debt and atonement

I realize it’s been awhile, but life has been happening, so… whatever, you get what you pay for.

Anyway, Margaret Atwood is one of Canada’s greatest living writers and more than a few would say she’s one of the best on the planet. Her latest book, Payback is a non-fiction exploration of the concept of debt in our society from a sociological and literary perspective. I haven’t read the book yet, but I’ve read an excerpt and I’m persuaded to buy it. The book it also the subject for the Massey Lectures and I will be listening to Ms. Atwood on Ideas on CBC Radio (Sirius Satellite 137) from Nov. 10 – 14.

One of the ideas she explores is that of the connection with debt and sin. ““The whole theology of Christianity rests on the notion of spiritual debts and what must be done to repay them.” she says at one point. I don’t know if thats the whole theology of Christianity, but it’s certainly part of the picture. This language is in some translations of the Lord’s prayer “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” In this picture Jesus pays back in his death on the cross the debt we have accrued against God with our disobedience.

This has become an unpopular view in some circles and the debate over substitutionary atonement in this sense has burned up many blogs and has pushed people into deep corners of debate. I’m curious if some of the unconscious motivations behind the the denial of debts owed to God might be the accumulations of consumer debt and the desire to ignore it. Perhaps debt language hits too close to home and we’d rather it go away.

Just a thought, maybe Margaret Atwood will help.