I just finished the book "Universal Salvation?" edited by Parrish and Partridge; a point and counter-point on Talbot's doctrine on universalism. What dawned on me was a relationship between the New Perspective on Paul and universalism.

 

According to the New Perspective (NP), the centrality of the gospel is the lordship of Jesus in view of His resurrection and His inauguration of a new covenant community. The centrality of the gospel message is the proclamation of another king, The King, and how this affects the world's perspective of its purpose and destiny. Modern concepts of defining the gospel, however, originate from the Reformational justification-by-faith theme and are carried forth today in an individualized missological emphasis; the salvific evidenced by life-change.

 

Where the NP makes more allowance for discussion about universalism is in its broader concept of "gospel." The confinement in NP proclamation is not within the soteriological but within the eschatological, namely, within kingdom reality; God's kingdom has burst upon the scene affording opportunity for all to partake. It is not that soteriology (justification by faith) is lacking, it is that soteriology is presented as a kingdom concept to be made known through the proclamation of Christ's lordship over all other lords. The modern proclamation of the gospel, however, begins obversely by presenting the justification-by-faith and then the lordship of Christ, if that is even brought into the concept of the "gospel." (Sadly, in many modern concepts of proclaming the gospel there is little said about the inauguration of the kingdom of God with the lordship of Christ presiding.)

 

Universalism is more aligned with the NP because one can see within the NP proclamation of the gospel a bigger and broader picture of God, His kingdom and His concept of salvation, rather than what is often soley a missiological mission for individual conversion and subsequent life-change. The NP opens the doors wider for God to love all, desire all, and to proclaim that He has done something about taking care of the problem of sin for all people.

 

Thoughts?

 

Starkman

 

For a summary of the New Perspective, see http://www.thepaulpage.com/Summary.html and http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_New_Perspectives.htm.