What a Time to be a Universalist

Last updated on: March 31, 2020 at 5:20 pm by D. G. Hart

What a Time to be a Universalist 2020-03-31T17:20:00-04:00 D. G. Hart

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.

David Bentley Hart, or D.B., has made the rounds with his new book on universalism. Here is the book description:

The great fourth‑century church father Basil of Caesarea once observed that, in his time, most Christians believed that hell was not everlasting, and that all would eventually attain salvation. But today, this view is no longer prevalent within Christian communities.

In this momentous book, David Bentley Hart makes the case that nearly two millennia of dogmatic tradition have misled readers on the crucial matter of universal salvation. On the basis of the earliest Christian writings, theological tradition, scripture, and logic, Hart argues that if God is the good creator of all, he is the savior of all, without fail. And if he is not the savior of all, the Kingdom is only a dream, and creation something considerably worse than a nightmare. But it is not so. There is no such thing as eternal damnation; all will be saved. With great rhetorical power, wit, and emotional range, Hart offers a new perspective on one of Christianity’s most important themes.

I do not pretend to have read the book, though I have read reviews. Nor do I pretend to be a historical theologian, so Hart (no relation) may read antiquity correctly. I do find curious though that his book does not seem to mention either all the bloodshed in the Old Testament which would seem to be expressions of divine judgment, though the pagan tribes slaughtered by the Israelites may only have experienced temporary punishment. I also find it curious that Hart seems to spend much energy (if the index is any indication) explaining Christ’s death on the cross or his “descent into hell,” as the Apostles’ Creed states it (two pages according to the index). Surely, I’ve also thought, doesn’t Hart think hell could be a place for the likes of Hitler. Maybe even Donald Trump? At some point, human notions of justice and punishment must correlate to the way God created the world and human nature. But as I read at the Amazon website, Hart thinks the punishment for even the likes of Hitler must be proportionate to the distance between an infinite God and a finite creature.

But that is not the point as much as the idea that Hart’s notion of universalism is a new or even a minority perspective. As Karen Kilby observed in her review of the book, Hart may not be as alone in his ideas about hell as he thinks he is:

Hart paints himself as a lonely, embattled hero and presents the current state of theology rather too pessimistically. He also deals with a fairly common position closer to his own—“hopeful universalism,” the belief that we are permitted to hope (but not to be certain) that hell is empty—with only a dismissive couple of pages. To give full force to his rather pugnacious rhetorical gifts, it suits Hart to present himself as surrounded by fools and sadists, but he has no shortage of potential theological allies—and not only in the fourth century.

That may be all the more true for people locked down all over the world during a pandemic. What could be more reassuring than to think that all the suffering and deaths that we learn about daily is not the end of the world but a transition to a new cosmos where everyone will enjoy some sort of friendship, fraternity, rapport with the maker of the universe?

Never did it seem like a better time for universalism to gain the apparently wide hearing that it seemingly has.

Postscript: I have heard, by the way, that Hart and his wife have tested positive for COVID-19. I wish the Harts well and a full and rapid recovery. This post has nothing to do with Hart’s own illness, only with the timing of a book on universalism and the mortality rates that pandemics produce.

Image

Previous Post

March 25, 2020

Immunology and Numerology

Next Post

April 2, 2020 Rusty Reno Gets Backup From Tim Keller (sort of)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2016 Presidential Election 2020 Presidential Election Apocalypse Bible in American Life Biblical authority Books and culture Calvinism Church Life Civil Religion Culture Wars Doctrine evangelicalism Gullibility Heaven and Hell Intellectual life Jesus Ministry modernity moralism Nationalism New Testament Old Testament Otherworldiness Otherworldliness Paul Peter Piety Popular culture Protestantism Psalms Puritans Race Roman Catholicism sacred/secular distinction Sex Shameless Self Promotion Sports Ten Commandments U.S. politics Uncategorized vulgarity worship

Select a Month January 2022 October 2021 August 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz