Erickson (1998) says that there are some theories of the atonement depending on how you read certain scriptures, the theories are as follows: The Socinian theory (1998:801); This theory speaks of Christ on the cross as a perfect example of what kind of dedication followers of God must make, there is no connection to a sacrificial death whatsoever. The theory of moral influence (1998:802); This theory believes that the cross was an example of God's love and not much else. Government Theory (1998:806); This theory sees Christ's death on the cross as an atonement and also as an image to the believer of how serious sin is, and is not to be taken lightly. The theory of redemption (1998:810); In this theory it is proposed, and quite popularly, that as slaves to Satan's world, humanity needed to be saved, that Jesus' death became our ransom, his death took our place. With this theory, Jesus' identity was hidden from Satan so that he would accept the ransom. Finally, the Satisfaction Theory (1998:813); This theory speaks of the death of Christ as satisfaction in place of all the sins of humanity, it also opposes the fact that Satan needed payment of any kind and is not man-centered. Without batting an eye we can say that today the most common theory that most believers adhere to even if they do not know that it is a certain theory of atonement is the theory of moral influence, slightly mixed with the Socinian theory, the death of Christ was an example of how to live and an example of how God loves more than anything.3. WHY IS ATONEMENT AT THE CENTER OF THE GOSPEL? “The atonement made our salvation possible” (Erickson 1998:799). I think this phrase consolidates the centrality of the atonement in the Gospel, we could also say from the above... the center of the paper... is to remember Christ, once again we are just confirming what has already been said here. “The bread and the cup are not holy elements in and of themselves. But they represent something very holy…recognizing it is a symbol of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross” (Laurie 2008:nn). Laurie above sums it up well, the wine and bread are just symbols of what really happened on the cross 2000 years ago, we are not to venerate the symbols or the elements but Christ and His work on the cross5. CONCLUSION The atonement of Christ on the cross is central to us, and one might even say fundamental to the Gospel as we know it, communion represents the atonement and is something we do to remember our savior on the cross, there are many theories about 'atonement, but we must not allow ourselves to be led astray by theories, but continue to read Scripture to find the answers.