Explores the Christian symbol of the cross. This work considers the following questions: do traditional understandings of the cross assign a value to suffering or violence? Are traditional models of redemption as a ransom or debt payment fitting for the world?

In today's theological landscape the significance of the cross has become strongly affirmed and radically questioned. This exciting volume gathers theologians and historians who have thought through these critical and constructive issues: Do traditional understandings of the cross valorize suffering or violence? Are the older soteriological models, which see redemption as a kind of ransom or debt satisfaction, fitting for the contemporary worldview? Do they produce a piety that acquiesces in needless suffering, or does the cross precisely meet the massive suffering and injustice of today's world? Following an expert introduction to the issues and options by editor Marit Trelstad, each