In this widely praised volume, Robert H. Culpepper places the doctrine of the atonement at the center of the Christian faith and carries on his discussion of it against the background of a biblical understanding of sin, presenting the Old Testament foundations, the New Testament witness, and various historical interpretations. He concludes with a constructive statement of the doctrine that will serve the reader well as a guide to a deeper understanding of Christianity and its practice in today's world. "I regard this as the ablest and most helpful general work on the doctrine of the atonement that is currently available. The treatment is judiciously balanced between the biblical, historical, and reconstructive aspects of the subject." - W. Boyd Hunt, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. "Comprehensive and balanced in its approach...Biblically grounded...A solid, helpful study." - I. John Hesselink, Western Theological Seminary. Robert H. Culpepper served as a Southern Baptist missionary and seminary teaching in Japan for thirty years before returning permanently to the United States in 1980. He is professor emeritus at Southeastern Baptist Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina.