Atonement Theory

I've had cause to study the Atonement in a little more depth the last week. My good friend and mentor, Chris Brown, passed along this wonderful essay by Blake Ostler on the Atonement in Mormon thought. I've never thought to think of the Atonement as including a "theory of Atonement," but why not? You'll see what I mean. Here's the essay, and I'm told he goes into this in more detail in Volume 2 of his Exploring Mormon Thought book series, of which I'm still on Volume 1. Can't wait to get there.