another popular movie that clearly ends in blood-based substitutionary atonement

Gran Torino, that is. It was rough, but understandable considering the context.

And here is the "another" one I had in mind.

putting the FUN back into FUNdamentalism

Historic fundamentalism came from Christians reacting to the liberalism of 19th century. At the Niagara Bible Conference of 1895, the following list was put together to oppose how knuckled-headed and flippant many were being with what Christianity was becoming. They are the five fundamentals.

1. the inerrancy of Scripture
   
2. the deity and virgin birth of Jesus
   
3. the substitutionary atonement
   
4. the bodily resurrection
   
5. the personal return of Christ
   

The words "protestant" and "christian" seem to have both lost their original flavor. The expiration date on "fundamentalism" has also passed. I wonder when/if "evangelical" will be stale and flat?

Was it Aristotle who said that a tree loses its "tree-ness" when it is given a name? When something is persistently and primarily known by title and not beheld for its beauty or essence, it begins to be weakened.

This holds true here.

But no titles will be necessary one day.

"I AM LEGEND" and the atonement

There's not a profane word or a scantly clad breast in the whole thing. So, it could be a family flick in that regard. But not so much. You will be on very the edge of scared for quite a while, rarely pushed over, but always engaged. My wife likes to call this a "jumpy" movie. A "jumpy" movie is something in between an intense drama and a horror made for the masses. If you know my Sara, this is funny. But best of all....

"I am Legend" is a flagrant construal of the sweetness and need for a blood-based substitutionary atonement. I'm glad the cross isn't an allegory. I'm grateful that it is theologically and historically true and spiritually and eternally my only hope.

clichéd atonement and particular redemption