Universalism: William Barclay

A generation of the post-WW2 English-speaking world's evangelical-to-mainline pastors/preachers used William Barclay's commentaries - more than any other scholar's - to enrich their sermons. (The liberals' main resource was probably the Interpreters' Bible Commentaries and Dictionary). Today Barclay and the IBC/D have given way to the many printed and on-line lectionary resources. Barclay's paper-back commentaries were affordable (especially in India) and eminently readable.

But Barclay was/is an enigma for evangelicals. Despite his 'high view' of the authority of Scripture, he sometimes dared to contradict Paul, offered naturalistic explanations for some of Jesus' miracles, and... wait for it... was a universalist. More on that below.

But another trend emerged in the second half of the 20th century: more pastors' kids, percentage-wise, rejected Christianity and the Church than at any other time in Christian history. So when these ministers had to preach about hell, 'cognitive dissonance' set in, and many had second thoughts about the church's traditional views on this subject.

Also, to confuse the issue, evangelical leaders like John Stott (England)

and Clark Pinnock (Canada) espoused views about hell ('annihilationism')

that were, let us say, not evangelically kosher. We'll come back to them later.

Add to this mix the reality that most Christian fundamentalists/ conservatives are 'closet universalists' (that's my view: they'd go evangelistically crazy if they *really* believed a majority of the human race - including many of their family - were going to be tormented in hell for ever), you have a quite confusing situation... And it's not helped by some American televangelists who preach about hell as if they're happy the 'unsaved' are going there. (Who was the preacher - Gardner Taylor? - who said 'Never preach about hell unless you have tears in your voice!'?).

Anyway, back to Barclay. Here's his position, in brief:

'In one thing I would go beyond strict orthodoxy - I am a convinced universalist. I believe in the end all will be gathered into the love of God. In the early days Origen... believed that some would have to go to heaven via hell... He did not believe in eternal punishment, but he did see the possibility of eternal penalty.

Jesus said, 'When I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all to myself' (John 12:32). Paul writes: 'God has consigned all to disobedience that he may have mercy on all' (Romans 11:32). 'As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive' (1 Corinthians 15:28)... Matthew 25:46 says the rejected go away to eternal punishment and the righteous to eternal life. The Greek word for punishment is kolasis... [which] originally meant the pruning of trees to make them grow better. It is never used of anything but remedial punishment. The word for eternal is aionios, which cannot be used properly of anyone but God. Eternal punishment is then literally that kind of remedial punishment which it befits God to give and which only God can give...

I believe it is impossible to set limits to the grace of God... I believe that the grace of God is as wide as the universe. [And] I believe in the ultimate and complete triumph of God, when all things will be subject to him, and when God will be everything to everyone (1 Corinthians 15:24-28). William Barclay, Testament of Faith, Mowbrays, pp. 58 - 60.

More tomorrow...

Rowland Croucher