Adam Kotsko's aim is to express the answer to the Church's oldest question, Why Did God Become Human (Cur Deus Homo)?, in today's philosophical language.

He reviews the patristic and medieval attempts to understand the atonement, majoring on Irenaeus, Gregory of Nyssa, Anselm and Abelard. His review highlights the growing trend over the centuries towards a view of humanity as the individual soul and God.

Kotsko uses Bonhoeffer and Dorothee Solle, among the theologians, and Jean-Luc Nancy, among the philosophers, to show that a social-relationship understanding of human beings better explains the atonement.

For example, Jesus can be seen as the representative of the human race with whom God deals, and human beings together are saved in unity with Jesus. Following Solle, he also sees the Church as the representative of human beings, encouraging God not to give up on the world, but opening the gift of eternal life wider and wider.

The obstacle to redemption, the devil in patristic thought, becomes for Kotsko the political world. His thought here is reminiscent of the Powers and Principailities described by Walter Wink.

As the human race responds to the saving work of Christ, our ability to enjoy freedom (from coercion) in our relatinships becomes greater and greater.

"Politics of Redemption" lays out clearly the different ways the Church has talked about why God become human and points forward to new dimensions of the discussion.

I would recommend Kotsko's book to those who have read some theology: while its language is clear, it strides quickly through basic Christology and soteriology and may not be easily accessible to the lay-reader. ( )