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Talbott's universalism, divine justice, and the Atonement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 August 2004

JOHN KRONEN  and
ERIC REITAN
JOHN KRONEN
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, The University of St Thomas, 2115 Summit Avenue, St Paul, MN 55105
ERIC REITAN
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, Oklahoma State University, 308 Hanner Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078-5064
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Abstract

Thomas Talbott has argued that the following propositions are inconsistent: (1) it is God's redemptive purpose for the world (and therefore His will) to reconcile all sinners to Himself; (2) it is within God's power to achieve His redemptive purpose for the world; (3) some sinners will never be reconciled to God, and God will therefore either consign them to a place of eternal punishment, from which there will be no hope of escape, or put them out of existence altogether. In this paper we explore two attempts to reconcile (1)–(3) by appealing to divine justice. We argue that both versions fail for the same reason: in order for the appeal to God's justice to effectively reconcile (1)–(3), the demands of God's retributive justice must be taken to be so exacting that they call forth a very strong doctrine of the Atonement. And such a doctrine of the Atonement removes justice as an impediment to saving all.

Type
Research Article
Information
Religious Studies , Volume 40 , Issue 3 , September 2004 , pp. 249 - 268
Copyright
© 2004 Cambridge University Press

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