I have heard this question
a number of times. One questioner added, "You must know that
nobody is listening to you."
My interest in this subject began
in 1962 when I came across this statement by Charles Hodge: "All
the descendants of Adam, except those of whom it is expressly revealed
that they cannot inherit the kingdom of God, are saved" (Systematic
Theology, 1888, Vol. I, P. 26). Hodge based this on Romans 5:18 to
justify his belief in the salvation of all who die in infancy. He
never used this perspective elsewhere in developing any of his theology.
An
Unexamined Assumption
In reviewing the history of the so-called "universalistic"
texts I recognized that ever since the time of Augustine all
mainline theology was structured on the converse of the above
perspective. The common assumption was: "All the descendants
of Adam, except those of whom it is expressly revealed that
they will be saved, are lost." It became obvious to me
that this UNEXAMINED ASSUMPTION was the genesis of many of the
theological and religious questions that have divided theologians
for centuries.
This unexamined assumption has distorted
the universal accents of the Scriptures so that they are not accepted
as an essential and joyous part of the good news of the gospel. It
has deprived many sincere Christians of the assurance of their salvation
and it placed believers in doubt as to whether they should press the
claims of Christ's kingship upon everyone everywhere. It detracted
from the positive, world-embracing, thrilling good news of what God
in Christ has done for mankind.
Vast
Implications
Hodge's perception turns our traditional thought patterns upside
down. This insight has vast implications for the way we read
the Scriptures, are assured of our own salvation, build one
another up in the faith, see the coming of Christ's kingdom,
view the masses of mankind and for the approach we ought to
use in evangelism.
Someone has said that words are like eyeglasses on our souls.
Through words we see our fellow workers, the people we meet
on the street and the masses of humanity. We can look at them
as strangers, aliens, enemies, sinners, and "outsiders"
unless we have reason to think differently about particular
persons. We ought to view ourselves and all human beings as
children of God, persons for whom Christ died, redeemed sinners
who belong to Christ unless we have explicit knowledge to the
contrary. In so viewing all persons we have good news to declare
to them.
I knew such a radical change
in perspective would not be readily accepted by the established church.
I faced the temptation to forget it in order to avoid "trouble."
If, however, during my 18 years of research and writing, the Spirit
was leading me into an understanding of God's Word that had never
been published before, I will be held accountable for what I do with
that insight (See FAQ #12)
Listeners
"Nobody is listening
to you." Every sane person who speaks or writes is concerned
about "listeners." From day one responses have continued
to come from those representing the entire spectrum of theological
sophistication.
Ordinary
People
At one extreme is the high school dropout who called from the
state of Washington. A single mother who just had to tell me
how God used my book to give her a joyous assurance of salvation
she had never experienced before.
Having no interest in theology she
was very reluctant to tell me how she heard about my first book within
the first few months of its publication. I pressed for details. Finally
she admitted she bought it for .25 cents at the Salvation Army Store.
One person's trash is another person's treasure.
Dr.
Clark H. Pinnock
At the other extreme is
Dr. Clark H. Pinnock. He was one of the eleven "theologians"
assembled by Robert Schuller (February 1983) to discuss the theological
basis for Schuller's positive ministry of affirmation and acceptance
(See Postings No. 20). Each participant had a copy of my book (Eerdmans,
1980) before the meeting and my views, among many others, were discussed
at that meeting.
Evidently Pinnock was "listening." He speaks about
"God's universal saving will" (1 Cor. 15:22 and Rom.
5:18) in conjunction with such texts as 1 Thess. 1:10 that teach
us that "there will be wicked who perish and are banished
from God's presence." He goes on to say, "But we should
not lose the marvelous scope of Scripture. God's intention is
to save the human race, not a pathetic little segment of it."
His next paragraph reads:
"According to this kind of theology, we ought to think of being
saved as the normal outcome and being rejected as the exception, and
not the other way around. I think we have erred in thinking of condemnation
as the ordinary and salvation as the extraordinary outcome of the
history of divine redemption" ("Practical Christianity,"
A Compilation, Tyndale House, 1987, 2nd Edition, P. 22). "This
kind of theology" is a rather accurate description of Evangelical Inclusivism (See Posting # 15).
For nearly four decades
I have been looking for, and asking others to look for, evidence of
"this kind of theology." If any of my readers or if Dr.
Pinnock can provide evidence of "this kind of theology"
being published before 1980 I would be ever so grateful to hear about
it. I will present all such evidence in a future posting. [Pinnock
did respond, see Frequently Asked Questions # 5, "Evangelical Inclusivism
Before 1980?"]
The
Word of God as Written
Through many
years of earnest study of God's Word I have come to the conviction
that premise "B" (Posting #1) reflects most clearly the
message of God's Word. I have in good conscience publically
provided the Church what I consider to be the Biblical Basis for what
I call Evangelical Inclusivism (Postings # 2, 3, and 4). I have
been willing to subject myself to official examination by the church
to see whether or not I contradict either the Word of God or the Reformed
creeds in the view I espouse (See FAQ # 19).
"Why crusade
for Evangelical Inclusivism?" As a minister of the Word I
have no choice but to "Contend for the faith that was once for
all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3). It is by the Word
of God as written that all of us will be judged one day.
Back
to Frequently Asked Questions
Contact the Author,
Neal Punt at: whenindoubt1@charter.net
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2002 by Northland Books. Box 63, Allendale MI 49401. Unlimited permission
to copy and distribute this document without altering text is hereby
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