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Who can be saved?

Who can be saved?

Last updated on: January 31, 2025 at 6:52 pm by Dan Peterson

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Who can be saved? 2025-01-31T18:52:00-07:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Milky Way above California’s Mojave Desert
(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

“Perspectives on the Soteriological Problem of Evil: Nuancing the “Universalist” Theologies of Henri de Lubac and Joseph Smith,” written by Timothy Gervais.

Abstract: Since the discovery of the new world by Christian European explorers during the age of discovery, the increasingly global community of the modern age has confronted Christian theologians with difficult soteriological questions. These questions have caused many Christian adherents to abandon conceptions of a uniquely Christian salvation in favor of theological positions of religious pluralism. Other Christian theologians have confronted these issues through creative inclusivist theological constructs that expand the offer of salvation to those who may not have professed Christianity in their mortal life. These inclusivist theologies are uniquely suited to address modern concerns about the salvation of non-believers in a largely un-Christian world, while still maintaining the exclusive Christian claim that salvation comes only through Christ. The inclusivist theologies of Catholic theologian Henri de Lubac and Joseph Smith are investigated and nuanced to display how they maintain a uniquely Christian view of salvation, while expanding traditional conceptions of who will receive access to salvific grace.

“Interpreting Interpreter: Inclusive Soteriologists,” written by Kyler Rasmussen

This post is a summary of the article “Perspectives on the Soteriological Problem of Evil: Nuancing the “Universalist” Theologies of Henri de Lubac and Joseph Smith” by Timothy Gervais in Volume 63 of Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship. All of the Interpreting Interpreter articles may be seen at https://interpreterfoundation.org/category/summaries/. An introduction to the Interpreting Interpreter series is available at https://interpreterfoundation.org/interpreting-interpreter-on-abstracting-thought/.

A video introduction to this Interpreter article is now available on all of our social media channels, including on YouTube at https://youtube.com/shorts/046kmbWilNI.

The Takeaway: Gervais details two figures who have promoted a more inclusive view of Christian salvation—Joseph Smith and Henri de Lubac—suggesting that the former provides a more robust theology that aligns with the biblical requirements for both baptism and God’s universal love.

The rebaptism of Martin Harris, in a scene from the Interpreter Foundation’s 2021 theatrical film “Witnesses.” (Still photograph by James Jordan)

The Interpreter Foundation has made a whole flotilla of materials available online (and at no charge) in an effort to support the Come, Follow Me curriculum for 2025. And especially for February of 2025. Here is one of those materials. Please, if you find it of value, share it: “Episode 16: Why Witnesses?”

Witnesses of the Book of Mormon—Insights Episode 16: Why were witnesses to the Book of Mormon, and to the Gold Plates, necessary? What makes these claims different from others throughout history who have claimed divine visions? This is Episode 16 of a series compiled from the many interviews conducted during the course of the Witnesses film project. . . . These additional resources are hosted by Camrey Bagley Fox, who played Emma Smith in Witnesses, as she introduces and visits with a variety of experts. These individuals answer questions or address accusations against the witnesses, also helping viewers understand the context of the times in which the witnesses lived. In this episode, we feature Gerrit Dirkmaat, Associate Professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University. For more information, go to https://witnessesofthebookofmormon.org/. Learn about the documentary movie Undaunted—Witnesses of the Book of Mormon at https://witnessesundaunted.com/.

And definitely do not forget that you can now stream Undaunted for free at The Witnesses Initiative.

The Bill of Rights (Wikimedia Commons public domain image). It looks a bit faded, doesn’t it?

Good news out of the Ninth Circuit, and not only for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: “Unanimous 9th Circuit panel dismisses Huntsman tithing lawsuit, church responds: Judges grant summary judgment to Latter-day Saints, saying ‘no reasonable juror could conclude that the church misrepresented the source of funds for the City Creek project’”

The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: President Russell M. Nelson, center; first counselor, President Dallin H. Oaks, left; second counselor, President Henry B. Eyring, right. All three are sustained by faithful members of the Church as prophets, seers, and revelators.

