Pantelism is a variant of
Christian eschatology
Christian eschatology, a major branch of study within Christian theology, deals with "last things". Such eschatology – the word derives from two Greek roots meaning "last" () and "study" (-) – involves the study of "end things", whether of ...
that holds that the
plan
A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an objective to do something. It is commonly understood as a temporal set of intended actions through which one expects to achieve a goal.
F ...
of
God
In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
has been completed both prophetically and redemptively.
Pantelism has a similar "inclusive" approach to that of
transmillennialism. Pantelism is an
extension
Extension, extend or extended may refer to:
Mathematics
Logic or set theory
* Axiom of extensionality
* Extensible cardinal
* Extension (model theory)
* Extension (predicate logic), the set of tuples of values that satisfy the predicate
* E ...
of
Preterism
Preterism, a Christian eschatological view, interprets some (partial preterism) or all (full preterism) prophecies of the Bible as events which have already happened. This school of thought interprets the Book of Daniel as referring to events th ...
. The difference from preterism is that pantelism views Israel's prophesied redemption in Christ as the catalyst for mankind's restoration to God.
History
Etymology
The term "pantelism" comes from the Greek παντελής "all accomplished," and means "all things having been accomplished".
Belief system
Some Christians view people being as "born lost," while others would say merely that each person sins; they must therefore profess personal
faith
Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion".
Religious people often ...
in
Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
to escape judgment when they die. The majority of Christians hold the modern traditional viewpoint about
Hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
as the final abode of the wicked. Although some preterists accept Hell as a metaphor for judgment, and while Full Preterists view the "
judgement
Judgement (or US spelling judgment) is also known as ''adjudication'', which means the evaluation of evidence to make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions. The term has at least five distinct uses. Aristotle s ...
of the
lake of fire" in Revelation as referring to the
destruction of Jerusalem in the year AD 70, Pantelists believe both of these things, as well as holding to a specific
soteriology
Soteriology (; el, σωτηρία ' "salvation" from σωτήρ ' "savior, preserver" and λόγος ' "study" or "word") is the study of religious doctrines of salvation. Salvation theory occupies a place of special significance in many religio ...
: With the
Old Covenant
The Mosaic covenant (named after Moses), also known as the Sinaitic covenant (after the biblical Mount Sinai), refers to a covenant between God and the Israelites, including their proselytes, not limited to the ten commandments, nor the eve ...
system of law and judgment ended (see
Abrogation of Old Covenant laws While most Christian theology reflects the view that at least some Mosaic Laws have been set aside under the New Covenant, there are some theology systems that view the entire Mosaic or Old Covenant as abrogated in that all of the Mosaic Laws a ...
),
redemption came to
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. As a consequence, reconciliation then spread to all humankind.
Pantelism understands this inclusive reconciliation, as distinct from Israel's redemption, as the unilateral act of God and not reliant on a professed personal
faith
Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion".
Religious people often ...
in
Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
. Pantelism further acknowledges that "faith in Christ" was the prerequisite and basis for those called to serve God on behalf of others.
Because of the inclusive nature of pantelism and that it accepts the authority of the Bible some view it as a form of
Christian universalism
Christian universalism is a school of Christian theology focused around the doctrine of universal reconciliation – the view that all human beings will ultimately be saved and restored to a right relationship with God. "Christian universalism" ...
, with some referring to it as a "universalist version of full preterism."
There are significant aspects of pantelism also agreeing with universalism's antithesis "partialism". For example, pantelism is evangelical in nature—in order to focus people on their hope and on their responsibilities in this life; typical universalism holds that there is no need to spread a specific message (about Jesus) since a loving God condemns no one and all paths of searching lead to life.
See also
*
Full Preterism
Preterism, a Christian eschatological view, interprets some (partial preterism) or all (full preterism) prophecies
In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural ...
External links
*http://www.theopedia.com/Pantelism
*https://web.archive.org/web/20191110050205/http://www.pantelism.com/
*https://web.archive.org/web/20030620165158/http://www.presence.tv/cms/compgrace.shtml
References
Christian eschatology
Christian terminology
{{Christian-theology-stub