Bradley Jersak, Her Gates Will Never Be Shut
For me, Jersak’s biblical exposition is both strength and weakness in Her Gates. He really tries to make his case biblically, and he often offers fresh and suggestive insights that are well worth the reading. In spite of his no doubt earnest and honest efforts otherwise, some may suspect that his theological biases all-too-clearly affect his hermeneutic and distort his conclusions. Of course, we’re all prone to that problem. However, in my opinion Jersak sometimes goes beyond acceptable limits to make Scripture agree with his own theological presuppositions regarding ultimate redemption.
A major example would be Jersak’s treatment of Revelation 21:25. This is a serious issue since this text is central to his main thesis (and title). Jersak surveys the Book of Revelation and especially the last two chapters, tentatively concluding that the open gates of 21:25 implies no one will ever be shut out of the New Jerusalem; that is, no one will be finally excluded from eternal salvation in the presence of the Lord. Yet Pentecostal exegetes such as Timothy P. Jenney point out that the context of Revelation 21:25 primarily express the purity of the population of the Holy City (see Full Life Bible Commentary to the New Testament, edited by French L. Arrington and Roger Stronstad). Accordingly, the idea of exclusion of impurity is explicit. In sum, the gates are always open but impure people still can’t pass through them. That doesn’t seem to bode well for universalism (or “ultimate redemption”).
Actually, Jersak identifies three perspectives on this topic. First, are those he calls the infernalists, that believe in some kind of permanent judgment (aka, everlasting torment in Hell); then, the universalists (proper), who believe in no ultimate judgment for anyone (aka, no Hell at all); and then, those who believe in ultimate redemption. This last group admits the possibility of ultimate judgment (Hell) but suggests it may not be permanent (aka, Hell as Purgatory—although carefully nuanced as corrective or therapeutic, not punitive or retributive). Thus, for Jersak, there would be at least a hopeful possibility that all may eventually be saved. With these defining differences in mind, universalism and so-called ultimate redemption are essentially alike in denying final damnation.
Notably, Pentecostal theologians have traditionally rejected universalism (e.g., Foundations of Pentecostal Theology, Guy P. Duffield and N.M. Van Cleave). Nevertheless, historian Grant Wacker suggests some early and important Pentecostals “may have privately embraced universalist views of some sort” (Heaven Below: Early Pentecostals and American Culture). Yet he also says that for most “Holy Spirit-filled saints” committed to “the evangelization of the lost…the damnation of the recalcitrant never moved very far from the center of their attention”. Many Pentecostals and Charismatics will perhaps be familiar with Carlton Pearson’s controversial teaching on “universal reconciliation,” “universal redemption,” or “universal salvation” (see his The Gospel of Inclusion: Beyond Religious Fundamentalism to True Love of God and Self). At the very least, the burden of proof would seem to rest with those wishing to convince Pentecostals of the validity of universalism as a viable option. Undoubtedly, the majority of Pentecostals will not accept the doctrine of universalism. That being said, Bradley Jersak’s Her Gates Will Never Be Shut will probably not resonate well with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians as a whole. At best, it might be profitable reading for those interested in an intelligent and irenic presentation of the ultimate redemption position for purposes of understanding and discussion.
Category: Biblical Studies, Pneuma Review, Spring 2012
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