The “Opulent Mythology” of Universalism: A Response to David Bentley Hart
My father would often say, “Engage your brain before you open your mouth.” Usually, this meant I hadn’t thought about my words and would regret not doing so. He was trying to teach me that my words have consequences, for me, and for the people who hear me.
On January 10, 2020 the New York Times published an opinion piece by Dr. David Bentley Hart titled, “Why Do People Believe in Hell?” After the publication of his dissertation, “The Beauty of the Infinite,” he was widely regarded as one of the greatest theological minds of this generation. His article in the Times is a response to the reception of his book, That All Shall be Saved: Heaven, Hell and Universal Salvation.
Dr. Hart claims in the article that he is “willfully provocative” and asserts that he sought to challenge the “moral sanity” of believing in “eternal damnation.” He then puzzles over the, “. . . truculent, uninhibited and (frankly) demented” ways people were reacting to his ideas. Why would he be shocked when he admits to being provocative?
Not only is he shocked, he is obviously hurt. He assigns evil motives to his critics. He implies that those who believe in eternal punishment have a sick desire to see others suffer. He mocks, “What heaven can there be for us without an eternity in which to relish the impotent envy of those outside its walls?”
Dr. Hart quickly casts aside any biblical witness for eternal punishment. He calls the images of Revelation “surreal and allegorical,” and the words of Christ in the gospels “frightening language” but misread by orthodox Protestant theology. However, the Bible provides us with plenty of information on the subject of God’s judgment which can be understood by anyone who takes the time to read the Scriptures.
James Ussher, the Bishop of Armagh, Ireland said that judgment is, “The pronouncing, and executing of the irrevocable sentence of absolution or condemnation.”[1] Thus, there are two groups who emerge from judgment, the righteous who are justified and the wicked who are condemned.
The Old Testament reveals God’s intention against the wicked. In Deut. 32:15-24, Israel's disobedience caused the fire of God’s burning wrath to reach to the lowest hell. The psalmist tells us in 9:17, “The wicked shall be turned into hell;” in 37:38, “But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;” and in 55:15, “Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell.” In addition to these, we have the testimony of Daniel 7:11 concerning the fiery judgment executed on the beast during the end times, a companion passage to Revelation 20:10.
Dr. Hart says of the non-pauline letters, “Neither is it [hell] found in the other New Testament epistles.” However, that’s just not the case. Peter says, “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, . . . The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished” (2 Peter 2:4-9). Jude, speaking of Sodom and Gomorrah, says that they, “are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (Jude 5-7). The witness of Revelation 20:10-15 (already mentioned) and John’s account of the awful destination of the wicked in Revelation 21:8 are not metaphors but prophetic realities.
Dr. Hart mentions the “frightening language” of Jesus. The Savior makes it clear that an eternal punishment awaits. In Matthew 10:28 he says, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell;” in Mark 9:44, “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched;” and in Luke 10:15 speaking of the day of judgment he says, “And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.” These words are frightening for a reason.
After dismissing the Biblical witness with a wave of his hand, Hart introduces his universalist theology. Universalism asserts that everyone will, in the end, be redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ no matter their spiritual condition at death. This errant view cannot exist where there is a belief in hell or eternal punishment since there is no salvation for the eternally condemned. If the wicked are condemned to an eternal fate of agony and the righteous to an eternal fate of glory then Universalism cannot stand.
Dr. Hart’s assessment of the weakness of the doctrine of eternal punishment is based on what he says is an allegory and poor scholarship. He then, when presenting his argument for universalism, informs us that his chosen verses are trustworthy. He says, “Many New Testament passages seem - and not metaphorically - to promise the eventual salvation of everyone.” He then follows with a recitation of verses, non-metaphorically, presenting a universal salvation.
After casting doubt and shadow on the Bible’s plain teaching about hell, Hart then turns to Christian history to support his Universalist claims. He cites church fathers from, “. . . especially the Greek-speaking Hellenistic and Semitic East.” (This is understandable since Dr. Hart is an Eastern Orthodox believer.) Again, he hand-picks certain, select witnesses for his argument. Where are the Western fathers or even the Reformation thinkers? He disposes with them in one pass of the broom saying that the Roman church’s view of hell was used as a “political apparatus.”
He finishes with cutting cynicism. Hart argues against hell by imagining the low mind of men. He says, “. . . it’s hard not to suspect that what many of us find intolerable is a concept of God that gives inadequate license to the cruelty of which our own imaginations are capable.” So after rejecting the teaching of Scripture, selecting a few Church fathers, he addresses the human need for hell and presents that as a reason why we might believe in eternal punishment. What a sorry standard that would be for believing anything.
All of Dr. Hart’s arguments are a primer in the practice of liberal theology. Here’s the recipe: a heaping tablespoon of doubting the Bible, a quarter cup of obscure church fathers elevated to the authority of Scripture, and then sprinkle in some “social psychology” for good measure. We always fall into error when we elevate other voices to the authority of Scripture. (See my Pin-up, The Problem of a Shifting Standard.)
Once the cake is baked he adds a generous portion of Gnosticism. The ancient heresy of Gnosticism posits that true knowledge can only be received from the right teachers. He makes this clear when he says, “No truly accomplished New Testament scholar, for instance, believes . . . [that hell is] . . . in the scriptural texts.” He then ends with a personal story about an obscure monk in Greece who confirmed all his suspicions. This information is distant, hidden, special, and only those equally special can find it; not the unaccomplished who believe the Bible to be the only source for faith and practice.
In conclusion, let me apologize to Dr. Hart for those who attacked his ideas in a “demented” way all the while proclaiming their Christianity. I know how intractable some people can be. I’ve been in ministry for a long time and I’ve had my share of uninhibited reactions. It’s painful, but lashing out at their violence never solves the problem.
Many Protestant theologians disagree with Dr. Hart’s theological positions, especially those who hold to an orthodox Protestant understanding of the doctrines of grace. However, their disagreement is not a personal attack, but a defense of eternal truth. Cancel culture would dissuade us from speaking lest we seem abusive. Strong opinions are not allowed from certain quarters. Yet the church has a mandate to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” Jude 3.
So having done all to stand, let us stand for truth and against error in our day.
1 James Ussher, “The Sum and Substance of Religion,” in The Principles of the Christian Religion; with a Large Body of Divinity, Methodically and Familiarly Handled by Way of Question and Answer for the Use of Families. (London: 1678), PDF, Early English Books Online, 418.