Q & R: Dying for our sins?

Here’s the Q:

I loved the book “The Secret Message of Jesus”, it answered so many questions I have been pondering. I have been stuck though on Jesus’ death. Did he really have to “die for our sins” to “save” us? The idea just doesn’t make sense to me.
> Thank You!

Here’s the R:
This is a really important question. I have addressed it from several different angles in a few of my books:
A New Kind of Christianity
Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road
The Story We Find Ourselves In
And I offer an account of the meaning of Jesus death that you may find helpful and refreshing in my new book, We Make the Road by Walking.
Several important books have been written by theologians on this subject in recent years, and I just read the manuscript for a new one coming out in 2015 by Tony Jones, called Did God Kill Jesus. You’ll have to wait until March 15, but I think you’ll find it well written and helpful.