The predominant message of Christianity today is that through Jesus Christ we can be saved from sin and death, and that God’s judgment of every person will precipitate eternal salvation in heaven for the worthy and eternal punishment in hell for the unworthy.

However, Christianity also supports a dissenting and contrary vision of Christian salvation. This vision of Christianity emphasizes God’s call to meet the physical and spiritual needs of others in this earthly life, thereby seeking to provide God’s salvation to this world in this life through acts of justice, grace, and compassion. This call to Christian discipleship dismisses any focus on a future salvation or eternal life that follows death.

This theological divide within Christianity raises fundamental questions.

• Is salvation a present state or just a future real ...