The Etymology of "Universalism"

What's in a name?

Why do you remain insistent on using the label “universalism” for your theological perspective, in spite of all the controversial and often misleading baggage it carries with it?

This is a question I’ve asked myself on many occasions. After all, how we refer to a thing is nearly as important as the thing itself; in fact, sometimes even more so.

Since terminology is by no means a trivial matter, it’s undoubtedly worthwhile to carefully think through the terms used to describe our beliefs and affiliations, and that’s exactly what I’ll do here.

But before examining the label, allow me to briefly define the substance of the doctrinal view itself: What I mean when I say I’m a “universalist” is that I hold to the belief that all people—including those who go to hell—will eventually be redeemed and restored by the grace of Jesus Christ alone, receiving salvation through repentance and faith in him, to the glory of the Triune God as revealed in the Biblical Scriptures, and as attested in the rich historical tradition of Christian theology.

The elephant in the room, however, is that this is not what people typically think of when they encounter the term “universalism.” Why is this?