Christ's Atonement Is NOT Child Abuse!

Shockwaves reverberated through sections of the Evangelical community in the United Kingdom on the release of a new book, ‘The Lost Message Of Jesus,' by internationally acclaimed author and former Baptist pastor, Steve Chalke. In it he claims that the penal substitution of Christ was “tantamount to child abuse.” He proceeds to assert that this view of a wrathful Father pouring out punishment on His Son has been responsible for producing a race of judgemental, intolerant Christians.

Steve Chalke has been a fairly ‘big name' in evangelical circles. He certainly began well. Having studied at Spurgeon's Theological College in London, he became a Baptist minister in 1981 and served in that capacity for four years, before establishing the Oasis Trust - an organisation that pioneers educational, healthcare and housing initiatives in the UK and across the globe. He hosts regular shows on television and radio and is today an enthusiastic supporter of the Alpha Course and the Toronto Blessing / Vineyard Movement.

This sermon maintains that despite his popularity, Steve Chalke is a false teacher, and is in error right across the biblical spectrum. From Creation (he states that a literal six day Creation is “rubbish”) to Calvary, he has got it spectacularly and dangerously wrong.