ABSTRACT
Joseph Smith's revelations from God provided a novel method of justly resolving the fate of the unevangelized without compromising Christ's unique role as Savior and Redeemer. Joseph Smith fully grasped the despair-filled quandary of the fate of the unevangelized, but could not fathom a God who would allow such arrant injustice to exist unmitigated. Joseph's teachings emphasized postmortem evangelization of all those who did not hear the gospel message in this life or did not have an adequate opportunity to hear and accept the message through Christ's saving ordinances. It is widely believed today that the church in ancient times held to some notion of postmortem evangelization. Postmortem evangelization continued in the writings of early Christian thinkers such as Clement of Alexandria and Origen. A general concern for the dead and belief in Christ's visit and release of dead souls from hell was a very popular early Christian conviction.
