violence of man and the 'abysmal' love of God. A milestone in the new understanding of the Cross." -- René Girard, author of Violence and the Sacred (, )

From the Publisher

After providing a rich historical and theological overview of the evolution of various atonement theories, and their relationship to Christian violence, Anthony Bartlett contends that the alternative tradition of the compassionate Christ offers a way out of both divine and human violence as well as a transformative version of atonement for the modern world.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Trinity Press Int'l (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563383365
• ISBN-13: 978-1563383366
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #997,037 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling Reading for Christians and Non-Christians Alike, July 24, 2004

By 

L. George - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cross Purposes: The Violent Grammar of Christian Atonement (Paperback)

Larry N. George, Ph.D. ([e-mail]), a professor of political science, July 24, 2004,

Powerful and Provocative Reading for Christians and Non-Christians Alike

Anthony Bartlett has accomplished quite a feat: he has managed to say something new and profound about Christianity, and has done so with such deep erudition and in such a humanely compelling voice that even non-theists may well find themselves seduced by his argument, as I was. No issue could be more important for those affected by the power of monotheism in the world today -- and that, for better or worse, includes just about everyone -- than the question of violence and atonement. Bartlett's thesis is radical and provocative, and his book will stimulate much reflection and, literally, soul-searching on the part of Christian and non-Christian readers alike.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A provocative, relevant reading of the cross, October 28, 2004

By 

David E. Eagle (Victoria, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cross Purposes: The Violent Grammar of Christian Atonement (Paperback)

Cross Purposes is an important book in the continuing conversation about the saving significance of Jesus' death. Surveying historical thinking on atonement, the book unearths the traces of sacralized violence in atonement thinking. The book offers a helpful critique of Anselm and his followers, including evangelical penal substitution, for the violent and inconsitent image of God is perpetuates. Whereas many authors (J Denny Weaver for instance) turn to Christus Victor as an alternative to the Anselmian views, Bartlett helpfully exposes the same problem in Christus Victor - a picture of a God tainted by violence.

The book then goes onto adopt a generally deconstructive, Girardian rereading of Peter Abelard's moral influence theory. He manages to answer the critics of Abelard convincingly through his use of Derrida and Girard. His generally deconstructive approach allows him to stay away from the triumphalism that Girard is sometime accused of perpetuating. As an Anabaptist I highly appreciates Bartlett's construction of the atonement as it prunes God of any hint of violence, and holds together God's essential unity in self-giving love. And he does this in such a way that maintains the integrity of the Biblical message. Recommended to all who are interested in engaging the cross through new lenses. If you are reading James Alison and Raymund Schwager, this book is an absolute must read!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a pastor's perspective, February 26, 2006

By 

Mary McKinney "following the prince of peace" (Illinois) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cross Purposes: The Violent Grammar of Christian Atonement (Paperback)

As a parish minister it has been 25 years since my formal study of atonement theory. The violent god so permeating our theologies is seductive for some and repulsive to others. Perhaps people decide to be church members in spite of god, rather than because of God. Bartlett meticulously walks us through the ways we've ended up in the dungeon of the god of violence, the "god of this world," to use St. Paul's phrase. Philosophy, theology, the Bible and literature for Bartlett are ways to understand where we've been and how we can move toward God. Thanks to Bartlett, I have new ways to preach about the God revealed in Jesus. For those of us not in academia, Cross Purposes is a challenging read providing solid foundation for my preaching.