Restoring the Story

By Anne van Gend

Review by Alan Gault, Curate in Blackburn Diocese

SCM Press, 2024, £19.99 ISBN: 978-0-3340-6619-4

Articulating what Jesus accomplished on the cross is one of the primary functions of the preacher. Restoring the Story seeks to challenge Christians (and therefore preachers) to move beyond theological exposition and engage listeners in the story of atonement in a way that touches their hearts and imaginations.

The most helpful contribution of this book is its placement of atonement theories within their historical context – products of their time and place designed to allow hearers to understand the bad news of their day, and how Jesus is good news. Crucial in such questions is the parsing of what Jesus has done, with the particular ways in which humans understand what Jesus has done (p.199). This concept frees the preacher from the straitjacket of standardised atonement theory and their own tradition’s preferred (read correct) model and allow for creativity in the endeavour. Specifically, for van Gend, are there ancient ways of comprehending the work of Jesus that might be repurposed for contemporary society?

Van Gend is clear, engaging, and nuanced. She paints every model discussed as biblical, faithful, yet incomplete representations of the good news. Readers (and preachers) are invited to reencounter atonement concepts that may have been forgotten and to reimagine how they might be useful tools for communication today. This, the meatiest section of the book, focuses on four approaches to atonement: sacrificial, victorious, covenantal and theosis.

Van Gend does not settle on one view of atonement but instead encourages preachers to explore how the story of atonement can resonate with their listeners. Atonement becomes more than a theological concept; it is a lived experience through the retelling of Jesus’ story and its application in the life of the Church. Readers and preachers who are locked into their atonement model may disagree with the space given to other theories, or indeed the lack of interrogation of the weaknesses of the models which van Gend foregrounds. Similarly, those from a penal substitutionary atonement (PSA) tradition may feel that model is an easy target and that the arguments for PSA are not given the same room to breathe.

The title of the book demonstrates the narrative approach that van Gend takes to the Christian message, and one would imagine the task of preaching. The book is an exploration of how the Church can reclaim storytelling as central to its mission of encountering atonement. Not only as a tool for teaching but as a means of connecting with people at a spiritual and emotional level. Van Gend’s use of contemporary stories, imagery and literature is impressive, however some may feel that the book lacks engagement with rich theological texts. The emphasis is on restoring the narrative that conveys God’s redemptive plan, encouraging preachers to use storytelling to make the atonement accessible, meaningful and alive to contemporary audience. I found it immensely thought provoking.

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