6 - Hoping for all others, fearing for myself

Summary

The subject of this chapter concerns the relationship between the wrath and love of God in the theology of John Calvin, brought into dialogue with Julian of Norwich. The title of this chapter, however, is inspired by a passage from Kierkegaard, although it seems to encapsulate my sense of Julian quite well. Kierkegaard expresses his inability to understand the thinking of those who are sufficiently assured of their own eternal salvation that they are led to worry about the salvation of others.

They are sure enough about what will happen to them in that separation of eternity, are sure enough about the matter of their own salvation, that they are the righteous, or sure enough that they are believers – and now they raise the question whether others can be saved. For me the matter has never appeared that way; nothing has ever crossed my mind but that every other person would easily be saved; in my view it was doubtful only in regard to me. Yes, if I had caught myself doubting the salvation of anyone else at all, it would have been enough to make me despair of my own.