The First Review of My Book, "Unconditional Good News"

                                                                         Reviewed by The Rev. Edward Van Baak

         This review reflects the thoughts of a knowledgeable person who spent his entire career in Reformed mission work.  It more clearly summarizes what I have been trying to say than any other review my books have ever received.

         When granting me permission to publish this note (December, 2005), Van Baak said, "I still think now as I did then, that you did the church a service in the publication of Biblical Universalism."

         He also expressed the following two regrets:

         1],  That the review did not more strongly challenge the faculty of Calvin Seminary to either confirm or refute what I had written; and

         2], That still today, the preparation for missionaries to represent the Reformed faith demands more theological reflection on the issues I raise in Biblical Universalism.

                                                                 Cordially,  Neal Punt     whenindoubt3@att.net

Book Reviews The Banner June 20, 1980

UNCONDITIONAL GOOD NEWS By Neal Punt Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Reviewed by Ed Van Baak, Asia Secretary, Christian Reformed World Missions

         Pastor Neal Punt has written a stimulating book on theology. Because it is written by a person whose daily trade is the study of the Scriptures, and whose weekly responsibility is to preach the Word, the book is “living theology” - precise, concise, practical applied theology.

        Here is a book which the laity of the church can read and absorb. Punt has a style of writing which helps the lay reader in theology - he frequently repeats his thesis, and shows how it has been proven, developed, or unfolded in each chapter.

        Punt begins with a problem quite apparent to everyone who read the Bible. On the one hand, there are clear and direct statements which reflect the sinfulness of all men, and their proneness to evil, and their just sentence of judgments. All Christian agree that all men are sinners.

       There are also texts which say all men will be saved. Romans 5: 18 is representative of these “universalistic” texts. “Then as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one men's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men.”

       Nearly all theological discussion and ordinary conversation operate with the assumption that all are lost except those the Bible declares are saved. “This assumption is so basic, so generally held, so venerable in Christian thought that it seems almost insolent to question it.”

       But Punt does question the thesis that “all persons are outside of Christ except those the Bible declares will be saved.” He introduces an alternate statement and calls it “Biblical Universalism; all person are elect in Christ except those the Bible declares will be lost.” That this is universalism no one will doubt. He writes this book to establish the Biblical grounds for this assertion and because his statement of Biblical universalism is so significant for the preaching the gospel of salvation. He believes that only Biblical universalism does justice to the whole truth of Scripture.

       Punt devotes a chapter to the exegetical study of a dozen passages which have been known as “universalistic' in their theology. Punt exegetes these in the Reformed style of seeing the texts in their contexts.

       The book deals with preaching and witnessing. The concluding chapter takes up the critical issues which preacher and pastor meet in his ministry to himself and to God's people. Will a majority of the race be saved? What happens to people who live all their lives in a non-Christian pagan world? Are all who die in infancy saved? Would it ever be better for men not to hear the gospel?

       Punt states profound problems simply - “Is it God or the person who decides whether anyone is to be saved?” “Did Christ die for any who will not be saved?”

       He relates his thesis to the cultural mandate, the question “love or wrath,” assurance of salvation, and motives for evangelism. It is in this section that my deep interest in the application of theological principles to the practice of evangelism yearned for more explication of the book's thesis. Punt says that “Biblical universalism puts lenses on our eyes so that we treat our fellow human beings as those for whom Christ died unless and until they by their indifference or continuing hostility separate themselves from us and from the Christ who lives in us.” That still leaves a large area of decision regarding the people we address with the gospel. What degree of hostility, for example, places people (groups? individuals?) in the excepted category of non-elect?

       The challenge of Punt's book will be particularly significant for missionaries as they develop their strategies in evangelism.

       Some readers will recognize themes which were discussed in the 1960s concerning the love of God and the permissibility of saying to anyone, “Christ died for you.” Punt does reintroduce this matter in his concluding chapter, but only after having spent 150 pages in developing the theme - “all men are elect in Christ except those whom the Bible specifically excludes.”

       The issue has far-reaching implications. Every preacher who proclaims “so in Christ will all be made alive” must wrestle with the question “whom does the ‘all' include?” Every elder who supervises the proclamation of the Word should read this book. Every college student, every missionary, each school teacher should make this required reading.

       Punt writes clearly, concisely, and conservatively in his theological claims. He is reverent in his writing about God. He is discreet in his statements, consistent in his use of language, restrained in the claims he makes, lucid in his movements from argument to argument, frequently telling the reader what has been proven, and what remains to be proven.

      The book is not “beach-time” reading, but it will stimulate the reader to think, to read the Bible and to defend his faith. The book is a challenge to the church to discuss the basic issues of mission and of preaching without retreating into camps, and of discussing Punt's book in future issues of the Banner in an open and responsible forum (There will be some against him, too).

      Because the book talks about the preached message, it cannot be ignored. We hope there will be a response of encouragement to Pastor Punt and his theologizing fellow pastors Winston Boelkins and Alexander De Jong who have conferred with Punt about this book. A church which has pastors who discuss these issues, and a church paper which discusses theology, is still a vibrant and vital church. Let's hope that the responses to this book will be as reverent, gracious and precise as the author is.