Abstract:
Abstract
The doctrine of atonement is central to the logic of the Christian faith. As a
core part of Christian theology, the subject of atonement has received much
scholarly attention since the emergence of the Christian church. Different
scholars have interpreted Christ’s atoning sacrifice in different ways based
on their socio-political milieu. One of such interpretations is Anselm’s
satisfaction theory which considers the atonement as a supererogatory
act that provided satisfaction for humankind’s disobedience of God. Like
any other model of atonement, Anselm’s model has its strengths and
limitations. The lack of literature on the contextual application of Anselm’s
satisfaction theory to the Ghanaian context has prompted this study which
appraises the theory and then discusses how it might address selected
challenges facing the contemporary Ghanaian society. The methodology
used for the first task comprised a synchronic historical review and
conceptual analysis of existing literature on the satisfaction theory. Among
other things, the study found that the satisfaction theory rightly considers
God as the receiver of the atonement but fails to address pertinent issues
regarding God’s redemptive and covenantal nature. This was followed by a
comparative study between Anselm’s socioeconomic and political contexts
and those of contemporary Ghana. Based on this, contextual applications of
the theory were deduced for contemporary Ghana. The article contributes
to the contemporary Christian discourse on the doctrine of soteriology
and its relevance to human society.
2 Boaheng • STJ 2024, Vol 10, No 1, 1–27
Keywords
Anselm; eco-theology; God; satisfaction theory; sin; sociopolitical
