
- 240 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
Purgatory holds a precarious position in the afterlife beliefs of most Christians. Often viewed as a doctrine that is held only by Roman Catholics, purgatory has historically been maligned by its detractors as unbiblical, theologically problematic, and a product (and source) of superstition. Moreover, it would appear that belief in purgatory has declined in the faith-lives of Catholics as well, many of whom now seem keen to forget the fears and anxieties that its existence might have raised for them about the afterlife.In response to such criticisms and concerns, this book argues that purgatory can indeed be a constructive and hope-filled component of any Christian understanding of the afterlife. In examining the history of the doctrine, it seeks answers that explain purgatory's recent descent into obscurity. However, it also pursues present insights that can shed new light onto how purgatory might find renewed relevancy.
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Table of contents
- Title Page
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1: Historical Development of the Doctrine of Purgatory from Its Origins to the Second Vatican Council
- Chapter 2: Doctrinal and Popular Status of Purgatory Since the Second Vatican Council
- Chapter 3: “Soul-Making” and the Western Theological Tradition
- Chapter 4: Soul-Making Influences within a Catholic Context
- Chapter 5: Challenges with Hick’s Understanding of Soul-Making and Further Developments within a Protestant Context
- Chapter 6: A Soul-Making Concept of Purgatory within a Contemporary Catholic Context
- Conclusion
- Bibliography