The UWC Reception of Gustaf Aulén’s Christus Victor Typology

Abstract

This contribution highlights the remarkable reception of Gustaf Aulén's famous typology on atonement, as offered in his book Christus Victor (1930), at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa since 2000. It explains the background to this reception in terms of the need amongst staff and students to hold together the core tenets of evangelical theology, liberation theology, and liberal theology. It describes the content of this reception with reference to teaching, postgraduate theses, and ongoing research. It also comments on the possibility of holding together all three of Aulén's types in terms of the need to address present predicaments, the injustices of the past, and to contain the future spread of evil.