“Church reaffirms immigration principles: love, law, family unity: Church releases statement, saying 3 principles and guidelines follow previous statements on immigration”

I would hope that all, or almost all, faithful Latter-day Saints would take this as prophetic guidance. But I’m no longer confident of such a reaction. See, for example, these two Patheos blog entries that were recently called to my attention:

I’m discouraged and even horrified to read such things. The author of the two blog entries directly above evidently pines for the days of a real president of the Church, namely Ezra Taft Benson — who would not have endorsed his attitude. “Beware,” warned President Benson, “of those who would set up the dead prophets against the living prophets, for the living prophets always take precedence.” Consider, too, these words of the late President Marion G. Romney:

“One day when President Grant was living, I sat in my office across the street following a general conference. A man came over to see me, an elderly man. He was very upset about what had been said in this conference by some of the Brethren, including myself. I could tell from his speech that he came from a foreign land. After I had quieted him enough so he would listen, I said, ‘Why did you come to America?’ ‘I am here because a prophet of God told me to come.’ ‘Who was the prophet,’ I continued. ‘Wilford Woodruff.’ ‘Do you believe Wilford Woodruff was a prophet of God?’ ‘Yes, I do.’ ‘Do you believe that President Joseph F. Smith was a prophet of God?’ ‘Yes, sir.’

“Then came the sixty-four dollar question. ‘Do you believe that Heber J. Grant is a prophet of God?’ His answer, ‘I think he ought to keep his mouth shut about old age assistance.’

“Now I tell you that a man in his position is on the way to apostasy. He is forfeiting his chances for eternal life. So is everyone who cannot follow the living Prophet of God.” [In Conference Report, April 1953, p. 125]

I find myself quite naturally thinking of something said by the English , William Law (1686-1761): “If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God first, it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead.” (The quotation was a favorite with Elder Neal A. Maxwell.). And here is something from the Prophet Joseph Smith himself:

A Key. Finding fault with the Church (A final key delivered by Joseph in the following Language)

I will give you one of the keys of the mysteries of the kingdom. It is an eternal principle that has existed with God from all Eternity that that man who rises up to condemn others, finding fault with the Church, saying that they are out of the way while he himself is righteous, then know assuredly that that man is in the high road to apostacy and if he does not repent will apostatize as God lives The principle is as correct as the one that Jesus put forth in saying that he who seeketh a sign is an adulterous person, [8] & that principle is Eternal, undeviating & firm as the pillars of heaven, for whenever you see a man seeking after a sign you may set it down that he is an adulterous man. (2 July 1839)

The Mesa Arizona Temple was Arizona’s first. (LDS Media Library)

“Migrants can now be arrested at churches and schools after Trump administration throws out policies”

“Trump authorizes ICE to target courthouses, schools and churches: DHS said it would roll back a policy prohibiting arrests in “sensitive” areas.”

One of the most famous scenes in the The Hunchback of Notre Dame occurs when Quasimodo saves Esmeralda from execution, rushes her to the cathedral, and cries, “Sanctuary!” The scene is based on actual religious custom. In medieval Europe, fugitives really could escape the death penalty by claiming sanctuary in a church.

And the concept of sanctuary predates Christianity; Greek and Roman temples offered protection to fugitives. Early Christian churches competed with these pagan temples by offering their own protections, and by the end of the fourth century, sanctuary had become a part of Roman imperial law. If a person murdered someone and then ran to the church to claim sanctuary, no one could come in and harm, arrest, or remove him or her for punishment. Roots of the idea can even be found in the Hebrew Bible, where six cities were designated as “cities of refuge”:

7 And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.

8 And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.

9 These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation. (Joshua 20:7-9)

In the 1800s, American churches not infrequently gave refuge to escaped slaves. Since then, churches in the United States have sometimes offered sanctuary to draft resisters and illegal aliens.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has not been a part of the sanctuary movement. Still, I wonder — quite seriously — how some members of the Church will react when and if ICE invades a sacrament meeting to pull an individual or a family out of a chapel. But let’s pursue the thought experiment just a bit further: How will temple-going Latter-day Saints feel should a team from ICE enter into one of our temples in order to drag an ordinance worker or a temple patron from the building? I deeply hope that such an event will never happen.

Posted from St. George, Utah

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