The Evangelical Universalist

by Gregory MacDonald

Book Overview

-Can an orthodox Christian, committed to the historic faith of the church and the authority of the Bible, be a universalist? -Is it possible to believe that salvation is found only by grace, through... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1597523658
• ISBN13: 9781597523653
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Length: 201 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Great Apologetics For Universalism

Having now read a half dozen or so books on Christian Universalism, I consider "The Evangelical Universalist", by Gregory MacDonald (pseudonym) the capstone on top of two other great books on the subject, "The Inescapable Love Of God" by Thomas Talbot, and "The One Purpose Of God" by Jan Bonda. What I like about these books, as opposed to books I've read by other authors, is a combination of their contextual use of the Bible to support their suppositions, the over-arching themes they weave between the Old Testament and New Testament, and while heady, their readability. On to MacDonald's book (I'm really curious as to the author's real identity, although he explains he has a number of other books that he would like people to read without being turned off by his universalist stance, so I understand his desire for anonymity). The author starts where I believe any serious proponent of (Christian) Universalism must, by addressing the "hell verses" of the Bible. He makes a compelling case for the misunderstanding theologians have brought to the subject, and paints an equalling compelling picture of a corrected understanding. People are free to disagree, obviously, but the case he makes while tracing God's grand tapestry of Universal Reconciliation, is, I believe, forceful enough for the reader to come to the logical conclusion that this theological stance is the most reasonable, especially when contrasted with either the Arminian or Calvinistic position. Every reader brings their own beliefs to the table when reading a particular point of view, and I'm certainly no exception. I was a universalist before I even knew that Christianity had a history of other universalists, so I kept my views to myself for many years. Then, a number of years ago I read some books that attempted to make a case for universalism, but I found them rather unsatisfactory because they often pulled scripture out of context, and, while having a fair amount of emotional appeal, they were in fact somewhat lacking intellectually. These more recent reads are, to my extreme pleasure, much better on all fronts, and "The Evangelical Universalist" was the icing on the cake. I especially like an author who takes a critical view of their own arguments, and addresses criticism of them honestly and fully. All the aforementioned authors do so, and MacDonald and the others do this with an intellectual honesty and rigor I find refreshing, and often sadly lacking in other books of this kind. This is universalist apologetics at it's finest!

The Best Book on Universal Salvation for Evangelicals to Read

When I first considered reading up on universal salvation, it was very awkward getting through the first book. It was as if I could envision all the parishioners at my church shaking their head and thinking "heretic"! I managed to read several books after that, many which were an emotional appeal to God's love and not much in the way of scriptural exegesis. This book is the exception to the norm! The Evangelical Universalist is the single best book on the market for an evangelical to read, using large amounts of scripture to found the author's claims and make evangelicals feel comfortable that this is not mere liberal trash, but a legitimate exposition. It is a readable, yet intense book that will seriously challenge your position. Unlike almost any other book on universal salvation, I would assert that most evangelicals could read this book and walk away with a solid understanding of how a biblical case could be made for this position, even though they may disagree with that perspective. I envision that in 20-30 years, maybe sooner, universal salvation will gain tremendous acceptance among more liberal, non fundamentalist evangelicals. This book will widely be considered, along w/ Talbott's "Inescapable Love of God" to be the landmark text on the subject. I encourage all to take a look at purchasing this book, along with the aforementioned Talbott book as well as "Universal Salvation: The Current Debate". These three books will give you an extremely good handle on the issues at hand.

