More on Atonement Theology: "Incarnation Instead of Atonement", CORPUS REPORTS, May -June 2016 by Richard Rohr OFM

"Franciscans never believed that 'blood atonement was required for God to love us. Our teacher, John Duns Scotus (1266-1308) said Christ was Plan A from the very beginning (Colossians 1:15-20, Ephesians 1;3-14) Christ wasn't a mere Plan B after the first humans sinned, which is the way most people seem to understand the significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Great Mystery of Incarnation could not be a mere mop-up exercise, a problem solving technique, or dependent on human beings messing-up."

"In Franciscan parlance, Jesus did not come to change the mind of God about humanity; Jesus came to change the mind of humanity about God. This grounds Christianity in pure love and perfect freedom from the very beginning. It creates a very coherent and utterly positive spirituality, which draws people towards lives of inner depth, prayer, reconciliation, healing and even universal "at-one-ment," instead of mere sacrificial atonement. Nothing changed on Calvary, but everything was revealed as God's suffering love- so that we could change!" 
Most of us were taught that God would love us if and when we change. In fact , God loves you so that you can change. IT IS THE INHERENT EXPERIENCE OF LOVE THAT BECOMES THE ENGINE OF CHANGE. "RICHARD ROHR OFM
(CORPUS REPORTS, pp. 14-15, May/June 2016)