Theological Objections and Reflections

If we read the New Testament and other early Christian writers openmindedly and with such knowledge as we have of their cultural and intellectual background, we must admit that in what they say of life after death reincarnation may not have been in their minds at all. Nevertheless, we also find that what they say could be an admirable means of dramatising a reincarnational view in such a way as to prod their readers into action, which is every good preacher’s goal: the moral and spiritual awakening of his hearers. From what we now know of the background of these writers some form of reincarnationism is not to be ruled out as a possible interpretation of Christian teaching about the life of the world to come. Much literary evidence has come to light in this century that encourages far more serious attention to this possibility. Although much more may be found in the future, it is unlikely that any such evidence could ever be so conclusive one way or the other as to compel a straight yes or no from everyone on that basis alone. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.