Topic:
That Jesus Christ is saviour is one of the core beliefs of Christianity. Outline and critically evaluate some traditional ways of understanding salvation. Outline and critically evaluate some contemporary theologians’ thinking on salvation. Briefly address the implications of this for teaching salvation in schools.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines salvation as “deliverance from sin and its consequences, believed by Christians to be brought about by faith in Christ” .
“Sin”, in turn is defined as “an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law” .
One of the core beliefs of Christianity it that Jesus Christ is saviour and is, therefore, responsible for delivering humanity from perpetrating acts that are …show more content…

Another traditional theory of salvation is the Greek or ‘Physical’ theory that links redemption to human mortality. Corruption and death are “the primary effects of the human sinful state” and Christ’s redemption “entails the elevation, transformation and sanctification of human nature [and] effects ‘incorruption’ and ‘immortality’”
This model teaches by example and espouses that human nature is “deified by the incarnation” . The limitations of this model, however, lie in the fact that it does not seem to address the concept of free will. It represents Christ as physical and suggests that human nature is a “concrete universal” in which all humans must, therefore, participate.
Some aspects of these traditional models of salvation still have currency in a contemporary context. The recapitulation model, for example, promoted a process of moving from ignorance to knowledge, from darkness to light. Anselm moved Christian thinking away from the power of the devil towards the redemptive power of human nature and Abelard’s model espoused the redemptive nature of love.
Modern theologians have challenged the traditional models of salvation and notions of “vicarious satisfaction” . They have focused, instead, on the role of Christ’s relationship with both the human self and the Christian community in a contemporary world.
This is not to say, however, that all elements of traditional thinking were discounted.
The Participatory model of