How does Jesus, through his life and death, save us? Why does the death of Jesus matter? How do our beliefs about this affect our Christian walk and world view? These are some of the questions that are raised and answered in this book. No sacred cows are spared, nor stones left unturned in the quest to show that the New Testament teaching about why Jesus died is radically different than what is popularly taught. You may be surprised to learn that the meaning of Jesus' death as taught by many Christians is a fairly modern development in church history. Penal Substitution, the idea that Jesus died to take our punishment and receive the wrath of God instead of us, has little support in Scripture, and was not the understanding of the early church.What we believe about the meaning of Jesus' death matters, because of how it affects our views about God and the Christian life. Penal Substitution on Trial was written to promote biblical teaching on Jesus' death with a goal to increase our wonder, worship, and love for God. This book contains in-depth discussion of the meaning of Jesus' death and critique of the teaching of Penal Substitution. With a heritage and worldview firmly grounded in the Radical Reformation and its focus on following Jesus, author Philip Hess brings a unique and challenging perspective to a subject which is the very foundation of Christianity.