THE SCAPEGOAT

A Christian author urges readers to reorient themselves to the Bible’s core message in this debut nonfiction work.

Too much of society, Smith argues, is “engaged in idolatry” without even being aware of it. He includes in this cohort fellow Christians who “worship the gods of marketing” and embrace American consumerist culture. The author’s solution is to return to the fundamental tenets of the Bible, though he admits that those unfamiliar with the sacred book may have difficulty “putting it all together.” Distilling the Bible’s central message (or at least his interpretation of it), Smith asserts that Jesus is best understood as a scapegoat. Blending parables with ample Bible verses and pop-cultural references (the last chapter likens humanity to Charlie Brown, who continually falls for Lucy’s tricks), the author argues that Jesus serves as a “stand-in, or surrogate” who bears the weight of and punishment for everyone’s sins. Only Jesus, per Smith’s conception of divine justice, can serve in this role, as the scapegoat must be “completely blameless.” Accepting Jesus as one’s scapegoat comes with “spectacular fringe benefits,” the author assures readers (“The most ridiculous things you can imagine can be accomplished”). Writing in a down-to-earth style, Smith eschews the esoterica of complex doctrine and does not engage meaningfully with Christian scholars. (The author readily admits that he does not have a background in theological training, but is self-taught through his own reading of the Bible.) Most of the book’s underlying doctrine reflects a standard evangelical, Protestant conception of Christian salvation and assumption of Biblical inerrancy (“the Bible says what it says and it means what it means—whether you like it or not,” Smith writes). This approach may potentially alienate readers, including Christians from other denominational perspectives, who hold different ideas about subjects such as the salvific nature of Jesus’ crucifixion and sexual morality.

An earnest, if not always convincingly argued, summary of evangelical Christian salvation theology.