Ralph Martin, an official expert at the synod (of the Roman Catholic Church) on the new evangelization, talks about the "practical universalism" pitfall. He alludes to what I think is called the "Baptism of desire" RCC teaching of salvation, which he feels has been misunderstood.
Well done! The RCC teaching on salvation by non-Christians has always presumed that they had no tenable access to the Gospel or Christian community and that rejecting the Gospel in favor of another religion or way of life was a very serious matter. The traditional teaching on "Baptism of Desire" always assumed, too, that given the opportunity, those who held such desire would actually receive the Sacrament of Baptism.
Karl Rahner's teaching on "Anonymous Christians" and "implicit faith" mined the theology backing this approach and contributed greatly to the Vatican II teaching on salvation by non-Christians. A young German theologian named Joseph Ratzinger (sounds familiar? ) concurred. Writing in 1968 about salvation for pagans, he noted:
quote:
"Men never save themselves through systems or by their obedience to systems, even if these systems contain the noblest things that exist, for example, the great religions of the world. The system is always an appeal turned toward the individual, and for this reason often takes the shape of an appeal 'against' [one's enemy]. At any rate, God does not invite us to be 'against,' but always to be 'for' that which the Bible calls 'agape' [spiritual love].
"In this respect, we should attentivelly examine the saying - correct in itself - that each one should live according to his own conscience. The conscience does not say different things to each one; rather it says the same to all: love without self-sufficiency. This is equivalent to those basic Christian dispositions that the New Covenant calls 'pistis' [faith] and 'agape [love].' It is the presence of these dispositions that distinguishes the 'anonymous Christians' (Rahner) from the pagans, while the absence of these dispositions characterizes hidden pagans from many Christians. One who has these dispositions has the 'essence of Christianity' and is saved." - Necessita della missione della Chiesa nel mondo,' in La fine della Chiesa come Societa Perfetta, Verona: Mondatori 1968, pp. 72-73
Note the implication that some who are Christian in name only ("Anonymous Pagans"?) might not be saved, while those who are not Christian but who are faithful to the movement of the Spirit within will be.
) concurred. Writing in 1968 about salvation for pagans, he noted: