Publishers Weekly
11/20/2023
Nothing is more central to Christian theology than “interpreting the meaning of God as revealed in the crucified Christ,” argues pastor Zahnd (When Everything’s on Fire) in this illuminating reappraisal of the central Christian symbol. But if “all we see... is the raw data of a Galilean Jew executed by the Roman Empire under Pontius Pilate, we have failed to understand it.” Zahnd views the cross as the “place where an old world died” and “an act of redemption... opened the door to a world made new”—a “liminal space of now and not yet” that offers hope for a better world. Drawing on interlocutors including John Coltrane, Søren Kierkegaard, and Jürgen Moltmann, Zahnd’s invitation to be “drawn into a contemplative orbit around” the cross is lucid, gracious, and suffused with erudition and humility (“the only redemptive role for the soldier at the foot of the cross is to confess, ‘Truly this man was God’s son”). It’s a worthy look at a familiar emblem of Christianity. (Feb.)
Bonnie Kristian
". . . this is the most cross-centered book I've read in years — a worthwhile meditation on theodicy, atonement, and the shape of a cruciform life.
Bradley Jersak
"To the apostolic witnesses, the cross of Christ was never a theory to be solved by theologizing, as if the calculative mind could solve its mysteries through abstraction. The cross can only be narrated, beheld, and shared as a transforming testimony—proclaimed in sermons, symbols, and parables, in the poetry and hymns of lives it has rebirthed. For over four decades, Brian Zahnd has been a poet-preacher-prophet of the cross. I daresay he's an eyewitness theologian who kneels at its foot. This book is his revelation of who he has seen there."
Eric E. Peterson
"With the heart of a pastor, the mind of a scholar, and the soul of a Jesus follower, Brian Zahnd here shares the fruit of his long, unhurried contemplation of the cross of Christ. His keen insights liberate us from flawed atonement theories based in retributive justice that have persisted for far too long, and he breathes new life into the mystery of the cross: the supreme centerpiece of God's love that radiates redemption and ushers us into the peaceable kingdom."
Jonathan Merritt
"Most books on the cross of Christ are regurgitations of outmoded atonement theories that say almost nothing memorable. But Brian Zahnd has once again broken the mold with his revolutionary book The Wood Between the Worlds. Herein we have a capacious portrait of Jesus' sacrifice that is so stunningly beautiful and uniquely framed that the reader cannot look away. An enrapturing volume to reignite the church's curiosity around the crucifixion penned by one of today's most provocative pastors."
Julie Canlis
"In the liminal Wood Between the Worlds, Brian Zahnd encounters the inexhaustible cross. Perhaps you are more familiar with the absent Protestant Christ or the afflicted Catholic Christ or the victorious classical Christ? Each one is true and speaks a faithful message. (Which one speaks to you? Which one pushes you away?) Brian's book invites us to contemplate the kaleidoscopic mystery of Christ. Will we stop and be still before the mystery? Will we let this irreligious symbol transform all our notions of religion?"
Jennifer Garcia Bashaw
"The American church has inherited a desiccated theology of the cross, one that bypasses the rich and diverse images of salvation presented in Scripture and articulates atonement in terms of deity appeasement and individualistic salvation. In The Wood Between the Worlds, Brian Zahnd puts flesh back on the dry bones of our atonement theology. His holistic reading of the biblical texts recounts the salvation story with an eye toward what the cross meant and continues to mean for the world. Using literary allusions, Girard's scapegoat theory, and reflections on our current social and political reality, Zahnd refocuses us on the truth of the gospel message—that Jesus' death saves humanity not from hands of an angry God but from the violent powers that have corrupted us and held us in their sway. The efficacy of the cross, then, is not that it divides the damned from the saved but that it unites all humanity, reconciling us to one another in hope as we hunger for the final restoration of creation."
Library Journal
12/22/2023
How does one examine the meaning of the crucifixion of Christ? Zahnd (Beauty Will Save the World), pastor of Word of Life Church, notes that one can approach it from a lot of different directions, and he compares it to looking through a kaleidoscope. He addresses specific theological perspectives on the cross, but he does so in a reflective, meditative way, drawing upon such items as paintings, sculptures, novels, poems, and hymns. This creative and fresh approach encourages readers to think reflectively as well. He sees the crucifixion as relevant not just to the past but to the present as well. Specifically, he argues that, theologically, the cross points to an affirmation of pacifism and universalism and a rejection of capital punishment. Zahnd is critical of how atonement theories often are misleading and superficial, particularly when emphasis is placed on just one of them. He also rejects atonement theories that pit the Father against the son, such as when indicating that God's anger must be appeased through the sacrifice of his son. VERDICT Readers interested in biblical theology or in the New Testament more generally will find this book to be helpful.—John Jaeger
