I’ve been a die-hard fan of David Bentley Hart ever since publication of ATHEIST DELUSIONS: THE CHRISTIAN REVOLUTION AND ITS FASHIONABLE ENEMIES and THE NEW TESTAMENT: A TRANSLATION. So, when amazon alerted me his newest book would drop in September, I jumped at the chance to pre-order it (including a Kindle version).
And, yes, David Bentley Hart is an extraordinarily gifted writer, philosopher, and theologian (a rarity in itself nowadays). But when my copy of THAT ALL SHALL BE SAVED arrived, I didn’t expect the wallop of spiritual and cognitive dynamite this slim volume packs—despite my philosophical and theological education. What’s more, its tone (“with-no-apologies-to-anybody, thank-you-very-much”) proved an exquisite surprise from an authentic Christian scholar who knows exactly what he’s talking about, an attitude long overdue in the current climate of recycled religious and speculative drivel.
On one hand, THAT ALL SHALL BE SAVED may not prove a suitable reading experience for just anybody—aside from the obvious (e.g., clergy, seminarians, ethicists, humanities professors, and others with a keen interest in the destiny-of-souls question). “Infernalists” is Hart’s convenient shorthand when referencing defenders of the idea of a real hell of eternal torment. (For over half a century, I’ve called these fine folks the “Celestial Fire Insurance Company.”) About all Infernalists or readers of that ilk may reasonably expect from Hart’s book is an elevated blood pressure, perhaps a migraine or two, along with a craving for still more boring, circular debate—despite the fact they haven’t been able to get it right in something like 1,500 years.
On the other hand, if you’ve ever elected for an abortion or suffered a miscarriage, buried an unbaptized infant, watched helplessly as your child succumbed to suicide, had a loved one die in what church authorities arrogantly judge “a state of sin,” identified as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, or abandoned the Christian faith because the church’s dominant doctrine about “the end things” seemed to transform God into a cosmic monster, then Hart’s latest book is definitely for you.
It’s awful enough to survive the loss and grief in such situations. But when spiritual leaders double-down (as if they had a hotline direct to the deity) about the pain and suffering you or your “unregenerate” loved ones must endure forever in a place called hell simply to satisfy God’s so-called absolute sovereignty, and Calvin warns us hell is also populated with lots of infants “not even a cubit long,” that awfulness ratchets up a couple of notches into agonizing torture. And if you’re honest with yourself, you can’t stop from asking the snarky question: Now, remind me again exactly what kind of Divine Creator we’re talking about here?
And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, you’re made aware of Aquinas’s defense of Peter Lombard’s genuinely sadistic idea about how the saints in heaven (“the saved, the elect, the predestined”) get a shot of spiritual Viagra straight into their blessedness from watching you or your loved ones who are damned to hell writhe and scream in the eternal flames. Even Martin Luther chimes in by insisting the saved will rejoice to see their loved ones roasting in hell. Now, your awfulness cranks up into the red zone of sheer terror. And again, if you’re honest with yourself, utter disgust and despair.
But the good news is, you’ll discover solace, comfort, and assurance about those kinds of troubling questions through the pages of THAT ALL SHALL BE SAVED, even healing and renewal of one’s soul, perhaps something you may have even given up any hope a long time ago of ever finding. Amazingly, Hart’s tightly-crafted prose seems able to serve as a medium by which the spirit of God’s inexhaustible love for his creation may draw near. And when that happens, believe me, you’ll know it. The tears won’t be those of sadness, but of unfathomable joy, a kind of bliss if you will.
I’d doubt if David Bentley Hart is entirely aware of this. It’s well documented that authors of his caliber aren’t necessarily attuned to what they’ve captured in the written word that can resonate so powerfully with their readers until those readers highlight it. C.S. Lewis, Dorothy Sayers, and Charles Williams, among others, noted this humbling phenomenon. From its structure all the way through the very flow of ideas and word choices, THAT ALL SHALL BE SAVED is theologically pastoral, perhaps even inspired like the epistles of St. Paul for example, not just an unassailable intellectual defense of the good things God has done, and is doing, in his creation. Yes, the book is that momentous. And that important. And exactly what you’d expect when eschatology is so finely executed with passion and a steel-backboned commitment to both the Truth and the very source of Truth.
For an optimal experience, I’d suggest approaching Hart’s latest per Anglican Archbishop Cranmer’s famous collect (c. 1549): “…read, mark, and inwardly digest,” armed with a highlighter or a pen for margin notes. You can even do those things in amazon’s Kindle version. And then focus on reading the text, paper or on-screen. Take your time, breaks when necessary, don’t scan or rush. It’s not that kind of experience, and you’re likely to frustrate yourself.
Do your best to temporarily side-step skepticism, open yourself to the text’s meaning, not just its words and ideas, expect and count on God “dragging” you to himself (John 12:32, trans. Hart, p. 98). Even better, you’ll feel radical fulfillment and joy when that happens. What’s more, you’re actually designed for it, and nothing else, from start to finish. It’s your birthright. Claim it. Revel in it. You’ve been denied that experience by authorities in the institutional church for way too long. Fact is, you owe it to your real self, your God-given absolutely beautiful soul, to dial down their restrictive and repressive volume to zero, and immerse yourself in the infinite love of your Creator that can flow through David Bentley Hart’s liberating text, reaching out and enfolding you in a sense of peace, contentment, and assurance I’m willing to bet you’ve never dreamed was possible in this life. And loving your neighbor as yourself, active charity, will flow as naturally from that relationship with your Creator as thirst-quenching water from a mountain spring, no commandments or rules required.
