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I scored 88 out 100, on this Scott McKnight quiz which makes me a ‘progressive’ when it comes to how I interpret the bible. Given the lively discussion on universalism below, with our three guest authors, and the different views in their and your comments, this might be enlightening as to why.
You can take it online here.
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Whilst I greatly appreciate the integrity of Gregory and Kevin, I find myself somewhat disturbed by their advocacy of evangelical universalism. That disquiet does not so much concern the conclusions they reach (though I do disagree with them), nor with the arguments they put forth (though I find them wanting), but rather with this simple fact: as far as I can see both of them seem to be more concerned with defending universalism as an evangelical or orthodox doctrine, than they do with defending universalism per se. Gregory writes, “But I am not trying to persuade you to agree with us. I am simply wanting to pose this question – Are those beliefs incompatible with evangelical faith?”
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You know it’s a bad sign when a response to a post is twice the length of the post itself. But I think this is an extremely important topic, one that has produced a lot more heat than light. So I would like, to the best of my ability, to shed a little light on and bring a little clarity to the issue of the compatibility of universalism and orthodox Christian faith. I want to suggest, along with Gregory MacDonald (GM), that the two (universalism and evangelical or orthodox Christian faith) are indeed compatible. Then I want to address several common objections to universalism.
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The title of my book, The Evangelical Universalist was deliberately chosen to raise eyebrows and stir up curiosity (and perhaps even animosity). If there is one thing that most of think that we know it is that “evangelical universalism” is an oxymoron (and anyone who claims to be an “evangelical universalist” is just a moron). It is certainly true that in the history of evangelicalism belief in Hell as eternal conscious torment was, and remains, the majority view. And if evangelicals have rejected Hell as never ending torment then they have embraced a version of annihilationism. But universalism? No never! Universalism is for those who have given up on the Bible or perhaps even on traditional Christianity itself. After all, universalists believe that everyone is saved and yet the Bible says that some people go to Hell so … universalists obviously disagree with the clear teaching of Scripture and thus eject themselves from the evangelical camp. Simple. Right? Wrong.
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This week on the site we are delighted to have 3 great guests kicking off a generous, positive and considered conversation about hell. We hope that you’ll read what they are writing/interacting and join in a similar manner with your own thoughts, questions and reflections. The running order for this week is…
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As we introduce the Church or Liturgical Calendar into our church I have seen more and more people responding and connecting to God through different seasons and through the various media we use.The reflection has been used in the church since the early days and it is an important part of our lives as a Christian, to reflect on where we are, what we are doing and where does God fit in to it all.
So this is my reflection from our Ash Wednesday service from a couple of weeks ago:
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When I was in college I went to a mega church with a really big name pastor.It was a cool church and to be honest I went because there were a lot of pretty girls in the college group. But when I first went I had this strange idea. I began to wonder if it was possible to go to church without having any real communication or connection with anyone. I didn’t go out of my way to avoid people, I just didn’t do anything special. For several weeks I would enter the parking lot, walk from my car to the sanctuary, sit at my seat, stay for the message and then leave. The only times I was engaged during those weeks were when I was handed a bulletin and when the church invited us to say hello to those around me. In both cases I didn’t say anything more than, “hello”. And I realized over time that I could hide if I wanted to.
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I’ve recommended theotherjournal.com before. It’s the Mars Hill Graduate School’s journal. The latest issue no.11 is online, and is focused on Atheism, with a nod to the emerging ‘New Atheists’ of late.
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After The Archbishop of Canterbury’s lecture about Sharia law, which has caused so much controversy, The Evangelical Alliance UK, have started a section on their web site, to discuss this issue.
In their own words, ‘The controversy over the Archbishop of Canterbury has escalated this conversation, and we feel this is an opportune time to widen the debate to the broader Christian community.’
They are looking for your views, in particular around these questions:
1. How can religious conscience and values be protected in a secular state?
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This past year, I read about a ministry initiative that a suburban church employed to bless their community. On the day when the cost of postage was scheduled to go up, members of the church stood outside the post office handing out free sheets of 2 cent stamps to make up the difference in people’s postage. The effort was a part of a national campaign where churches were selected through an application process to receive $1,000 to use in some way to bless their community. The pastor involved described it like this: “They asked that we do one event in May and one in June and that they be either a giveaway or community service project. They offered some ideas like paying for everyone’s’ donuts or coffee or doing some improvements at a local school in need of help. Other than that, they left it up to us.”
Last week I had the opportunity to sit in on a lecture given by William Willimon to a class of doctoral students at Fuller Seminary. Something that he said has lingered in my mind and spirit, and it had to do with the role of the church, and the pastor in particular, in responding to the needs of a congregation. Willimon contends that what masquerades as needs in our culture (North American) today are really a bunch of inflated desires that have somehow been elevated to the status of entitlements. And seeking to meet these needs, according to Willimon, will therefore always be a losing battle for ministers and churches because, as he self-described: “I am a bottomless pit of desires.”
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