take the doctrine of Atonement for granted and then proceed to try to
find a place for it in Christian experience. On the contrary, I prefer
to take human nature for granted and inquire whether it needs anything
like a doctrine of Atonement. If it does not, let the doctrine go; if
it does, let us see that the doctrine is presented in a reasonable
fashion. If it cannot be presented reasonably, it is not wanted. But
I think it is wanted, and more than wanted; it is already taken for
granted by everyone who thinks seriously about life, whether it is
called by its theological name or not.

+Outline of present-day accepted belief in regard to it.+--Before I
proceed to attempt to justify these statements let me ask my readers to
call to mind the outline of what they have been taught in reference to
this great fundamental of the Christian faith. Part of it has already
been indicated, for it was hardly possible to avoid it when considering
such a subject as that of the nature of evil or the divinity of Jesus.
Roughly stated it is as follows: Our fallen humanity is separated from
and under the displeasure of God. God longs to save us from our sin,
but justice demands that He must punish us. The world is already an
unhappy place because of sin, but what we endure here is nothing to
what we shall have to endure presently when we cross the river of
death; we shall all go to hell, a place of never-ending torment, unless
some means can be found of justifying us before God ere we pass over.
This means has been found in the self-devotion of the second person in
the Trinity. The sinless Son of God took upon Himself the likeness of
sinful humanity, was born into this world, lived here for a few years,
suffered a violent death, and then reascended to His Father to make
unceasing intercession for mankind. It was the dying of the death that
was the all-important thing. It was in consideration of this death
that God agreed to pardon sin. Jesus was put to death because God had
arranged that He should be put to death, and because Jesus was willing
to be put to death, in order that a satisfactory offering might be made
to divine justice for the sins of the world. God had to punish someone
before he could be free to forgive His erring children, and therefore
with the consent of Jesus He punished Him. The whole scheme was
prearranged in heaven, cross and all, and therefore Jesus was not taken
by surprise when the end came; He was, in