Book Review - Healing the Gospel by Derek Flood

Healing the Gospel. A radical vision for Grace, Justice, and the Cross by Derek Flood (Cascade Books, Eugene, Oregon 2012)

Influential blogger and  artist  Derek Flood has produced a timely and prophetic book which deserves to be widely read and considered. The book began life as a series of blog articles and the final text has been carefully honed through years of testing and dialogue with friends and critics. It is short (only 100 pages) and accessible, both for the theologically trained and the general reader.

Troubled by the emphasis on retribution and guilt in some traditional understandings of the gospel, Flood finds in the pages of the New Testament a healthier gospel which is truly good news. With surgical precision he exposes the weaknesses of the prevailing ‘penal substitution’ model of the atonement, including  its uncomfortable fit with the biblical narrative, its shallow engagement with the roots of sin, and its unintentional support for contemporary acts of ‘redemptive violence’. Flood makes a strong case that “The New Testament, in contrast, is actually a critique of punitive justice. It presents it as a problem to be solved, not as the means to the solution” (p.6). Combining the classic Christus Victor and Healing views of the cross and,  with an artist’s vision of the big canvas and eye for detail, he paints a beautiful picture of the victorious and healing grace of God, a picture which will stir a response in many readers.

Biblical justice is shown to be restorative, to be about God in Christ making things right. Sin is primarily a sickness to be healed rather than a crime to be punished.  Flood builds his case through careful engagement with the biblical text, and with reference to how it was understood by the early Church Fathers and the Reformers. His teaching style is lively and never turgid, even when he provides a close re-reading of key texts like Romans and Isaiah 53. As well as a few of the writer’s own drawings, the book includes clear charts and tables and a well researched Appendix on the meaning of some of the key Greek words. A scripture index and subject index are also helpfully included.

Apart from the usual quota of annoying typos such as you find in most books these days (my personal bugbear!) this is an outstanding book which will be high on my recommended list for enquirers, new christians, fringe church members, stale church members and those who have been hurt or disillusioned by church. With the added benefits of being concise and well structured, it will also provide excellent study material for small groups.

Rev Andrew Tweedy

St George’s Church Barcelona

18th September 2012