Have you ever found yourself repeating expressions such as "Jesus saves" or "Jesus died for our sins" without really understanding them? When popular speakers "explain" how Jesus's death satisfied God's wrath so you could be forgiven, do you ever think to yourself, "I don't get it"? If so, you're not alone, you're not dumb, and the problem is not with you. Ron Highfield reframes Christian teaching about the atonement so that it comes alive with fresh meaning. Drawing on biblical and traditional sources, Highfield explains why our frustration in trying to understand how Jesus's death satisfies God's judicial wrath is inevitable . . . because the idea doesn't make sense and the Bible doesn't teach it! Instead of viewing the atonement as the solution to God's problem of how to forgive sins while remaining perfectly just, Highfield argues that the atonement is God's solution to our problem. In Jesus, God rewrites the human story, forgiving our sins, correcting our mistakes, and realizing our destiny. As one of us, Jesus lives a perfect life, passes through death, and enters into eternal life. As the new Adam, he invites us to join his family, share his life, and enjoy his victory.
“"Highfield locates atonement theology in the broad Christus Victor tradition but more fully explores the patristic and biblical ideas of recapitulation through representation (the second Adam motif). He attends to the biblical and patristic themes that are more characteristic of Eastern Orthodoxy. In this way, Highfield offers a path forward that blends both Western and Eastern theologies, and by this retains the best of the Western tradition while reorienting atonement theology toward the main thing: theosis through recapitulation. Thus, it is, at once, eminently biblical, fresh, and integrative. This is a compelling theological account of atonement in the context of historic Christian tradition." --John Mark Hicks, Lipscomb University "Another book on the atonement? This one, we certainly need! Ron Highfield weaves theological arguments and biblical sensibilities into a message of salvation in Jesus that is faithful to the scriptural gospel and aimed at engaging our contemporaries as good news. The New Adam sets the question of the Christian doctrine of salvation fully in conversation with the human condition, in its misery and hope, with the long history of Christian sense-making of Jesus's death, and with the biblical narrative. The result is a bold and welcome proposal that depicts Jesus's story as the true human story, Israel's story reworked, and our story remade." --Joel B. Green, Fuller Theological Seminary "This compelling book is Christian theology at its best: a work that both helps the church clarify its message and encourages the church to share this message as the good news it is. Highfield offers a sweeping primer for understanding the meaning of God's work in Jesus Christ--working carefully with biblical texts and church history. If I could place a copy in the hands of every Christian leader, I would!" --Mike Cope, Pepperdine University "I have read countless books and articles on the atonement over the years and I can say without hesitation that A New Adam is far and away the best I've seen. Understanding Christ's atoning work can be very confusing, but Highfield brings light into our gloom, pointing a way forward to a viable ancient-future faith. If I had to suggest one book for thinking people to read on the atonement, it would be this one. Highly recommended!" --Robin A. Parry, Anglican priest and author of The Evangelical Universalist”
"Highfield locates atonement theology in the broad Christus Victor tradition but more fully explores the patristic and biblical ideas of recapitulation through representation (the second Adam motif). He attends to the biblical and patristic themes that are more characteristic of Eastern Orthodoxy. In this way, Highfield offers a path forward that blends both Western and Eastern theologies, and by this retains the best of the Western tradition while reorienting atonement theology toward the main thing: theosis through recapitulation. Thus, it is, at once, eminently biblical, fresh, and integrative. This is a compelling theological account of atonement in the context of historic Christian tradition."
--John Mark Hicks, Lipscomb University
"Another book on the atonement? This one, we certainly need! Ron Highfield weaves theological arguments and biblical sensibilities into a message of salvation in Jesus that is faithful to the scriptural gospel and aimed at engaging our contemporaries as good news. The New Adam sets the question of the Christian doctrine of salvation fully in conversation with the human condition, in its misery and hope, with the long history of Christian sense-making of Jesus's death, and with the biblical narrative. The result is a bold and welcome proposal that depicts Jesus's story as the true human story, Israel's story reworked, and our story remade."
--Joel B. Green, Fuller Theological Seminary
"This compelling book is Christian theology at its best: a work that both helps the church clarify its message and encourages the church to share this message as the good news it is. Highfield offers a sweeping primer for understanding the meaning of God's work in Jesus Christ--working carefully with biblical texts and church history. If I could place a copy in the hands of every Christian leader, I would!"
--Mike Cope, Pepperdine University
"I have read countless books and articles on the atonement over the years and I can say without hesitation that A New Adam is far and away the best I've seen. Understanding Christ's atoning work can be very confusing, but Highfield brings light into our gloom, pointing a way forward to a viable ancient-future faith. If I had to suggest one book for thinking people to read on the atonement, it would be this one. Highly recommended!"
--Robin A. Parry, Anglican priest and author of The Evangelical Universalist
Ron Highfield is Professor of Religion at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He is the author of Barth and Rahner (1989), Great is the Lord (2008), God, Freedom & Human Dignity (2013), and The Faithful Creator (2015). He is a co-author of Four Views on Divine Providence (2011).
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