Evangelical Universalism: Reconciling Faith and Salvation

1. Evangelical Universalism:Oxymoron? Robin Parry

2. Can an evangelical be a universalist? • Universalists say that God will save all people • Historically almost all evangelicals have denied this and evangelical statements of faith seek to exclude it • Surely “evangelical universalism” is an oxymoron! • My claim: Evangelical opposition to universalism is contingent and not an entailment of evangelical commitment

3. What is “evangelical” universalism? • Aside from affirming orthodox Christian faith and holding a high view of Scripture an EU holds two beliefs: EU1 and EU2 • EU1: “in the end, God will reconcile all people to himself through Christ’s atoning work” • EU2: “EU1 is a biblical belief” • My version maintains most of the normal evangelical beliefs, with two adjustments: (a) a belief that people can be redeemed from hell, and (b) a belief that, in the end, all will be redeemed from hell

4. Why think universalism is essentially unevangelical? • Most evangelicals think that the Bible contradicts universalism • But universalists believe that their view is biblical • Even if they are mistaken their mistake would only exclude them from evangelicalism if it involved them affirming something incompatible with a central evangelical beliefs • If it does not then it can be tolerated as an evangelical-compatible error (like Calvinism ) • So does universalism entail a denial of key evangelical belief?

5. 1. Universalism undermines the seriousness of sin • “It does not matter what we do because God will save us all anyway” • EU has a strong view of human sin • But a high view of grace • “Where sin abounds grace abounds all the more”

6. 2. Universalism undermines divine justice and wrath • Universalists sentimentalize God’s love and ignore God’s justice and wrath (“it’s God’s job to forgive us; he is too nice to damn anyone”) • EU seeks to have a biblical, Christ-shaped understanding of God’s love • EU does not ignore divine justice nor divine wrath and punishment • EU arguably has a more theologically satisfying understanding of the divine nature as holy love

7. 3. Universalism undermines hell • The “hell” of universalists “ain’t a bad place to be” (the same objection is made to annihilationists) • If hell is only fearful if it maximally horrible then this objection stands . . . • But that something is not maximally horrible does not mean that it is not very horrible and to be avoided • (as an aside, the ECT vision of hell is riddled with problems so EU’s failure to affirm ECT is perhaps a strength)

8. 4. Universalism undermines Christ’s role in salvation • Universalism says that “all roads lead to God—Christ is only a way to the Father but not the way” • EU maintains that Christ is the only way to the Father and that salvation is only through union with Christ • EU can be inclusivist or exclusivist

9. 5. Universalism undermines the importance of faith in Christ • “Christ will save us all so it does not matter whether we believe in him or not”—the significance the NT attaches to faith is undermined • If one is an exclusivist EU then faith in Christ is a necessary condition for salvation • If one is an inclusivist EU then faith in Christ is relativised (though Christ’s role is not) but not unimportant (NOTE: the inclusivism, not the universalism, is the issue)

10. 6. Universalism undermines evangelism • “Why proclaim the gospel to people if they will be saved anyway?” Universalism undermines evangelism • The gospel is God’s means for saving people—so we proclaim it (cf. Calvinism) • Arminian universalists do have fear of hell as a motivation for evangelism (hell is more of a motivation for them than for the Calvinist) • Fear of hell is not the only motive for gospel-proclamation (indeed universalism adds its own motivations)

11. 7. Universalism undermines the doctrine of the Trinity • Universalism is often linked with Unitarianism: one heresy often leads to another • The link is partial: Trinitarian Universalism is older and longer-lasting • The link is historically contingent: nothing about universalism entails Unitarianism

12. 8. Universalism was declared a “anathema” by the Church • Universalism was declared heresy by an ecumenical church council so universalists are “unorthodox” and hence “unevangelical” • Only a specific version of universalism (Origenism) was declared anathema by the church, not universalism per se

13. 9. Historically evangelicalism has rejected universalism • True (almost) • But I claim that this rejection is contingent and not necessary so on its own it is not decisive • Evangelicalism is a living tradition with capacity for healthy development • Which central evangelical beliefs do “evangelical” universalists deny? • EU arises from evangelical convictions: the saving will of God, the redeeming power of the Christ’s atonement, the efficacious work of the Spirit, a belief that in the end Christ triumphs, etc.

14. Elhanan Winchester (1751–1797) • Baptist—revivalist preacher in USA • Came to believe in “universal restoration” • Founded Universalist Baptist Church in Philadelphia and another in London • Remained evangelical in his theology of Trinity, atonement, Bible, evangelism, etc. • Remained active in gospel-preaching

15. EU grows from common evangelical conviction • Arminian: God loves all people, wants to save all people, and sent Christ to die for all people to achieve this goal • Calvinist: God will achieve all his purposes in salvation; all for whom Christ died will be saved • Both A and C are evangelical so are EUs unevangelical for holding both belief-sets? • A & C combined entail universalism . . . • . . . or must evangelicals believe that either (a) cannot save all, or (b) does not want to save all?

16. EU grows from the evangel • Our eschatology must be grounded in God’s revelation in Christ • At Calvary we see hell (which turns out to be neither annihilation nor eternal torment) • In the resurrection we see new creation • In the resurrection of the Second Adam, all humanity has already been saved • The eschaton—end of the story—is already revealed in Christ (this is why I am not just a “hopeful” universalist)

17. EU and Bebbington’s Quadrilateral • EU is consistent with Bebbington’s quadrilateral: • Biblicism • Crucicentrism • Conversionism • Activism

18. Evangelical Universalism • Creedal orthodoxy and high view of Scripture • Christocentric • Trinitarian • Evangel-focused • Missional • Biblically rooted • My Question: What else does one have to be to count as “evangelical”?