Grace Saves All: Christianity and Universal Salvation Ep. 179 Lars Sandbeck - On his new book "When Love Judges: The Christian Faith in Universal Salvation" (Part 1)
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Apr 11, 2025 Lars Sandbeck, a Danish theologian and author, dives into his book on universal salvation. He critiques traditional Christian doctrines, highlighting the shift from inclusive to exclusive interpretations of salvation. The conversation explores the historical ties between early Christian leadership and the Roman Empire, examining how political power influenced theological beliefs. Sandbeck also challenges the idea of eternal damnation, advocating for a more relational theology based on love and interconnectedness, ultimately questioning the nature of God's judgment and human free will.
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Child's Intuitive Logic on Salvation
- Lars Sandbeck told a story testing his nine-year-old daughter's reasoning about God's love and salvation.
- She intuitively concluded that a truly loving God would save all people in danger, illustrating a simple logic against eternal damnation.
Free Will Defense Undermines God's Role
- The free will defense of hell assumes humans freely choose eternal suffering, implying salvation depends mostly on human effort.
- This reduces God to a passive entity, offering only salvation proposals, thus rejecting God's active saving power.
God Gambles with Creation Outcome
- Open theism implies God gambled by creating a world where the ultimate outcome is uncertain, including eternal damnation.
- Such a God risks the destruction of all and acts unpredictably, which conflicts with traditional ideas of divine love.