“Worldwide Christianity faces a portentous array of challenges. Many voices from within the church are calling for a complete recasting of the foundations to suit the new era. This is often accompanied by expressions of disdain for those who still find the traditional forms a source of vitality. The traditionalists, on the other hand, are frequently discovered doing variations on the old circle-the-wagons maneuver. On the ecclesiastical left, self righteousness and cultural trendiness for its own sake are constant dangers; on the right, reaction and fear are often the principal motivations. Lines are therefore drawn where engagement would be more profitable.” (Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, p. 5)

Lent draws me into the affections of Christ because it’s more than a theological argument. This is why I am grateful for Rutledge’s book. She doesn’t make theological arguments to dismiss things like “penal substitution.” She engages. And more important than that, she gets us into the story.

Lent is a time to move beyond theological constructs. It is to take in the story of what Christ has done. This is where I reset my spiritual and cultural lens every year. I need this readjustment. Books like this one from Fleming Rutledge lead me into the affections of Christ.

May this season of Lent slow us down and help us walk more slowly, with more purpose, in the story of the Savior.