Paul among the Evangelicals: Update

Last year, I began a series of brief posts on Romans 5:12-21 and the question of universalism. The series looks at how evangelicals, both universalists (including Gregory MacDonald) and non-universalists, interpret this passage. And then I look at Barth’s interpretation in his Römerbrief. A future, more complete version of this essay would look at Barth’s later interpretations in his Shorter Commentary on Romans and Christ and Adam, but that will have to wait for another day.

For now, I plan on finishing this series. Below is the outline of the posts so far. The posts are fairly short, so it’s a quick read. I will post the rest of the series over the next week.


Paul Among the Evangelicals: Outline of Posts

§1. The Problem: Rom. 5:12-21

§2. The Context of Rom. 5:12-21

§3. The Argument over Universalism in Rom. 5:12-21

§3.1. A Typology of Universalisms

§3.2. The Arguments for and against Universalism

§3.2.1. Does Paul Really Mean “All”?

§3.2.2. Possibility and Actuality

§4. Karl Barth on Rom. 5:12-21

§4.1. Barth’s Rejection of the Evangelical Arguments

§4.1.1. The Faithfulness of God

§4.1.2. Universal Rejection as Universal Salvation

§4.2. Barth’s Partial Affirmation of the Evangelical Position

§4.3. Barth’s Contribution to the Evangelical Debate

§5. Conclusion: Paul Among the Evangelicals?