Past Event and Present Salvation: The Christian Idea of Atonement [Paperback]

Paul S. Fiddes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1989

How can an event that has taken place in the past have an effect upon the human experience of salvation in the present? In examining one of the essential questions of the Christian faith, Paul S. Fiddes explores the limits as well as the gains to be made in speaking about crucifixion as a historical event, and considers the relationship of the crucifixion to the continuing process of God's saving activity. He considers the relevance of a past act of atonement to such areas of practical experience as forgiveness, liberation, and suffering.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul S. Fiddes is Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Oxford in England.

Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press (January 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 066425036X
• ISBN-13: 978-0664250362
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #666,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear discussion of the basic question of how Jesus saves, July 22, 2001

By 

Thomas J. Krieg (Eau Claire, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Past Event and Present Salvation: The Christian Idea of Atonement (Paperback)

As a Christian campus minister, I often hear students' questions about salvation. "What is salvation?" "How does Jesus save?" "How can something that happened 2000 years ago affect me now?" "What does it mean that Jesus died for my sins, and he could he have when I wasn't even around then?" When my own responses fail to satisfy them, I always recommend Fiddes' book, and I am grateful that it remains in print twelve years after its first publication.

Fiddes does a good job in distinguishing between "objective" theories of atonement/salvation that describe what believers claim God has done to change the way things are in the universe, and "subjective" theories that stress an individual's appropriation of divine activity. He then synthesizes them well. Along with Michael Winter's "The Atonement" (Liturgical Press), I think this book is excellent background reading for anyone wanting to seriously explore Christian atonement theory, and it is free enough of academic jargon to be read by the general educated public.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, Biblical, Sophisticated Work on the Cross, February 22, 2010

By 

Kyle Potter (Lexington, KY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Past Event and Present Salvation: The Christian Idea of Atonement (Paperback)

Fiddes provides a creative and readable overview of Christian language and major conceptions regarding the work of Christ's cross over the last two millennia, and argues for a view of the atonement that is relational rather than purely juridical, and concerned more with healing of people and restoration to God (expiation language) rather than concepts of propitiation and courtroom metaphors (and the implied change in God). It's theologically rigorous and pastorally thoughtful.