Dear Dr. Bock,

The youth and the young at heart share in my lifetime experience with "religion." Whether that of today or yesterday - typically - church is a turn-off. As for myself, I did not tune-in to Christ Jesus until I was turned-on to the gospel of God's saving grace. Whereby, all my previous notions about "church" were proven to be all to true.

Why is Christianity confusing? What lies behind and below a “parolee” or “works” for merit final redemption? Will a particular conception of divine forgiveness dictate the details of salvation? Would not the gospel message (good news of salvation) then, by necessity, need to conform to this conception of forgiveness? Forgiveness may either be divine or human. I strongly claim that one’s idea of forgiveness will distort or confirm the gospel of God’s grace as it is given in Scripture.

Should one be sincerely interested in the root cause of the confusion and disenfranchisement that is mentioned above, that she/he would greatly benefit by pursuing a personal understanding that salvation (the ordo salutis of a Christian's daily walk) flys under two flags - Arminian token atonement theory and biblical substitutionary and penal satisfaction. There is a difference as vast as that between the East and the West between living in the knowledge that Christ Jesus will make sure you arrive in glory as planned and the notion that Christ is only there help. Help is what the world offers, certainty is what God can guarantee.

With regards,
Dave