In this book Colin Gunton explores both the Christian doctrine of Atonement and the nature and working of theological language.
Taking the crisis of rationalism as his starting point, he considers the nature of metaphor. He argues that metaphor, far from being an abuse of language, is crucial to rational engagement with the world.
Professor Gunton reassesses the doctrine and the language in which it is expressed in the light of modern scholarly developments. He explains how the traditional metaphors of Atonement, drawn from the battlefield, the altar and the law courts, are all expressions of the meaning of life, death and the resurrection of Jesus - and examines their bearing on human life in today’s world.
The Actuality of Atonement recovers a central dimension of Christian teaching.