I continue to be passionate about my spreading the word that to be a Christian you do NOT have to believe in a God who eternally tortures people who do not believe in him or who do not please him. The Victorious Gospel, as it is sometimes called, comes straight out of the Christian Bible and draws upon the beliefs of the early Christians. If you want to get a comprehensive view of this outlook, I recommend the website http://www.hopeforallfellowship.com
“Christian universalism is a school of Christian theology focused around the doctrine of universal reconciliation – the view that all human beings will ultimately be saved and restored to a right relationship with God. “Christian universalism” and “the belief or hope in the universal reconciliation through Christ” can be understood as synonyms.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_universalism
I skimmed this post in Wikipedia and I think it is accurate. I look forward to looking more deeply into the article which seems to sum up Christian Universalism in a way that can be easily understood.
Now that you know what I am talking about, in case you didn’t, I want to share about how this way of understanding the Bible and what the early Christians believed is starting to grow in a way that I believe will go viral in a matter of years. I am praying that then a critical mass of Christians will realize that a loving God would never condemn any part of his creation to eternal conscious torment (aka hell) and that this create a unity among us Christians. We need unity in order to truly be the body of Christ who be known by our love for all.
The reason I feel hopeful is because about 10 years ago, when I first wrote about the topic in a blog post that I believed in the doctrine of Christian Universalism, there had been a slow increase in the number of resources which were available. But I have noticed that in the past year, 2023, an explosion of information about what is also called Ultimate Restoration of All has emerged.
Blogs, YouTube Channels, books, podcasts, Facebook groups and movies are now available where you can learn about the wonderful good news of the Gospel. Gospel means “good news,” but the news that “unless you believe a certain way, God will condemn you to eternal conscious torment,” is not good news!
I have been attending an online group called Hope for All Fellowship where Christian Universalists and people wanting to learn more about this topic can learn, connect and grow in our walk with Jesus. Over the three years that I have sporadically been attending, I have grown to respect the leaders of this wonderful group, Gerry and his wife. Denise. This website is a great intro to the “salvation for all” good news, and you can find out how to attend the fellowship there. I loved Gerry’s enthusiasm as he describes in 3 videos the values and guidelines for the online fellowship, as well as the story of how he came to believe in ultimate reconciliation. These short videos are well worth watching. https://hopeforallfellowship.com/about/
Here are some more resources that I think you will enjoy, some of which were recommended by attendees of the Hope For All Fellowship Zoom call.
Impact Nations is an organization which is doing incredible work around the world. Their mission is: Impact Nations partners with leaders in the developing world to rescue lives and transform communities by engaging people in practical and supernatural expressions of the Kingdom of God. I find it so refreshing that their only belief is the Nicene Creed, which says nothing about eternal conscious torment! I have heard interviews with the director of Impact Nations which such people as Brad Jersak, who is very much involved with them now. Brad doesn’t call himself a Christian Universalist but he is very hopeful that all will be saved according to his understanding of scripture. The interviews I have heard give me the impression that Impact Nations missionaries do not teach eternal conscious torment to the people with whom they are doing such beautiful work. Learn more here: https://www.impactnations.com/our-mission#our-beliefs
Eternal Theater: This is a movie that will be released in theatres on March 1, 2024 according to Wikipedia. I was able to watch it before it hit theatres, and I loved it. Here is the website: http://eternaltheater.com/ Here is the synopsis:
Eternal Theater . . . A Storyteller’s Journey from Hell to Heaven is a thought-provoking documentary exploring one of the most fundamental questions that everyone wants to know the answer to – what happens to me and those I love after we die? As a filmmaker, Daniel Knudsen explores this question through the lens of storytelling. He looks at his own life experience with various Christian traditions and interviews noted scholars from all over the world as he re-examines the Church’s traditional teaching on hell. His travels lead him to locations in the US, Europe and the Middle East as he explores the historical, geographical and political factors that led Western Christianity to embrace the pagan idea that hell is a place of eternal, conscious torment that seeks only to punish and not restore. His observations are interwoven with the artistic, philosophical, and narrative patterns he finds in how great stories are structured, showing that the stories that transcend history have definable characteristics that always point toward ultimate hope. These stories give us insight into the Divine source that created us, and reveal a Divine ending where all things are restored and made new. Here is the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2AdGjwpYPs
Rethinking God With Tacos: I know–this is a funny name! But I have learned about so many inspiring Christians who love Jesus. Although very rarely do they refer to Christian Universalism, not one person I have heard interviewed believes in a God who will punish his children with eternal conscious torment. https://rethinkinggodwithtacos.libsyn.com/
http://www.Mercyonall.org Is a website that is chock full of resources such as this book review of one of the more recently written books refuting the idea that a loving God would torture people endlessly. https://www.mercyonall.org/posts/everything-will-be-okay-a-book-review-of-holy-hell I am really inspired by their mission: https://www.mercyonall.org/about
Robin Parry: He is my favorite Christian Universalist. He is so humble and funny. This is a great interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Xz_g5C1Zg This is a talk he gave which gives a great overview of Christian Universalism: https://youtu.be/TofvLLm_LqI?si=AmER77bN6DaYqTBF
The Orthodox Universalist: As many pastors have done, this commentator gave up his job as an Christian Orthodox priest because of his being persuaded by his understanding of scripture and history that all will be saved through Christ. His videos are concise and very logical: https://www.youtube.com/@orthodoxuniversalist
Abba Calling: Hearing From the Father’s Heart Every Day of the Year. A devotional by Charles Slagle https://www.amazon.ca/Abba-Calling-Charles-Slagle/dp/0768441374
Are you a closet universalist? A podcast with Greg Boyd where he first makes a case for Christian Universalism, and then says he still believes in annihilationism. I am hopeful that he will some day embrace the idea that God can and will save all through Jesus Christ. https://reknew.org/2018/11/podcast-are-you-a-closet-universalist/
Baxter Kruger. I love the way he teaches about the love of God. I don’t think he calls himself a Christian Universalist, but all of his messages point towards Father, Son and Holy Spirit–as being all loving–and capable of reconciling everyone. He loves to share the scriptures in ways that are so interesting and inspiring. https://perichoresis.org/
If you do a search on Youtube, you will find an increasing number of channels focusing on Christian Universalism. I feel encouraged because when I first started exploring this doctrine
