Since its inception in 1862 as the “first-to-use-English” Dutch Reformed Church congregation in Holland, Michigan, Hope Church has lived out a progressive ministry relevant to contemporary issues. Hope Church’s ministry has been carried out alongside a default substitutionary atonement theological paradigm, but this paradigm neither fits nor supports the lived ministry of Hope Church. In continuing to be a progressive presence in the RCA, Hope Church will be well served by an atonement theology paradigm that grounds and nurtures its ministry of justice and inclusion. My lifelong spiritual path is similar to that of Hope Church, as one with a progressive faith in the midst of a conservative religious culture and theology, and this dissonance has led me to seek an alternative atonement theology. My thesis is that the “irruptive” atonement paradigm that I draw from the work of Rene Girard and James Alison offers a life-giving theology to empower Hope Church’s ministry. My vision is to design ways in which to incorporate the content and language of the Girard/Alison irruptive paradigm into the worship life and pedagogy of Hope Church, aligning atonement theology with life and ministry. I have developed resources to provide longitudinal support to Hope Church in giving theological voice and nurture to the irruptive atonement paradigm which I assert that Hope Church embodies. My approach in doing so is not through direct teaching of Girard/Alison theology, but through the use of language, images, and programs that are imbued with the irruptive atonement paradigm and incorporated into the fabric of Hope Church life. This approach will support the faith and ministry of Hope Church and will evoke creative expressions of justice and inclusion.
