Easter offers promise of redemption
SMU Dean William Lawrence talks about the various forms of redemption.
By Gracie Bonds Staples
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just as the birth of Christ is at the center of Christmas, the story of his death and resurrection is at the core of Easter Sunday. For Christians, scholars say, Easter offers the promise of redemption, with Jesus’ resurrection representing the possibility of entering into eternal life.
Indeed for many Christians, true redemption is possible only through Christ. . .
Still, many of us, of all backgrounds and beliefs, have experienced redemption of some sort, said William B. Lawrence, dean of the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
It might be when an addict has reached rock bottom and finally finds his way out, he said. Or after one survives financial ruin or deals with a terminal illness.
Although these experiences may fall short of the ideal of resurrection — “overcoming death, not the postponement of it,” Lawrence said — they can still connect us to the feelings of hope and renewal Christians celebrate today.
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