Your First Steps into Biblical Universalism…

Tripp, liked your comments above. Because I have such a deep regard for human freedom I like to tell people I am a hopeful universalist. Though I do believe that given enough time in different contexts (hell?) all people will be lured by God's unconditional love. It could be that a person is so confirmed in evil that he or she will never decide for the good. But I am hopeful that even the most resistant people will one day open their hearts and be able to feel the pain their evil has caused others. At which point, they enter into the process of repentance that leads to reconciliation and transfomration. By the way. My book, "A Faith Worth Living: The Dynamics of an Inclusive Gospel" was published March 3. Obviously, as a small town pastor with very little acclaim (though I am kind of "infamous" with a number of my fellow Baptists in town--haha! ) not too many people will read it. Interestingly, I have a chapter titled, "The Triumph of Love" where I argue for universalism as a dynamic of an inclusive gospel. I'll send you a copy. I would interested in your take on my approach. Haven't read Bell's book yet. Still waiting on it.

Thank you, Tripp, for your post. I really enjoyed reading it, especially the scripture references that you compiled. As usual, you were able to take a relatively complex subject and present it in simple, understandable terms. I also liked the way you framed the subject in love. Allot of times, I think people make a bit too much of freewill, although you did emphasize the importance of freedom in love. I think the 'freewill" debate is often over stated. I blogged about this myself several days ago: http://pegsnholes.blogspot.com/2011/03/hell-universalism-and-free-will.html (I know, shameless plug ;) II eagerly clicked on to the link for the book you suggested. 39 dollars used!? I am definitely looking forward to reading it as soon as I can save up for it! Thanks for the reference!

Hell and Heaven or just Heaven... who cares? Up in the air or down on Earth...who cares? Let's talk about what those symbols mean, rather than fighting over who has the best superstitions about afterlife. Do we just automatically skip questions about the reality of afterlife and only focus on the possible destinations? If we are going to open the can of worms, can we let them all out? It's the 21st century, so can we finally do what we all know is inevitable? Can we finally allow superstitions about afterlife to be lumped in the same category as the flat-Earth, 6 day creation, demon possession, and the rest of the ancient worldview? Until then, we'll only be nibbling around the edges and religious debate will be mostly about which superstition is the "right" one. There has to be a more valuable use of religion than fighting over ancient superstitions.

Thank you for reminding us that the material in Love Wins is nothing new; it is only repackaged.

Really good post and comments. Jo Ann - another good book is "The Evangelical Universalist" by pseudo-Gregory MacDonald (borrowing the names from Gregory of Nyssa and George MacDonald). And the point about Rob Bell differing from Liberalism can't be emphasized enough (he has a high christology, affirms miracles, the Trinity, etc. - all unnecessary for liberals). It's amazing how much you'll see that accusation floating around without any basis (see Mohler's blog or Christianity Today, unfortunately). But if you want a solidly plausible defense of Protestant Liberalism, as Tripp shared yesterday, see McLaren's latest post about all this.

Tripp, I certainly agree on your thoughts stated above. Just today my copy of Rob Bell's book arrived. Looking forward to reading it so hopefully I can understand what all the uproar is about. I do not have a personal opinion on Universalism as I have not read much about it. Your thoughts above give me some idea. Would like for some advice on what to read and where to go to learn more about the meaning of universalism and how it is showing up in the world today. Keep up the good work. We are all free and we have God to thank !!!!!!

Deacon Hall comes out of his dissertation? I believe this is one topic we actually agree on!

You got it, buddy. The affirmation of Love and the fact that it wins is an affirmation of the Triune God's grace and freedom. Universal salvation is no demand we can make of God, but one that I'm willing to posit God freely makes for us.

Haven't decided what I think yet but I can say the picture you paint is pretty. I'll let you know after reading the passages.

Rob Bell's eschatological optimism is NOT liberalism. Why? - it still affirms Hell's existence (liberals tend to demythologize all 'other-worldly' talk) - only God's redemptive work in Christ redeems (a liberal would call this a subtle & gentle form of Christian exclusivity) - Love wins (this one is more for postmodern liberals.....A winner brings a loser! Love winning clearly creates a binary between Love and hate\evil\? and we all know that binaries are the one great Evil!)