Are All Doomed to Be Saved? The Rise of Modern Universalism -- By: Timothy K. Beougher

Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 02:2 (Summer 1998)
Article: Are All Doomed to Be Saved? The Rise of Modern Universalism
Author: Timothy K. Beougher


Are All Doomed to Be Saved?
The Rise of Modern Universalism

Timothy K. Beougher

Timothy K. Beougher is Billy Graham Associate Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he has taught since 1996. Beougher co-edited Accounts of Campus Revival and Evangelism for a Changing World, and is the author of several scholarly articles. He is currently at work on a biography of Richard Baxter.

With none to heed their crying
For life, and love, and light
Unnumbered souls are dying
And pass into the night.1

Or do they? Do people who die without acknowledging Christ as their Savior really “pass into the night”? Or should that hymn, which embodies orthodox Christian thought about the fate of those who die without Christ, be abandoned along with other “outdated” beliefs? Should traditional Christian teaching concerning the final judgment and an eternal hell be “brought up to date,” modified to fit the tolerant spirit of the times?

It has long been noted there are three possible positions concerning the extent of the salvation of humankind: (1) none will be saved; (2) some will be saved; or (3) all will be saved. The traditional Christian teaching concerning the hereafter has been the second option: only some will be saved. Within this position debates are ongoing as to exactly who will be saved (must one have explicit faith in Christ?) and what the final condition of the lost will be (will they suffer eternal conscious torment?). Previous SBJT articles have analyzed various challenges to traditional Christian teaching on these issues.2

This article seeks to explain and critique the third option: all will be saved, which is also known as the doctrine of universalism. Though it is presented in many forms, the basic teaching common to universalist systems is that God will eventually bring all people to salvation. The advocates of this position may disagree on the timing and the means of this final salvation, but they all claim (either hopefully or dogmatically) that it will take place.

This article will begin by defining universalism and explaining its appeal. Then a brief survey of the history of universalism will be set forth. Next, the teachings of universalism (both in its “hope-so” and “dogmatic” forms) will be presented, followed by an evangelical critique. The article will end with concluding remarks and suggestions about where we go from here.

N. T. Wright maintains universalism is “perhaps the greatest unspoken premise of modern th...

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