McClymond:<\/strong>\u00a0The sudden rise in support for universalism (see above) seems clearly to have something to do with the church\u2019s current cultural situation in the Western world. What cultural factors are at play? Sociologist James Davison Hunter, I believe, named it as early as the 1980s, when he spoke of the rise of an \u201cethics of civility\u201d among American younger evangelicals (although this observation might be generalized for evangelicals in Canada, the UK, Continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand, etc.). The all-important principle in the \u201cethics of civility\u201d is \u201cdo not offend others.\u201d Hunter suggested that this attitude was already prevalent among the younger evangelicals of the 1980s\u2014who today would be in their 50s and 60s, and so in key positions of Christian leadership. Many aspects of New Testament teaching were deeply offensive to those who first heard the gospel message (e.g., the notion of a \u201ccrucified Savior\u201d). Our twenty-first-century culture may not be offended by the same things, but will almost certainly be offended by some things that are clearly taught in the Bible, centering today perhaps especially on issues of pluralism\/exclusivity, sexuality, and eschatology.<\/p>\nWoven throughout the Bible is a message regarding \u201ctwo ways\u201d\u2014a way of blessing and \u201ca way that leads to death\u201d (Prov. 14:12). A text like Psalm 1 never mentions \u201chell\u201d as such, but it implies a distinction between the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked, and it suggests a coming time of reckoning, and perhaps also a coming separation. In the New Testament, these themes come much more sharply into focus, for example, in Jesus\u2019 teaching on the sheep and the goats. But let me ask: What will be the likely reaction in a typical American congregation today, if the preacher ascends into the pulpit, reads this passage from Matthew 25, expounds it as literally true, and applies it to the congregation before him? \u201cSome of us here today are \u2018goats\u2019 while others are \u2018sheep\u2019\u2026..\u201d This will be an offensive message to many people\u2014including church people. Preachers more readily speak about the benefits of being a Christian\u2014\u201cif you follow Christ, your life will be better\u2026\u201d But preachers as well as lay Christians are generally reluctant today to speak about the consequences of deliberately hearing the gospel and rejecting Christ. This may give the inadvertent impression that \u201ceveryone is okay\u201d and no one is \u201clost\u201d or \u201cruined\u201d in sin\u2014to use more traditional language. This would mean that there is an\u00a0upside<\/u>\u00a0to being a Christian, but no\u00a0downside<\/u>\u00a0to not being a Christian. This may not be what\u00a0preachers say<\/u>, but it might be what\u00a0people hear<\/u>. The universalist message represents the frosting on the cake\u2014the official declaration that no one is really at risk.<\/p>\n
One obvious question is this: On this basis, what does one do with the Jesus of the New Testament, who so often conveyed the idea that many people are indeed at risk (the wheat separated from the tares, the door shut to the feast, etc.)? Consider one gospel text: \u201cAnd someone said to him, \u2018Lord,\u00a0will those who are saved be few?\u2019 And he said to them, \u2018Strive\u00a0to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able\u2019\u201d (Lk. 13:23-24). It seems impossible to reconcile a text like this with universalism. And the longer one spends with the texts, the more uncomfortable one is likely to feel.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Prof. McClymond says that there are many different theological approaches to universalism.\u00a0 A major strain is from Gnosticism and esoteric Christianity, which teaches that the soul is a spark of the Divine.\u00a0 Thus, at death, the spark joins the whole.\u00a0 As he says, there isn\u2019t really a need for Christ, grace, redemption, or faith.<\/p>\n
Some universalists, says Prof. McClymond, believe there is some kind of purgation after death, in which the soul is purified and then allowed into Heaven.\u00a0 Some believe the lost are simply annihilated, not punished eternally, though I\u2019m not sure that is actually universalism.\u00a0 Others believe Heaven is everyone\u2019s destiny, despite their sin or unbelief.<\/p>\n
Calvinist universalists can just say that God elects everyone.\u00a0 Arminian universalists can say that everyone will choose Christ, even after death.\u00a0 Lutheran universalists, I suppose, can say that since Christ atoned for the sins of the whole world, the whole world is forgiven (holding to \u201cobjective justification\u201d without \u201csubjective justification\u201d).<\/p>\n
Liberals, of course, leave out all of the unpleasant teachings of Christianity.\u00a0 But even conservatives, these days, don\u2019t have much to say about \u201cfire and brimstone.\u201d\u00a0 Evangelicals tend to believe in Hell and want to save people from it, but even they draw back from mentioning it.<\/p>\n
Could this be one of the reasons for the alleged decline in Christianity?\u00a0 That few people fear God\u2019s judgment anymore?\u00a0 And they think they will go to Heaven\u2013or at worst a peaceful oblivion\u2013no matter what they do, and so feel no need for the divine rescue given in the Gospel?<\/p>\n
Or do you think there is still a remnant of that fear of judgment, one that is suppressed in polite company, but which still troubles at least some guilty souls?<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Illustration by sciencefreak via Pixabay, CC0, Creative Commons<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We don\u2019t hear much today about Hell or the prospect of eternal punishment, do we?\u00a0 The popular culture seems fascinated by darkness, horror, and cosmic pessimism, but a realm of everlasting judgment is just too dark to consider.\u00a0 People used to be afraid to sin, lest they incur God\u2019s wrath.\u00a0 But no more, it seems.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1281,"featured_media":34964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,39,47],"tags":[5519,933,2413,2931,2289],"class_list":["post-34868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church","category-religions","category-theology","tag-eternal-punishment","tag-gods-judgment","tag-hell","tag-law-and-gospel","tag-universalism"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n