Mike Winger Critique Episode 11: Is the Atonement School's God Violent?

“The atonement school” refers to modern, largely Protestant, adherents of Anselm’s theory of atonement. Grandees of the atonement school portray a God who is angry, violent, and bloodthirsty. Yet Mike Winger, a younger exponent of this school, maintains that critics who point this out are misrepresenting penal-substitutionary atonement (PSA). Indeed, Winger deems so many aspects of PSA theology misrepresentations that it may be time for him to formulate his own model of atonement, as he has strayed very far from the atonement-school reservation. Paul Vendredi and Warren McGrew label this phenomenon “Winger versus the atonement school.”

While atonement schoolers like John MacArthur consistently assert that God brought infinite wrath and punishment on Jesus during the crucifixion, Winger struggles with these entailments due to his straddling of the Arminian and Calvinist worlds. Paul especially critiques the bloodthirsty nature of God in PSA theology, citing MacArthur’s use of phrases like "God took pleasure in killing his son in the most appalling manner possible" and Chuck Swindoll’s line "hundreds of thousands of gallons of blood every year poured through the altars." Paul suggests that Winger's cognitive dissonance stems from his inability to embrace fully the bloodthirsty God portrayed by atonement-school theology.

Greg Boyd is a staunch critic of PSA. Winger objects to Boyd’s mocking use of the phrase “God vented his wrath on Jesus.” But Paul provides evidence from the teachings of Charles Haddon Spurgeon and John MacArthur, both respected figures in the atonement school, to prove that they certainly do teach that God vented his wrath on Christ. Paul then provides audio clips from the reputable atonement schoolers Derek Thomas and Paul Washer to demonstrate that they hold that God's wrath must be spent or satisfied for sin to be forgiven. Paul concludes that Greg Boyd is the truth teller in this debate, while Winger is the liar.

Winger expresses his discomfort with the common saying among atonement schoolers that God pours out his wrath onto his son, Jesus. Winger admits that he struggles with the terminology and the implications of this phrase, despite affirming that Jesus experienced God's wrath on the cross. Paul and Warren likewise criticize the frequent use of the phrase, noting that it is used even in contexts unrelated to soteriology. They argue that it has become a catchphrase or buzzword that reveals doctrinal alignments.

Paul commends Winger for shedding himself of theological shibboleths like "God poured out his wrath," but notes that he still clings to the phrase "the finished work of Christ." The speaker then challenges Winger's interpretation of this phrase, pointing out that there is controversy among atonement schoolers regarding the completion of Christ's work on the cross and the forgiveness of all sins past, present, and future. Paul references various Protestants, including Wayne Grudem, Josh McDowell, and Steven L. Anderson, who hold different views regarding Christ’s work.