Tag Archives: damnation

The Hell of Self and the Redemption of the Outer Darkness

Posted on 22 March 2023 by Fr Aidan Kimel

In his unspoken sermon “Justice,” George MacDonald takes up the task of redefining our inherited notions of requital and punishment. The principle of retribution, he asserts, is an unfit vehicle for the proclamation of the gospel. In Jesus Christ righteousness and … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, George MacDonald | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The True Grit of God’s Justice

Posted on 20 March 2023 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Is God bound to mete out punishment? Does his justice require him to inflict suffering and privation? Do our sins deserve retribution? Torah is clear. Justice demands that our crimes deserve proportional punishment: “life for life, eye for eye, tooth … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, George MacDonald | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Inescapable Love of God: Saved by the Gehennic Christ

Posted on 27 December 2022 by Fr Aidan Kimel

“Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; and if any one’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Eschatology, Thomas Talbott | Tagged , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

The Inescapable Love of God: The Absurdity of Eternal Damnation

Posted on 17 December 2022 by Fr Aidan Kimel

“The very idea of someone freely rejecting God forever,” writes Thomas Talbott, “is deeply incoherent and therefore logically impossible.”1 Given that eternal damnation—whether considered as the infliction of unbearable pain or maximal privation of happiness and satisfaction—represents a fate that no … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Eschatology, Thomas Talbott | Tagged , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

The Inescapable Love of God: Human Freedom and the Incoherency of Self-Damnation

Posted on 14 December 2022 by Fr Aidan Kimel

God does not coerce! Without question, this is the most popular, and perhaps most powerful, objection raised against the universalist hope, at least in those circles where the retributive construal of damnation does not hold sway. God has given human … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Eschatology, Thomas Talbott | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Inescapable Love of God: St Paul and Eternal Damnation

Posted on 11 December 2022 by Fr Aidan Kimel

2 Thessalonians 1:9—this is the verse most frequently invoked to prove the thesis that the Apostle Paul teaches God’s everlasting damnation of the wicked. Before preceding any further, I’d like to ask you to read the first twelve verses of … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Book Reviews, Eschatology, Thomas Talbott | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Inescapable Love of God: Was St Paul a Universalist?

Posted on 6 December 2022 by Fr Aidan Kimel

The universalist confessor faces what appears to be an insurmountable challenge—reconciling his convictions with the plain and obvious testimony of the Holy Scriptures. Traditional Christians have long believed in the real possibility of everlasting damnation because this is, so they … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Book Reviews, Eschatology, Thomas Talbott | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 41 Comments

Universal Salvation and Free Will: A Response to Fr James Dominic Rooney

Posted on 31 October 2022 by Fr Aidan Kimel

by Jeremiah Carey, Ph.D. Fr. James Dominic Rooney’s recent attack on universalism, and David Bentley Hart’s version of it in particular, contains so many claims and takes a stand on so many contentious fundamental issues in philosophy and theology that … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Philosophical Theology | Tagged , , , , , , | 21 Comments