Varieties of Christian Universalism: Exploring Four Views

by David W. Congdon (editor)

Christian universalism has become a subject of fierce debate in recent years. Numerous works have been published on the topic, and it can be difficult for readers to recognize the breadth of possible approaches. While universal salvation is often boiled down to (and dismissed as) a single idea--that God saves all people--this oversimplification masks the variety of theologies that reach this conclusion in ways that are not always compatible. Christian universalism is actually an umbrella of different theological interpretations of the idea that all people will be saved.

In this book, leading experts on universal salvation--David W. Congdon, Tom Greggs, Morwenna Ludlow, and Robin A. Parry--provide a concise guide to four distinct patristic, evangelical, post-Barthian, and existential. The contributors, who have each written extensively on Christian universalism, highlight distinct approaches that emphasize different theological values. The book will be useful as a textbook for students of theology, especially those training for ministry, and as a resource for anyone seeking a more well-rounded understanding of Christian universalism.

Genres: Theology, Religion

201 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 7, 2023

About the author

David W. Congdon is Senior Editor at the University Press of Kansas and instructor in theology at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. Born in Portland, OR, now living outside Kansas City, MO, he earned his PhD in theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. In addition to acquiring books in politics, law, US history, Indigenous studies, environmental studies, and religion, he writes and speaks on matters of religion, politics, and modern society.

Reviews

[Corey]

Excellent summary of the positions, enjoyed the first three the most. Felt like I need a lot more Gregory of Nyssa in my life after reading Ludlow's chapter.

[Jon Coutts]

A helpful delineation of varied theological approaches to a common proposal. Each is compelling in its own way. Parry's and Greggs' especially. Congdon's is wild but gave me some purchase on the idea of a *christian* pluralism.

[Amanda Luedeke]

Very good book. Enjoyed reading all the views. I wish Congdon’s chapter would have focused more on telling us what existential universalism is instead of telling us what it is not.

[Ken Reese]

Congdons' essay is a touch reductionist, and the marshalled support is thin for his conclusions. The other 3 essays were enjoyable.

[Eli]

This was quite a challenging and intriguing read. May not be the place to start for learning about Christian Universalism, but it will certainly disabuse you of the notion that Universalism is one thing. Four very different positions are put forth here that I think each offer something worth considering and also may stretch our theological imagination in different ways. The four views are Patristic Universalism: what sort of universalism was held to by the early church fathers (in particular Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, and Maximus the Confessor); Evangelical Universalism: something that may sound like an oxymoron to those of us with an Evangelical background, but is undeniably Evangelical in its argumentation, presentation, and style; Post-Barthian Universalism: answers the question What might a universalism that flows from Karl Barth’s theology look like?; and Existential Universalism: undoubtedly the most “out there” view presented and will likely stretch the reader the most (it was certainly well outside of my wheelhouse). It was my first encounter with Existential Theology and probably won’t be my last.

Some who see this review may be deeply troubled that I’ve rated it so highly but it should go without saying that this rating does not mean I agree with everything presented here (that would obviously be impossible as each view contradicts the others in big and small ways), rather as a book I think it is well structured and well written and accomplishes its stated goal. If you are prone to dismiss all universalism out of hand as unchristian, and if you have only heard accounts of Christian Universalists by those who vehemently disagree and want you to do the same, this book may be helpful to you.

Accessibility ranges from very approachable (in the Evangelical Universalism chapter) to very academic and tricky to read (Existential Universalism). This may be a challenge to many readers, I personally enjoy academic style but it stretches me and requires me to reread paragraphs and still be unsure if I “got it” I know that many don’t enjoy this, so I do want to give that warning so you can be prepared if you personally can’t stand that sort of writing.

[Leslie (PaperAndKindness)]

As a layperson with no formal theological training I was not the intended audience for this book, but I'm so grateful that Brazos Press gave me an opportunity to read it anyway. I'm what the authors describe as a "hopeful universalist" and it was helpful to have language to put with my ideas (even if that language was intimidating and had me turning to the dictionary every third sentence.) I think that pastors and theologians will appreciate the thought and research that went into this book. Each section of the book is written by a different author and although the tone of the writing varied, each author addressed their section with deep, nuanced arguments and explanations. I appreciated that the authors laid out the origins of each school of thought and provided additional resources for anyone seeking more information.

[J]

Helpful in gaining an introductory understanding of the range for what one might call “universalism.” Quite a chasm between Rob Bell’s Love Wins and David Congdon’s Existential Universalism, eg. The essays by Robin Parry and Moderna Ludlow on evangelical universalism and patristic universalism were the most helpful.