That All Shall Be Saved with David Jennings
This episode of “The Rector’s Cupboard” was recorded in late January 2020.
The Cupboard welcomes guest David Jennings. David is a corporate lawyer in Vancouver and also a lay theologian and student. David is a leader within the Presbyterian Church in Canada and Chairs or sits on the Board of many organizations including Image Journal and The Vancouver School of Theology. David is a philanthropist who encourages and facilitates thoughtful theological conversation and supports the arts and the artistic expression of Christian faith.
In this episode we talk with David about the concept of Christian Universalism.
We do this by speaking about a recent book by David Bentley Hart. The book is entitled, “That All Shall Be Saved” and it makes the argument from Christian Scripture and history that the proper Christian eschatological (how things end) understanding is that in the end, no one is condemned to eternal punishment or torment.
If you like your hell, that is, if you are convinced it is entirely un-Christian to believe in anything other than eternal damnation (Hart calls you an “infernalist”) then listen to this episode only if you are okay in engaging with thought and interpretation that is different than yours. Then again, you want people who don’t agree with you to listen to you sometimes.
If you have struggled with trying to reconcile a God of love, as shown in Jesus Christ, with the idea of eternal damnation for anyone at all, then listen expectantly.
We hope that you know by now, Rector’s Cupboard seeks to have conversations of hopeful faith and theology. You may never have even known that there have been Christians, since the dawn of Christian history who have held to a view different than the infernalist view.
David Jennings is clearly one of those in our time. You don’t have to agree with all that is said. We don’t have to agree with all that is said. We are convinced about the hopeful conversation and no longer impressed with the fearful calls of “Danger! Danger!”
Enjoy!
Materials referenced in this podcast
Tom Waits song – “Down there by the train”
Episode Terminology
Orthodox Spectrum: the range of ideas and interpretations considered valid.
Demonology: term used for understanding/perspective on evil and the devil.
The 144,000: referencing the 12 tribes of Israel from Jewish and Old Testament scripture. 144,00 is 12,000 “saved” of each.
3 Transcendentals: 3 things that are often thought to communicate the divine, the higher than – goodness, beauty and truth.
Limited Atonement: the interpretation that the sacrifice of Jesus has led to the salvation of some people (those who have chosen to believe it).
Universalism: wide variance of aspects to universalism, basically that in the end; all things will be redeemed, made new.
Christological: the branch of theology that has to do with views and interpretations of the work and identity of Jesus. “Christological Universalism” is basically that what Jesus has done for one, Jesus has done for all.
Armenian Universalism: a way of labelling a common belief about salvation among evangelical Christians. Salvation is open to all, but only some have chosen it.
Hopeful Universalism: the idea that we might hope that in the end all are saved, but not an assurance of this.
4 Different Ideas of Hell in Christian Thought
1. Eternal Torment of never ending pain for some or all of creation
2. Annihilation
3. Purgatory
4. Universalism