ABSTRACT
The middle term in my title—exemplarity—is explicitly intended as a conceptual mediator between ethics and atonement. I argue that empirical insights from and philosophical reflection around exemplarity research can play a substantial function in the objective integration of the subjects of moral philosophy and soteriological doctrine. “Soteriology” (Greek, soteria meaning salvation) has traditionally been understood as the study of the way in which the “work” of Christ can bring redemption to (some or all of) humanity, effecting at-one-ment (reconciliation) between creatures and the Creator. Atonement theories try to explain how this “works.” This chapter calls for a fresh look at a much-maligned and neglected minority voice within the Christian tradition: the so-called “moral exemplar” theory of atonement.