A Solid Defense of Christian Universalism

Gregory MacDonald (a pseudonym) sets out to defend the doctrine that all are eventually saved and God's judgment of sinners is temporary and intended to restore them to a right relationship with God. Chapter 1 and Appendix 1 present the philosophical problems with the belief that hell is a place of eternal torment. Although it might be possible to hold onto a belief in eternal torment on philosophical grounds I find the arguments in favor of universalism to be far, far better than anything an adherent to eternal torment can muster. Chapter 2 provides broad outlines of biblical theology that support universalism. It also provides an overview of Colossians defending the view that 1:20 means what it says, i.e., that all things will be reconciled with Christ. Appendix 2 makes use of Ephesians in a similar argument. Chapter 3 deals with Israel and the Nations in the Old Testament and shows how judgment leads to restoration. It also argues that all nations are to be saved through Israel. Chapter 4 continues this line of argument but deals with the New Testament. Chapter 5 was my favorite chapter of the book. It provides a univeralist interpretation of Revelation. The gates of the New Jerusalem are never shut and people cross from the lake of fire into the New Jerusalem (ch. 21). Appendix 3 provides an interpretation of the Book of Life, which appears in Revelation. Chapter 6 covers the texts which mention hell and spends time analyzing the words of Jesus on hell (or Gehenna). The gist of MacDonald's argument is that hell is a temporary judgment. Chapter 7 closes the book by looking at the impact universalism has on the Christian church. MacDonald believes it has the following advantages: (1) It makes the Problem of Evil less of a problem. (2) It makes Christian theology as a whole more coherent. (3) It makes the church a microcosm of the world to come. (4) It allows for more effective pastoral care to those have a loved one who died without becoming a Christian. Also in this chapter he responds to a couple objects: (1) Universalism undermines the severity of sin and the righteousness of judgment. (2) Universalism undermines the enthusiasm for evangelism.

Count Me In

Like the author, I'm now a hopeful dogmatic universalist. Hopeful because we hope it's true. Dogmatic because the doctrine is biblically supported. The book is written at a seminary level. The first chapter covers philosophic reasons why universalism is preferable to exclusivism. This lays the groundwork for rereading the bible with a universalist hope and accepting verses like 1 Cor 15:22 or Col 1:20 at face value. All means all. The rest of the book is a very persuasive and sound argument of why universalism is biblically sound. It is not just a defense against verses that contradict universalism. The author embarks on the difficult task of showing how the trajectory of the bible shows that the final word God speaks to Man is always reconciliation and redemption. It is well worth working through his reasoning.

Information on the Book

OK - I wrote this book. I am afraid that I had to give it a star rating so I picked 5 just to get your attention. You can now ignore it. Here is the blurb from the back FYI. Can an orthodox Christian, committed to the historic faith of the Church and the authority of the Bible, be a universalist? Is it possible to believe that salvation is found only by grace, through faith in Christ, and yet to maintain that in the end all people will be saved? Can one believe passionately in mission if one does not think that anyone will be lost forever? Could universalism be consistent with the teachings of the Bible? Gregory MacDonald argues that the answer is yes to all of these questions. Weaving together philosophical, theological, and biblical considerations, MacDonald seeks to show that being a committed universalist is consistent with the central teachings of the biblical texts and of historic Christian theology. ". . . [T]his passionate and lucid advocacy of an evangelical universalism . . . not only engages with key passages in the context of the overall biblical narrative but also treats clearly the profound theological and philosophical issues to which that narrative gives rise . . . readers . . . will find this book an excellent, accessible and indispensable aid in their own attempts to grapple with what its author describes as "a hell of a problem. . ." Andrew T. Lincoln, Portland Chair in New Testament Studies, University of Gloucestershire ". . . I was struck by the persuasiveness of many of Gregory MacDonald's arguments, not least since they rest in an unusually adept interweaving of biblical exegesis with relevant philosophical and theological considerations . . ." Joel B. Green, Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Asbury Theological Seminary "Gregory MacDonald's defense of universalism is well argued logically, theologically, and especially biblically . . . Evangelicals, among whom MacDonald would count himself, will find him a civil and insightfully critical dialogue partner." Thomas F. Johnson, Professor of Biblical Theology, George Fox University "With this wonderful book, Gregory MacDonald joins the growing body of Evangelical Christians who now accept a doctrine of universal reconciliation. But I know of no one who has set forth an equally clear, thorough and compelling case for a universalist reading of the Bible as a whole . . ." Thomas Talbott, Professor of Philosophy, Willamette University in Salem, Oregon Gregory MacDonald is a pseudonym.