Unpublished 193. Indiscriminate Agape (typed)
[1959. Indiscriminate Agape. Christianity Today 2 Mar.]
INDISCRIMINATE AGAPE
Re Dr. Ferre’s letter: It is true that I did not quote several pages in which Dr. Ferre describes Agape. I tried to select the main unambiguous statement, viz. that Agape is indiscriminate kinds to all. This implies universalism and is inconsistent with the existence of hell.
Dr. Ferre says that he has never rejected a doctrine of hell. He has, however, rejected the doctrine of hell; for hell in all orthodox forms of Christianity continues forever.
What he calls hell is not the biblical doctrine of hell; what he calls Agape is not the particularizing love of God that is the good news of the Bile; and the Jesus whose ego is not the second person of the Trinity is not the Jesus of the Gospels (who was born a virgin).
I grant that the review was too brief, though longer than CHRISTIANITY TODAY asked.
Butler University
Indianapolis, Indiana
GORDON H. CLARK