In Abba, Father: Viewing Atonement through the Jesus Lens, I set out to rethink atonement in a departure from what is possibly the most popular theory among conservative Christians. This book reexamines atonement by giving careful attention to the words of Jesus. It abandons entirely the concept of “the atonement” held as the most popular view among conservative evangelicals today.

The New Testament shows that Jesus did not preach any “theory of the atonement.” In fact, Jesus never used any word that could be translated “atonement,” nor did he preach any concept that could be so construed. Jesus proclaimed the metaphor of the loving Father. Jesus taught how we are to reconcile (although he never used that word, either) with the Father, not how the Father reconciles himself to us.