Universalists, as I mentioned in
a previous post, are people who wrongly believe everyone, no matter how willfully and
determinately wicked, will eventually be saved.
Popular pastor/author Rob Bell has been called a
universalist, though I don’t believe he describes himself that way. His book
Love Wins is arguably the most well-read
recent exploration of the subject, stirring up
a fair bit of evangelical dust upon its release in 2011. However, if you want to argue fine points of universalist
doctrine (or even broad strokes), Bell’s not your guy. Even his most ardent
supporters (like
Greg Boyd) admit Bell prefers asking questions to providing stringent proofs, and is more
of a “poet/artist/dramatist” with a “fantastic gift for communicating in ways
that inspire creativity and provoke thought” than an actual Bible teacher.
Too bad, really. Those of us waiting for a well-reasoned, serious
defense of universalism from scripture will continue to keep our eyes peeled.