Christ's Atonement and the Non-Christian

Abstract

THESIS: Many former colonial peoples of Asia and Africa are exhibiting antagonism to Christianity. Much of this comes from an understandable but unfortunate identification of Christianity with western civilization. But much of it has a deeper theological root. The adherents of the non-Christian religions resent being damned for committing sins they do not understand as sin and for not believing in a Christ of whom they have never heard. Is there, perhaps, a legitimate interpretation of the atonement (as suffering rather than sin) that speaks to this situation? And how, in this contemporary situation, are we to think of the relation between double predestination and universal salvation?