{"id":1047,"date":"2024-10-30T12:00:49","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T16:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/leadershiponfire\/?p=1047"},"modified":"2024-10-30T16:55:44","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T20:55:44","slug":"an-education-in-universalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/leadershiponfire\/2024\/10\/an-education-in-universalism\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Universalism the Path to Salvation for All"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Universalism, or the idea that eventually the entire world will be saved, isn\u2019t a new idea. It isn\u2019t as old as many might assume (and we will address this later), but it\u2019s often posed as a modern, softer approach to salvation. As a doctrine that tends to reappear every so many generations, I\u2019m asked about it frequently. What is it? Why does it appeal? Is there any support for it? Most importantly, is it a doctrine we should believe?<\/p>\n

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person reading. Photo by Karolina Kaboompics: https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/person-holding-white-book-page-4218979\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is Universalism?<\/h3>\n

Universalism is the belief that all the world will be \u201csaved,\u201d able to live in eternity or eternally. It denies the existence of a literal or figurative hell, rejecting the concept of eternal torment. The principles of Universalism are not universal, contrary to what some might say. The only two religions with a comprehensive doctrine of Universalism are the Baha\u2019i Faith<\/a> and Unitarian Universalism<\/a>. While some scholars attempt to explain the views of other groups (such as Buddhists or Hindus) through a universalist lens, such fails to properly understand the doctrinal precepts of those groups. When most speak of Universalism, they are speaking of a modern variant of Christian Universalism.<\/p>\n

Christian Universalism has a spurious history. Some believe it dates back to the Early Church Fathers, but the texts many argue in defense of Universalism are inconclusive<\/a>. (We will look at some of these later). Most scholars agree Christian Universalism started in America in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It rose in response to Calvin\u2019s doctrine of limited atonement<\/a> (sometimes called predestination). John Calvin\u2019s belief that only a limited number of people could and would be saved, with the rest subject to eternal hellfire, represented an imbalanced perspective on spiritual reconciliation that led to others believing such was incompatible with a loving God. From this understanding came Universalism: the idea that the entire world will be saved, regardless of what an individual may choose to do or believe.<\/p>\n

Secondary Universalist beliefs<\/h3>\n

As Universalism is a theoretical belief system, there isn\u2019t a singular set of Universalist ideas. As a concept, it has a number of subheadings that fall under the major belief. These include:<\/p>\n