The Double Search: Studies in Atonement and Prayer

Rufus M. Jones discusses the importance of Christian atonement, and the role that prayer plays in conferring spiritual growth and lasting joy to the believer.

Introducing this work on a philosophical note, Rufus M. Jones quotes Plato's Symposium, which famously contains a discussion of the nature of love between Socrates and other Greek thinkers. The group's shifting definition eventually evolves to the point where love is thought to be an expression of the eternal. Something which is enduring and lasts forever is divine - thus, a search for the divine is the very definition of love.

The author turns to the model of Jesus Christ, and quickly establishes a discussion upon both prayer and atonement. Christ's character and words are examined, and his divine origins discussed in the context of Christian belief. The notion that Christ is the embodiment of love, and therefore an eternal entity crucial for all mankind, forms a poignant narrative.

In the second part, the author turns to theories of atonement; the process by which Christians attain forgiveness and change their behavior to become closer to God's essence. Such recovery from a sinful life is, for Rufus Jones, a crucial part of the believer's search for truth and love. Finally, Jones discusses prayer, establishing that those who pray form a cohesive whole of faithful souls seeking regular, sustained contact with the Lord.

In all, The Double Search is a moving manual of faith, grounded in theology and supported by Biblical quotations.