Penal Substitution: Contextual Origins

What happens when a theological tradition outlives the cultural moment that gave it meaning?

David Fitch lays out why he no longer identifies as Reformed, not as an attack, but as a contextual theological critique. Joined by Mike Moore, Fitch reflects on how Reformed theology emerged faithfully in medieval Europe, why it made sense there, and why its dominant expressions no longer fit the cultural realities of North America today.

This episode is not a takedown of Luther or Calvin. Instead, it is an invitation to take context seriously: how theology travels, how power works, how Scripture is interpreted, and how unintended consequences shape the church long after doctrines are formed. Along the way, Fitch argues for a constructive alternative rooted in neo-Anabaptist, holiness, and Pentecostal streams traditions shaped for life beyond Christendom.

🎙️ In This Episode:

1. Why all theology is contextual without being relativistic
2. How Reformed theology functioned within medieval Christendom
3. Penal substitutionary atonement: where it made sense—and where it doesn’t
4. How views of sovereignty, hierarchy, and predestination mirror cultural assumptions
5. Why sola scriptura has produced interpretive chaos in modern evangelicalism
6. The case for neo-Anabaptist, holiness, and Pentecostal theology today

📌 Highlights:

1. [00:08:00] Why Protestantism “had nothing to protest” in North America
2. [00:13:00] How Reformed theology was later used to interiorize salvation
3. [00:20:00] Power, sovereignty, and concessions to Christendom
4. [00:26:00] The dangers of unmoored sola scriptura
5. [00:30:00] Why holiness, Pentecostal, and Anabaptist traditions fit our moment

📚 Resources Mentioned:

1. “Protestantism Without Reformation” (1939) by Dietrich Bonhoeffer — found in No Rusty Swords, this essay critiques American Protestantism for losing its reforming edge, a theme echoed throughout this episode.
2. Scott Jones (New Persuasive Words) — “Reforming the Reformers? Dave Fitch, Neo-Baptists, and a Misread Reformation” — Scott and Bill respond directly to Fitch’s post and critique his reading of the Reformers. (Episode 390: https://npw.fireside.fm/390)
3. Gustaf Aulén, Christus Victor — a classic retrieval of Christus Victor atonement theology (named as a corrective to what gets lost when PSA becomes the dominant frame).
4. Anselm of Canterbury, Cur Deus Homo — referenced as part of the medieval background for juridical/forensic atonement frameworks (“it doesn’t mean it wasn’t resident in Ansel”).
5. Robert Schreiter — “all theology is local” referenced as a framing line for the episode’s central claim about contextual theology and continuity without relativism.

The question isn’t whether Reformed theology was ever faithful. It’s whether its dominant assumptions about power, authority, Scripture, and salvation still serve the church’s mission today. Theology must remain faithful to Scripture and attentive to context if it is to form communities that live under the reign of Jesus rather than the logic of empire.