Unconditional good news: Toward an understanding of Biblical universalism

This review should be read in conjunction with my review of Punt's newer book, "What's Good About the Good News?" (1988). In the preface to Punt's other book, he refers readers to "Unconditional Good News" (1980) for details regarding his comparison of some of the classical exegesis done by many Christian scholars over hundreds of years on the topic of salvation. Although the newer book is broader in scope and contains additional information (but fewer pages), the two books compliment each other and should be read together. Punt's "new insight" was taken from a statement by Princeton Theologian Charles Hodge who interpreted Romans 5:18 as allowing for the salvation of all who die in infancy. Hodge stated in his Systematic Theology: "All the descendants of Adam, except Christ, are under condemnation; all the descendants of Adam, except those of whom it is expressly revealed that they cannot inherit the kingdom of God, are saved." Punt, like Hodge, rejects the doctrine of absolute universalism which affirms that everybody will ultimately be saved and nobody damned. But one must also keep in mind that Punt, like Hodge, is a Calvinist and his "Biblical Universalism" is Calvinistic. It doesn't allow for the possibility of forfeiting election or salvation and therefore rejects the idea that any who enter hell were once elect in Christ or even regenerated. Calvinism underlies Punt's "Premise B": All persons are elect in Christ EXCEPT those who the Bible expressly declares will be finally lost, namely, those who ultimately reject or remain indifferent to whatever revelation God has given of himself to them whether in nature/conscience or in gospel presentation. Notice that premise B does NOT say that all persons are elect in Christ UNTIL they forfeit that election by remaining indifferent to whatever revelation God has given of himself to them. According to Punt, those who receive damnation were never unconditionally elect in Christ although, apparently, they (along with all those who are elect in Christ) were unconditionally made sinners via Adam and placed by God under condemnation before they ever came into existence. Punt's Calvinism holds that ALL of Adam's descendants, except Christ, are unconditionally under sin and condemnation, but only SOME of Adam's descendants are unconditionally elect in Christ thereby breaking the universal and unconditional application of the biblical parallel. Punt doesn't believe that ALL who are unconditionally under condemnation in Adam are also unconditionally elect in Christ because he thinks that this would lead to absolute universalism. But it only leads to absolute universalism if, as Punt's Calvinism demands, election (and salvation) can't be forfeited. Punt believes that SOME of Adam's descendants were NEVER elect in Christ, even when they were infants, although he personally believes that all who die in infancy are part of the elect. He doesn't allow for election unto salvation to be unconditionally gi