Conceived originally for the Gheens Lectures at Louisville's Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, these essays affirm traditional views on the atonement but venture beyond them to explore other aspects that speak especially to today's society - how the cross helps overcome futility and transcend ignorance (understood biblically as enslavement to sin); how it provides an answer to our selfishness; etc. Reflectively grounded in an orthodox approach to faith, this deft and graceful book will be accessible to serious general readers as well as scholars/ professionals. Dewey Decimal Number for easy library filing.