This book is perhaps one of the most misunderstood works of Catholic theology of our time. Critics contend that von Balthasar espouses universalism, the idea that all men will certainly be saved. Yet, as von Balthasar insists, damnation is a real possibility for anyone. Indeed, he explores the nature of damnation with sobering clarity. At the same time, he contends that a deep understanding of God’s merciful love and human freedom, and a careful reading of the Catholic tradition, point to the possibility—not the certainty—that, in the end, all men will accept the salvation Christ won for all. For this all-embracing salvation, von Balthasar says, we may dare hope, we must pray and with God’s help we must work. The Catholic Church’s teaching on hell has been generally neglected by theologians, with the notable exception of von Balthasar. He grounds his reflections clearly in Sacred Scripture and Catholic teaching. While the Church asserts that certain individuals are in heaven (the saints), she never declares a specific individual to be in hell. In fact, the Church hopes that in their final moments of life, even the greatest sinners would have repented of their terrible sins, and be saved. Sacred Scripture states, “God ... desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all” (1 Tim 2:4–5).

Includes criticism and interpretation of the views of the New Testament, Origen, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Maurice Blondel on Hell, salvation, and damnation.

First in the new TPI/Center of Theological Inquiry (Princeton) series entitled "Theology for the Twenty-first Century" (TTFC), this volume focuses on the foundations of Christian hope.

Karl Barth’s famous account of the doctrine of election in his mammoth Dogmatics has been described as the heart of his theology—a great hymn to the grace of God in Christ. Discover the person who initially stimulated Barth’s mammoth reworking of the “classical” view of the doctrine—pastor/theologian Pierre Maury (1890–1956). Their close friendship and especially a seminal paper Maury gave in 1936 entitled “Election and Faith” helped stimulate Barth’s reflection. Discover some never-before-translated works of Maury as well as a revision of a previously published piece on predestination. In this revised and expanded second edition, seven theologians reflect on the significance of these works for us today from historical, textual, pastoral, and theological standpoints, and seek to draw conclusions for us in our contemporary setting.

Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love grapples with the same fundamental question that has vexed philosophers and theologians since the advent of monotheistic religion, and continues as a barrier to belief for many today. Namely, if God is so good, how can natural disaster, genocide, trauma - and my present suffering - occur? Historically, there have been two apparently very different approaches to the problem: the pastoral, or practical, on the one hand and the systematic on the other. Richard Norton, however, suggests that these two lines of thought may not be as separate as they seem, and may indeed be dependent on one another for their cohesion. Drawing on Julian’s medieval experience of personal and population-wide suffering, alongside that of more recent theologians such as Dorothy Solle and Jürgen Moltmann, Norton constructs a compassionate model of theodicy that can be of use to both pastoral and systematic theologians. Throughout, he remains sensitive to the raw atrocity of evil, while preserving a vision of God as the one who ensures that all shall be well.

The phrase "hopeful politics" has dominated our public discourse in connection with the inspiring rise of Nelson Mandela in South Africa and the remarkable election of Barack Obama as president of the United States. But what happens when that hope disappoints? Can it be salvaged? What is the relationship between faith, hope, and politics? In this book Allan Boesak meditates on what it really means to hope in light of present political realities and growing human pain. He argues that hope comes to life only when we truly face reality in the struggle for justice, dignity, and the life of the earth. Dare We Speak of Hope? is a critical, provocative, prophetic -- and, above all, hopeful -- book.

In our times hope is called into question. The disintegration of economic systems, of states and societies, families, friendships, distrust in political structures, forces us to ask if hope has disappeared from the experience of today's men and women. In August 2019, up to 240 participants met at the international theological congress in Bratislava, Slovakia. The main lectures, congress sections and workshops aimed to provide a space for thinking about the central theme of hope in relation to philosophy, politics, pedagogy, social work, charity, interreligious dialogue and ecumenism.