A Catholic Reading Guide to Universalism

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This reading guide to some of the philosophical and theological literature on universalism offers practical help in providing informed material on a topic that is often treated in a superficial and unenlightened manner. The reader may be surprised to learn that universalism was the predominant belief in the early centuries, and that it has always been present in the Christian tradition. Spurred on by Von Balthasar's book, Dare We Hope That All Men Be Saved? Robert Wild's guide provides current studies that support Von Balthasar's arguments that universalism is a legitimate hope for the Christian.

"As in balanced spiritual life, everything depends on the knowledge and experience of God's unconditional love and man's proper response to it by devotion. The understanding and acceptance of universal salvation . . . is also made possible by realizing the corresponding dynamics of these same elements. Wild's masterly selection of theological and philosophical literature comprising the two Christian millennia can lead even the most careful theologian to a proper insight regarding this central question of human existence."
--Esteban Deak, author Apokatastasis. The Doctrine of Universal Salvation in Twentieth Century Theology

"The question of universal salvation is a theological minefield . . . Various theologians have been condemned for taking too large or narrow a view, either providing 'cheap grace' or unduly restricting God's universal offer of salvation. With pastoral wisdom and theological subtlety, Wild offers a wide-ranging and comprehensive panoply of pro and con views and carefully helps readers negotiate this treacherous terrain. His book . . . will be useful to both reasoned scholars and theological novices."
--Peter C. Phan, Ignacio Ellacuria Chair of Catholic Social Thought at Georgetown University, Author of Eternity in Time, A Study of Karl Rahner's Eschatology

"The most common idol we cling to is a God who rewards when we are good, punishes when we are bad. That is not the God of Christ, who longs to gather all his children in an eternal embrace of love, an embrace no sinner ever deserves. Wild's far-reaching pages suggest the salvation of all might be the healthiest 'default' theology: a God who will not rest until everyone made in his own image realizes and appropriates his perfect love."
--Father David Meconi, SJ, Professor of Theology, Saint Louis University, Editor, Homiletic and Pastoral Review

Robert Wild is a Catholic priest and a member of the Madonna House community in Combermere, Ontario. He has published books and articles extensively in the areas of theology, spirituality, and in the life and teachings of their founder, Catherine de Hueck Doherty. He is the author of Who I Will Be: Is There Joy and Suffering in God?