Christians may be aware of the worship song “How Deep the Father’s Love” by Stuart Townend. The lyrics read, in part, “How deep the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure, that He should give His only Son… Behold the man upon a cross, my sin upon His shoulders… it was my sin that held Him there.”[1] Many Christians, even hearing this song for the first time, will recognize Townend’s modern hymn as a recounting of Jesus’ death on the cross for the sins of mankind. While the lyrics may, at least at first glance, seem uncontroversial to many believers, some take issue with such a characterization of God, Jesus, and our role in Jesus’ death.
British Baptist Minister Steve Chalke, for example, feels that describing Jesus’ death in this way paints God as:
“A vengeful Father, punishing his Son for an offence he has not even committed… such a concept stands in total contradiction to the statement: ‘God is love.’”[2]
In a recent twitter…
