20AR25-04

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AR 25:4 - Universalism's "eclipse of grace"

In this issue:

EHRMAN, BART D. - "calling into question many evangelical notions"

UNIVERSALISM - at its root, "not 'love' but 'metaphysics'"

Apologia Report 25:4 (1,461)

January 29, 2020

EHRMAN, BART D.

Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife, by Bart D. Ehrman [1] -- Simon & Schuster wants you to know that herein Ehrman "takes on two of the most gripping questions of human existence: where did the ideas of heaven and hell come from, and why do they endure?"

Booklist (Nov 15 '19) explains that Ehrman "discusses in detail Jesus' view of an apocalyptic ending and the afterlife, as well as how views of the end-time evolved after the world didn't end as quickly as Jesus had predicted. Perhaps even more influential were the theories of the apostle Paul, who heightened and refined what would happen to believers after death. Later Christian writers embellished even further, leading to the fear of a fiery eternity still prevalent today."

Publishers Weekly (Nov 11 '19) calls it "a persuasive analysis of how the current evangelical Christian understanding of eternal life and eternal damnation developed as well as a well-reasoned critique of that perspective. Ehrman begins with the Epic of Gilgamesh (written around 2100 BCE), continues through the ancient Greeks, and covers canonical and extracanonical Hebrew and Christian texts as he details humanity's long-standing preoccupation with death and the fear of what follows. He documents wide-ranging theories.... Calling into question many evangelical notions of damnation, Ehrman posits that neither Jesus, the apostle Paul, nor the author of Revelation believed in hell. Rather, the punishment for sin was annihilation, while the righteous received everlasting life."

The "starred" review in Library Journal (Dec 1 '19) warns that Ehrman "explicates the evolution in our understanding of ultimate justice and relates the concept of an eternal abode to the enigma of mind-body dualism. Ehrman's account may lead readers to reconsider some cherished preconceptions."

Meanwhile, Ehrman may have had a "change of heart" (of some kind) regarding the possibility of God's existence. See <www.bit.ly/36BGJvc>

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UNIVERSALISM

Credo Magazine (9:4 - 2019) features this as its December theme with more than can be covered here. Nevertheless, "The Many Fish that Swim in the Universalist Pond: A Primer on Universalisms" by Michael J. McClymond <www.bit.ly/3aHytgd> serves as a useful introduction and survey of the topic's current varieties. <www.bit.ly/37tBdMe>

An interview with McClymond, "The Opiate of the Theologians," is also significant because it introduces his magisterial, two-volume study of the subject, The Devil's Redemption [2], which analyzes Christian universalism "from a historical, theological, and philosophical perspective."

The interview begins:

CM: "You refer to universalism as the 'opiate of the theologians.' Why is it so seductive and addictive?

MM: "My phrase - 'opiate of the theologians' - adapts a saying of Karl Marx, to the effect that religion is the 'opiate of the masses' (though Marx's phrasing was slightly different). The point I wish to make is that universalism is the way that many religious believers would like for the world to be. ..."

CM: "Is universalism merely a single belief among many or is it an entire system of doctrines?"

MM: "... the doctrine of universal salvation, though initially appealing, seems to be a game-ending move that ends up undoing other doctrines such as the doctrine of the atonement and even the doctrine of Jesus' divinity. ...

"Lest readers imagine that UU [Unitarian Universalist] theology is just a historical footnote, they might pause to consider Father Richard Rohr.... Author of some forty-five books, and mentor to Oprah and Bono, Rohr sets out in his latest book [3] to distinguish a purportedly more universal and spiritual 'Christ' from the narrow, particularistic, and human 'Jesus.' That, in fact, is the book's major point. At the event that Rohr calls 'Resurrection,' the 'Christ' at last broke free from 'Jesus': the body of Jesus exploded into light-particles that diffused throughout the cosmos.

"Rohr's Easter evangel is not that 'he is risen' but that 'he is vanished.' In place of a message centering on the human and historical Jesus, Rohr propounds a 'first incarnation' that occurred at the Big Bang. He writes that 'Christ is a name for … every 'thing' in the universe,' and that 'God loves things by becoming them.' For half a year this book has remained the #1 bestselling work on Christology at Amazon. Mystically-tinged UU is now a thing."

CM: "You claim that the main problem with universalism is a lack of grace. That is so counterintuitive as many assume universalism is more gracious than other views. Why do you make this claim?

MM: "One of the great ironies of Christian universalism lies in what we might call an eclipse of grace. Time and again in the history of universalism, the effort to extend grace to all has ended up denying grace to any. What seemed to be all-grace turned out, on deeper inspection, to be no-grace." Discussion follows.

CM: "Universalists frequently cite the love of God as the basis of their argument: Surely a God of love will save everyone; it's intrinsic to his character. But you contest this assumption. Why? ..."

MM: "Universalist theologizing rests on assumptions about the nature of God, the nature of humanity, or the nature of good and evil that are neither taught in Scripture nor embodied in the larger Christian tradition. ... A one-word explanation for universalism is not 'love' but 'metaphysics.' Much worthwhile input is to be found here. <www.bit.ly/2vojw2D>

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SOURCES: Monographs

1 - Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife, by Bart D. Ehrman (Simon & Schuster, March 2020, hardcover, 352 pages) <www.amzn.to/2uxhgpr>

2 - The Devil’s Redemption: A New History and Interpretation of Christian Universalism, by Michael J. McClymond (Baker, 2018, 2-vol hardcover, 1376 pages) <www.amzn.to/37rNp0f>

3 - The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For, and Believe, by Richard Rohr (Convergent, 2019, hardcover, 260 pages) <www.amzn.to/2O853yb>

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