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A place for us all in paradise?

Peter Forster considers arguments against the notion of eternal damnation

The Evangelical Universalist: The biblical hope that God’s love will save us all
Gregory MacDonald

SPCK £12.99 (978-0-281-059-88-1)
Church Times Bookshop £11.70

WILL everyone be saved in the end? This clear and eirenic, but pseudonymous, book represents a further contribution to a debate that has proved particularly controversial in Evangelical circles. The mysterious, and presumably well-known, author looks at the question from three perspectives: philosophical, biblical, and doctrinal, concluding that all three point to a clear hope that salvation will embrace all people.

Philosophically, it is claimed that, in his omnipotence and omni-science, God is able to bring into existence a possible world in which all people would freely accept salvation in Christ. Christian universalism is, therefore, an essentially eschatological vision. But it is not a mere hope or aspiration, because we can be confident that God, with his infinite resourcefulness, can lead everyone, either in this life or beyond, freely to respond to his invitation to salvation.

Provided it is regarded as possible that God can operate in this way, the author believes that, on philosophical grounds, he has a conclusive disproof of the traditional doctrine that some people will be damned for eternity.

But what of the many passages in the Bible which speak vividly and emphatically about judgement, separation, damnation, outer darkness, fire, and so on? The authorial strategy is twofold. First, the metaphorical character of much of the language is emphasised. Second, the texts are interpreted as referring to contemporary choices, and as such have a powerful and potentially negative existential impact; yet not to the degree that God, in his infinite patience and wisdom, cannot eventually overcome our foolishness and all-too-human intransigence.

God’s love for the people of Israel is compatible with their punishment, but not with their eternal punishment. Similarly, in the New Testament, punishment is always a means to an end, and is never the last word. Hell is a terrible but temporary fate. Hence the counter-balancing universalistic passages, which have to be interpreted alongside the passages and parables of judgement.

Theologically, this is an argument for the triumph of God’s love: an Evangelical universalism, made possible by the blood of the cross, and, as such, neither soft nor sentimental. The author draws a sharp distinction between his views and those of John Hick and others, who argue for universalism from a pluralist and relativist understanding of different religions.

This stimulating book tries to cover too much ground, and leaves large areas unaddressed. There is no mention of purgatory, although much of the argument seems consistent with this Roman Catholic (and also Orthodox) doctrine. Similarly, the argument leads to the explicit conclusion that, in the end, even the Devil can be saved — a view that Christian tradition, and even most forms of universalism, have strongly and rightly rejected.

The author, despite the aura of secrecy, is wary of any appeal to mystery, but can this be avoided if we wish to speak of God’s love for Cro-Magnon man, and for the many billions of foetuses and fertilised ova that were never born alive, let alone grew into adulthood? These issues, along with wider questions about the created world, are simply ignored, but they are vital to any convincing treatment of the Christian understanding of salvation.

Dr Peter Forster is the Bishop of Chester.

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