Salvation - Is The Cross a Bridge?

There's something about illustrating the salvation message using the cross and Jesus' death as a bridge between us & God which is starting to get on my nerves. I can't quite put my finger on the reason why though -- it seems somewhat hackneyed, or maybe it is just that this particular means of presenting the Gospel has become a cliché of sorts.

This approach really is a gross oversimplification, and does not at all get to the heart of how we arrived at this state of separation (i.e. Original Sin, freewill) and why God chose this means (incarnation & self-sacrifice) to bridge the gap. Isn't there a better way to provide more of the meat of the arc of the story of God's relationship to mankind but still put it into a digestible form for the inquiring unbeliever?

Compass Bible Church has a nice departure from the tired old method with its umbrella analogy.