Forgiveness and Atonement

"Millions of words have been devoted to analyzing the nature of forgiveness; even more words have been devoted to offering an account of the atonement that the New Testament declares to have been effected by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Anyone who undertakes to add his own words to those millions must have something new to say on these topics. Jonathan Rutledge does indeed have something new to say; and he says it with lucid prose and compelling argumentation, backed up by astounding acquaintance with the relevant interdisciplinary literature." - Nicholas Wolterstorff, Yale University, USA

"Rutledge’s combination of exegesis with analytic philosophical tools and his value theory approach to forgiveness facilitate clarity and precision in theological argumentation and formulation. As such, this methodological approach ought to serve as a model to scholars who desire to work in the burgeoning field of analytic theology. Truly, the sophistication of his treatment of forgiveness stands out and moves forward our understanding of this vastly important topic. [...] The uniqueness of Rutledge’s thesis and the thoroughness of his argumentation make this a welcome addition to the literature on the topic and, as such, it ought to be consulted by any student or scholar who is interested in soteriology." - Thomas Haviland-Pabst in Criswell Theological Review