Introduction

This series of blog posts focus on atonement from the angle of American evangelical political behavior.  This series is a long engagement with Rene Girard and his scapegoat theory.  Girard had valuable insights into the anthropology of the cross of Christ. 

I believe penal substitution enshrines and exploits the principle of retributive justice – at times, even infinite retribution – into human relations.  Therefore, I examine penal substitutionary atonement from both theological and anthropological perspectives.  It is important to see how penal substitution attracts other theological ideas to itself in the human mind, and what behaviors it facilitates, even when Christians maintain that other aspects of Christian teaching require Christians to not behave that way.