And finally, don’t expect the institutional church to get its act together on this super-important doctrine anytime soon. That’d truly be a miracle. But the roots of hell go deep and wide, and radical surgery is likely to kill the patient.
So, in the meantime, excommunicate whatever in your life that tries to bring you down, makes you feel guilty, tarnishes your loves, desires, hopes, and relationships that mean so much—and that includes your affiliations with organized Christianity at the top of the list, if absolutely necessary. Instead, erect memorials to your loves and relationships, celebrate them often, offer them up in trembling adoration as gifts and sacrifices to the God of your very being, the reality that makes it possible for you to live and breathe and move in this world and cares for you so much more than you can ever imagine. And trust at the very core of your being that when you draw your last breath, you will surely join your loves, relationships, and memories in the presence of your Creator’s infinite and amazing grace, something beyond all human comprehension or expectation. And that this union and bliss will endure not just for the ages, but for all of God’s eternity.
That’s APOKATASTASIS—not just for you, but for all of Creation.
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Customers find this book compelling and a must-read for serious Christians, praising its incisive theological and metaphysical insights and definitive statement on universalism. The writing style and vocabulary receive mixed reactions - while some find it a pleasure to read, others find it overly complex. The book's readability is criticized as very difficult, though customers appreciate its substantial arguments and well-reasoned meditations.
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58 customers mention content, 48 positive, 10 negative
...It is well written and entertaining as well as thought-provoking....Read more
...It's a great book, just know what you are getting into.Read more
...historian, Greek scholar and pure wit are enough to make this worth reading.Read more
...very readable and compelling. the faithful should consider reading this.Read more
29 customers mention informative, 25 positive, 4 negative
This is a scholarly, deep-dive into this subject. It is well written and entertaining as well as thought-provoking....Read more
Probably the best recent book on universal salvation....Read more
'That All Shall Be Saved' is an important book, though not in the way some have been hoping....Read more
As with all of Bentley's books, this book is well researched and his concepts well presented....Read more
19 customers mention thought-provoking, 14 positive, 5 negative
...It is well written and entertaining as well as thought-provoking....Read more
Well reasoned, not terribly difficult to follow (some of his books can be dense and formidable for the average person.)....Read more
...(along with hand-waving, bad philosophy, and attacks on the character of infernalists)...Read more
...And, yes, David Bentley Hart is an extraordinarily gifted writer, philosopher, and theologian (a rarity in itself nowadays)....Read more
18 customers mention argument, 13 positive, 5 negative
The arguments are clear. The passion is tangible. The logic one must overcome to be an infernalist are well addressed and explained....Read more
...But a good, honest book with simple, rational arguments based on the nature of the God I believe in, who is the ultimate expression and being of...Read more
Hart is a brilliant writer, but he often builds strawmen to make rhetorical arguments. He can be quite abrasive when making a point....Read more
...I find his argument compelling. The idea of a hell of eternal torment ought to be rejected....Read more
10 customers mention scriptural support, 8 positive, 2 negative
...Though the book has no footnotes, he utilizes scripture and references to the early Church fathers, particularly Saint Paul and Gregory of Nyssa,...Read more
...breadth of his learning and knowledge, that Universalism is indispensable to a coherent orthodox and soundly biblical Christian faith and hope....Read more
...Hart lays out a clear and cogent argument for God, as revealed in the Christian scriptures, to be the ultimate Good as such and therefore the...Read more
...The scriptural support for it is weak and contradicted by a good amount of scripture that points to universal salvation....Read more
25 customers mention writing style, 16 positive, 9 negative
This is a scholarly, deep-dive into this subject. It is well written and entertaining as well as thought-provoking....Read more
...well be a modern day Søren Kierkegaard: brilliant thinker, horrible writer....Read more
The book is wonderfully written, and is very much appreciated. I gave it a three star rating for the following reason, only....Read more
It’s Inspiring, it’s furiously intelligent,.. it’s almost poetic.Read more
19 customers mention vocabulary, 8 positive, 11 negative
...If you've watched him speak, his vocabulary is...extensive, unnecessarily so, and I'd have a dictionary at hand. Very enjoyable read however.Read more
...He minces no words and doesn’t apologize. Christianity needs to pause and listen before taking another step backward.Read more
...But this author goes out of his way to use an unnecessary number of sesquipedalian words causing one to look up meanings time and time again....Read more
...And it doesn’t hurt that this man has an uncanny way with words....Read more
11 customers mention readability, 2 positive, 9 negative
This is not easy reading if (like me) you're not trained in rigorous philosophical reasoning and debate, especially focused on Catholic theology....Read more
I have never returned a book but unfortunately this is unreadable. I thought I’d be getting a persuasive argument for universal salvation....Read more
A bit too academic for my simple mind. Very difficult to read.Read more
...The book is alluring and yet I'll be honest, I found it hard to read. It is not an easy "pass the time" read, but more of a "sit down and focus"....Read more
Powerful answers to all of my substantial questions!
Being a mathematician I LOVE good, substantial arguments. Hart warmed my soul by providing exactly that — and showing that his theses lined up with the Bible to boot. A tour d’force! My applause to the author, David Bentley Hart!
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Emilio PrzReviewed in Mexico on March 26, 2024
El libro viene completamente roto
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El problema no es el contenido, sino el estado general del libro físicoEmilio PrzEl libro viene completamente roto
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Great Theological Insight!
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