Dare We Hope "That All Men Be Saved"?

With a Short Discourse on Hell

Paperback, 260 pages

English language

Published Nov. 20, 2014 by Ignatius Press.

ISBN:
978-1-58617-942-7
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3 stars (1 review)

This book is perhaps one of the most misunderstood works of Catholic theology of our time. Critics contend that von Balthasar espouses universalism, the idea that all men will certainly be saved. Yet, as von Balthasar insists, damnation is a real possibility for anyone. Indeed, he explores the nature of damnation with sobering clarity. At the same time, he contends that a deep understanding of God’s merciful love and human freedom, and a careful reading of the Catholic tradition, point to the possibility—not the certainty—that, in the end, all men will accept the salvation Christ won for all. For this all-embracing salvation, von Balthasar says, we may dare hope, we must pray and with God’s help we must work.

The Catholic Church’s teaching on hell has been generally neglected by theologians, with the notable exception of von Balthasar. He grounds his reflections clearly in Sacred Scripture and Catholic teaching. While …

1 edition

Heavy theology that says not only can you but you SHOULD have hope.

3 stars

I don't know why I keep reading these heavy theology books. Well I do know why, I'm hoping to learn more about my own faith so that I can better communicate to those who need more "there" there than I do in order to believe. Yet I went away from this not really learning anymore than I did from reading discririptions of this work and the author's Wikipedia page.

Basically, we know hell is a real place. Jesus made this quite clear. The Church can verify if someone is in heaven (the Saints who have been beatified) but we have no way of verifying for certain that someone is in hell. The Bible teaches that God desires that all men be saved, so who are we to claim that God does not save all men?

Personally I am not a universalist (someone who believes everyone will go to heaven) but …

Subjects

  • Universalism.
  • Hope -- Religious aspects -- Catholic Church.
  • Hell -- Christianity -- History of doctrines.
  • Hell -- Christianity.
  • Universalism -- History of doctrines.
  • Catholic Church -- Doctrines.