CONTRA FATUM

Dialogues are currently going on in the ecumenical movement about the church's response to so-called 'populism'. For example, the Conference of European Church recently had a conference on what "clergy could and should do about" populism when they encounter it at parish level. In January 2020 the Nordic Faith & Order meeting will have a similar conference in Oslo, as the theme of the WCC general Assembly 2021 is "Christ ́s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity" and "Churches responding to populism and polarisation". As I plan to participate in Oslo, here are my initial thoughts on the issues of "reconcilation and populism": First of all I think we should consider whether we should use the term 'populism' or whether there might not be more appropriate terms, thinking, not least, of the complexity of what we are dealing with. Moreover, the term 'populism' is clearly derogative -- I mean, how many wo

I'm happy to present a new edition of Elhanan Winchester's discourse on particular and general redemption and salvation.  The book is available at Amazon here for only $10. My foreword to the book: Elhanan Winchester (1751-1797) was an American Baptist preacher and a founder of the Society of Universal Baptists and the United States General Convention of Universalists. Winchester lived in a time where philosophical and theological rationalism questioned classical trinitarian orthodoxy. Against rationalism Winchester defended the traditional belief in the divinity of Jesus and his resurrection. Moreover, Winchester’s biblical studies led him to embrace the doctrine of the final restoration or “apokatastasis” of all things – a doctrine that was originally defended by Church fathers such as Origen and Gregory of Nyssa, but was now enjoying prominence in continental radical pietism as well as parts of English theology. Drawing on Georg Klein-Nicolai’s book The Everlastin

The Lord pities, instructs, exhorts, admonishes, saves, shields, and of His bounty promises us the kingdom of heaven as a reward for learning; and the only advantage He reaps is, that we are saved. For wickedness feeds on men’s destruction; but truth, like the bee, harming nothing, delights only in the salvation of men. (from the Protrepticos)