While only a small percentage of modern-day Christians hold to this position, it was actually a widely held view during the first 400 years of Christianity, as documented by St. Basil, St. Augustine, and St. Jerome. Big names in early Christianity, such as Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Macrina the Blessed, Titus of Bostra, and Gregory of Nyssa, to name a few, taught this doctrine.
Generally speaking, modern-day adherents of Christian/Trinitarian Universalism believe the following:
- The Bible is divinely inspired
- The Trinity is the one true God
- Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary
- Jesus was God in human flesh
- Jesus performed miracles
- Jesus died for the sins of all mankind
- Jesus physically rose from the dead
- Salvation is a gift from God
- Jesus is mankind's only Savior
- Hell is real and terrible, but limited in duration and disciplinary/reformative in nature
- All mankind, including atheists, agnostics, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Jews, will eventually come to believe in Christ as Lord and Savior, of their own free will
While this is not an exhaustive list, here are some scholarly resources worth exploring on the topic:
Universalism the prevailing doctrine of the Christian church during its first 500 years
Tracing Universalist thought through church history
The Evangelical Universalist: second edition
The Christian Doctrine of Apokatastasis
Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev: Christ the Conqueror of Hell
The Congress Catches Fire- Divine Mercy
The Harrowing of Hell: Salvation for the dead in early Christianity
In the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and conservative Anglican traditions, All Souls Day is a prayerful remembrance of only the 'faithful departed'. In the context of Christian Universalism, however, All Souls Day would be celebrated as a prayerful remembrance of all departed human souls, due to the belief that Christ died to redeem all of humanity.
That being said, without further adieu, here's the display:
I absolutely agree with your "universal reconciliation" interpretation of All Souls Day!
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I really wonder if that is not the origin of it. Our Christian tradition (traditions of men?) gets out of this by saying that All SAINTS refers only to martyrs and to 1st class saints. Then the "tradition" goes on to say that All SOULS simply means the rest of the Christians.
But doesn't the NT call all Christians "saints", in which case All SAINTS should refer to all Christians -- leaving All SOULS to mean exactly that: the rest of the human race, all of whom we have good hope will eventually be saved.
Grace beyond the grave, and hope beyond Hell !