Brand New Counterpoints Book on Hell by Zondervan - Interview witth Editor Preston Sprinkle

A brand new edition of the Zondervan 'Counterpoints' series is being released and they have put out some promotional interviews from the contributors as well as this one by the editor, Preston Sprinkle.

A Doctrine that Time Forgot

A few weeks ago I wrote a summary of my notes from plenary speaker, David Instone-Brewer, at the 2015 Rethinking Hell conference. I recently came across an article he wrote on the same line of thought from that session, though it is more focused on the teaching of Jesus and not so much comparing it to the other Jewish modes of thinking in his day. You can read what he thinks in his own words in that article here: Proportional Punishment in Hell: Doctrines that time forgot.

Christian Particularism - Oliver Crisp

When the 2015 Rethinking Hell conference was nearing a close, I decided I would rather go home earlier than planned. I jogged back to my hotel, checked out early, and started looking for a ride to LAX airport for that afternoon to change my flight and spend Father's Day with my family. I managed to procure a a vehicle with none other than plenary speaker Oliver Crisp who was taking Robin Parry to the airport after the roundtable.

Although I wasn't able to change my flight ($$$) the drive was one that I doubt I will ever forget. It was an absolute pleasure to sit with two Brits and hear them discuss several topics of interest and chimed in when it wouldn't diminish the conversation. We did, of course, discuss the subject of the conference as well as how incredibly well it went. Being with a Traditionalist and a Universalist, and having primarily studied Conditionalism in my rethinking of hell, I was able to offer reflections and clarifications from this perspective. 

Oliver Crisp, as a speaker and roundtable presence, was a highlight of the conference for me. His sense of humour and demeanour about himself and his interests may have been slightly lost on some American hearers, but for this Canadian it was pure gold. His constant refrain of, "Peace be upon him" after every utterance of Jonathan Edwards' name was my personal favourite. When they introduced him with the biographical note about painting pictures of Edwards as a favoured recreational activity, I leaned over to Chris Date and whispered, "I guess it's pretty clear which camp he's in."

Here is what Traditionalist Oliver Crisp had to say (according to my notes):

Christian Particularism - A particular number of humanity will be saved. God holds the total redemption of a particular number of human beings. It could be a remnant of people or it could be all people. Usually it entails less than all persons, but it could be all.  

There are two versions:

Hopeful Universalism (Balthasar and Barth)- This is not really universalism, because it doesn’t affirm all will be saved or deny that it’s true either. It hopes, but doesn’t know.

Optimistic Particularism  (made up by Oliver) - Someone hopeful about the scope of salvation, but believes God will eventually damn some to exclusion.

Difference: The hopeful person says: I don’t know, but I hope and pray God will save everyone and have sufficient reason to think so. The Optimistic person says: I know the reasons are sufficient in principle, but think that God won’t on the basis of scripture.

The concern in this paper is not the mechanism of how fallen human beings are saved by the work of Jesus Christ, but how man fallen human beings are saved by Jesus Christ. The number of the saved could be incredibly large based on God’s grace through near death experience moments, those who die under the age of accountability, etc.

Should a Christian Particularist be a Hopeful Universalist or an Optimistic Particularist?

Four Objections to Hopeful Universalism:

1. Why hold the historic majority view? Ecclesial authority is not as valued by protestants, but it is valuable regardless. Most Christians through history have not thought universalism is the truth of scripture. Has God allowed people to be wrong for so long?

2. Why not just adopt universalism? As a reformed theologian, why not jump in? If God desires it and is able to, why not?God desires to have love and justice, but what if God has a reason that is veiled or hidden from us? Divine hiddenness is what we find biblically.Job is a sort of divine test where he has no idea what is going on and God comes at the end and still doesn’t give an answer.

3. Optimistic Particularism is more faithful to the Bible over Hopeful Universalism. 

4. Conditionalism is consistent with Christian Particularism, but Crisp is not convinced it is a better or more optimal way to explain it.

It’s not clear that the scope of salvation is an issue over which we should divide.

Conference Update

There have been few new blog posts because I've been busy researching and writing for the paper I'll be presenting at the upcoming conference hosted by rethinking hell which is now only days away. I'm very excited to be a part of this gathering of some of the greatest thinkers and authors on the subject alive today. I wanted to share a bit about my paper and how it relates to my posts about hell on this blog.

My paper will be presented during a breakout session this Friday. The paper is titled: Toward a Charitable Epidemic of Amendments: Viral Change and the Hope for Diversity on the Nature of Hell. The write up explains it well: "This paper will examine possible ways and means to promote openness within Christian institutions such as universities, churches, organizations to various views on final judgement." The paper is, in a way, an extension of what I have been doing on this blog.

I have been making a consorted effort to blog as neutrally as I can on all three views and to present them fairly. One of the main goals is for each view to be heard and understood for what it is and not what people perceive it to be. I think one of the best ways to do that is to call out the misinformation and present the truth, or at least a clear alternative perspective. This extends beyond the main three views to the subject as a whole. In fact, most of the posts have not been about the views themselves so much as they have covered subjects such as the gates of hades, the intermediate state, etc. I will be blogging my thoughts about the sessions I attend during the conference as well as sharing some ideas from my own paper as I'm able.

My Trip to Rethink Hell

I've launched an Indigogo campaign and here's why:

The Opportunity

For over two years I've been studying all about the nature of Hell and Final Punishment. Lately, I've been blogging a lot about it and there has been great support and interest from friends, colleagues, and abroad.

Recently, I was approached by a member of rethinkinghell.com to join their Facebook group because he had found my blog and enjoyed it. Within minutes of joining, another member offered to pay my fee for their upcoming conference if I could make it. I am honoured to have this recognition and endorsement and want to accept the offer.

As far as I know, this conference is unprecedented in the history of the church. The theme is 'Conditional Immortality and the Challenge of Universal Salvation.' It will be held at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena California June 18-20 and include speakers from each of the three major views on hell.

The goal is to raise $500 CAD to cover the cost of my flight and accommodation. In return, I will be writing blog posts about each plenary session, breakout session, and the conference as a whole. It is an amazing opportunity and I hope you can contribute to help me get there.

The Blog and The Book

As many of you know, I have been blogging a lot about the subject and plan to continue to do so. But what you may not realize is how far reaching my blog actually is. Although my primary readership is from Canada and the USA, in last month I have had readers from the UK, Russia, France, and Mexico as well as occasional hits from Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, and India. By blogging about the conference many people will have access and feedback they may not otherwise have had.

What I also hope to achieve in attending this conference is to find inspiration, further material, and networking for the book I plan to write and have published on the nature of hell. The working title is 'Hell and Ice Cream: The Current Flavours of the Last Judgement." The theme and tone will be light and disarming to help readers engage the difficult and often controversial subject. My plan is to present the topic and all three views clearly, without rebuttal, and with as little bias as possible. Meeting key thinkers, writers, and speakers on the subject is invaluable in accomplishing my goal of getting this book printed and in your hands.

Your Support and Your Help

Any financial contribution you can make is appreciated, but I can also use help getting the word out. Send emails, tweet, share on Facebook, and more using this link:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jason-s-trip-to-rethink-hell/x/8769300

Thank you so much for your support and for taking the time to read about this campaign.