One gospel in many contextual forms: A cognitive linguistic model for contextualising atonement language

This article considers the relationship between the normativity of the gospel and its many contextual forms from a cognitive linguistic perspective. Current evangelical approaches to this issue uphold the normativity and varied expressions of the gospel but are problematic in how they relate them. This article argues that cognitive linguistics, particularly its account of encyclopaedic meaning, embodied cognition, and conceptual metaphor theory, can shape a better model. The value of Scripture’s atonement metaphors is in their positive mappings, namely what the source practice/frame says about Jesus, and so any proposed contextual atonement metaphor must be able to motivate and constrain similar meanings. This acknowledges both the irreplaceable value of Scripture’s atonement language, and their function in distinguishing between appropriate contextualisation and dangerous syncretism. Throughout, the article dialogues with the case study of Christ as the Pig of God in pig-sacrificing Melanesian societies.