Who wouldn’t want to be a universalist? (and why I’m not)

[Michie]

Who wouldn’t want to believe everybody wins — that in the end, God doesn’t have the heart to leave anyone behind?

That my non-believing uncle who drank himself to death and my friend who worships the sun god and even my neighbor who believes in nothing but who’s really nice and serves at the soup kitchen every Thursday … who wouldn’t want to believe that all of them will end up in Heaven one day?

It would make life simpler, wouldn’t it?

Universalism cloaks itself in love and acceptance, accusing those who don’t agree with it of being narrow, rigid, angry, unloving. “Love wins,” it urges. “Can’t we all just get along?”

We ought to be all for it. It would be a whole lot easier on all of us if we could skip that part about truth being absolute, basing our choices instead on moment and mood. It would free up a lot of time in my week. Church is fun, but not that fun. Coffee and a good newsfeed in yoga pants is also fun; so is sleeping late.

I was ordained alongside someone who called himself a universalist and was stunned that no one in the hierarchy of my United Methodist tribe had a problem with that. He also considered himself a Christian (a Christian pastor, at that) but didn’t believe Jesus cared what choice we make about truth. That’s the thing about universalism. It is predestination’s odd other half. Jesus will send you to heaven whether you want to go or not. Choice is out the window just as surely as if your salvation was determined before your birth. As a theology it isn’t Christian.

Continued below.

Who wouldn't want to be a universalist? (and why I'm not) - Art of Holiness

Who wouldn't want to believe everybody wins -- that in the end, God doesn't have the heart to leave anyone behind?

artofholiness.com

 

[Gregory Thompson]

I've read your posts, but already said what I needed to yesterday. Thanks for posting.

 

[bling]

Hell and annihilation helped me and others in fulfilling our earthly objective. Those who, of their own free will, refuse and would never humble themself to the point of accepting pure undeserved charity can go on to help others in fulfill their earthly objective.

 

[Der Alte]

Hell and annihilation helped me and others in fulfilling our earthly objective. Those who, of their own free will, refuse and would never humble themself to the point of accepting pure undeserved charity can go on to help others in fulfill their earthly objective.

Are you for or against UR?

 

[bling]

Are you for or against UR?

I do not support or believe UR.

 

[Der Alte]

I do not support or believe UR.

Good. Me too. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Michie]

From the op.

The author of our faith is Jesus Christ.

We have a Person-centered faith, not a people-centered faith.

Second, the fact that we love people who believe differently than us should be our trigger to pray for them more fervently. In his answer to the question, “How can I be happy in Heaven if someone I loved deeply on Earth doesn’t make it to Heaven?” Peter Kreeft said this:

The simplest and most important answer to this question is this: If there is someone you love and identify with so deeply that you cannot imagine being happy in eternity without him or her, and that someone seems now to be in peril of being unsaved, then use the relationship that God’s providence has ordained for you. Tell God that he has to arrange for this person’s salvation as he has arranged for yours, because this person is a real part of you, and for you as a whole to be saved, this person has to come along, just as your own body and emotions have to come along. It need not be a wheedling or blackmail prayer; it can be a simple presentation of the facts, like [when Mary said to Jesus at a wedding], “They have no more wine.” Let God do his thing: it is always more loving, more gracious and more effective than our thing, more than we can ever imagine or desire. Trust him to use your earthly love as a channel, supernatural and/or natural, of grace and salvation for your friend. Your very question, your very problem, is the clue to its answer. God put that burden on your heart for a reason: for you to fulfill.

Grace, truth and love meet in this place. When we let God do his thing — not minimizing it but trusting it — he will always do a better job than us. When we trust that God loves people every bit as much as us (more, in fact), we will gladly beat a path to his door on behalf of those we love.

Don’t take away the truth. Instead, allow it to do its work.

That is how love wins.

 

[BiblePeng]

Our goal should be to be open-minded, always asking questions, and to seek truth, not that which sounds the most convenient.
_
It doesn't matter if you think everyone goes to heaven, if it's false. You may live a happier, more carefree life in the here and now, but that ends up being useless if it's not true, with potentially devastating eternal consequences. Likewise, if the truth is that no God exists, than we would be better off not worrying or trying to adjust our lives to it.
_
However, if it is true, if God exists, and cares about how we live, then it would instead be foolish not to seek Him out and figure out what life is about, what He wants or expects from us, etc.

 

[Jeff Saunders]

Who wouldn’t want to believe everybody wins — that in the end, God doesn’t have the heart to leave anyone behind?

That my non-believing uncle who drank himself to death and my friend who worships the sun god and even my neighbor who believes in nothing but who’s really nice and serves at the soup kitchen every Thursday … who wouldn’t want to believe that all of them will end up in Heaven one day?

It would make life simpler, wouldn’t it?

Universalism cloaks itself in love and acceptance, accusing those who don’t agree with it of being narrow, rigid, angry, unloving. “Love wins,” it urges. “Can’t we all just get along?”

We ought to be all for it. It would be a whole lot easier on all of us if we could skip that part about truth being absolute, basing our choices instead on moment and mood. It would free up a lot of time in my week. Church is fun, but not that fun. Coffee and a good newsfeed in yoga pants is also fun; so is sleeping late.

I was ordained alongside someone who called himself a universalist and was stunned that no one in the hierarchy of my United Methodist tribe had a problem with that. He also considered himself a Christian (a Christian pastor, at that) but didn’t believe Jesus cared what choice we make about truth. That’s the thing about universalism. It is predestination’s odd other half. Jesus will send you to heaven whether you want to go or not. Choice is out the window just as surely as if your salvation was determined before your birth. As a theology it isn’t Christian.

Continued below.

Who wouldn't want to be a universalist? (and why I'm not) - Art of Holiness

Who wouldn't want to believe everybody wins -- that in the end, God doesn't have the heart to leave anyone behind?

artofholiness.com

you really do not understand biblical universal redemption at all, I don't understand why so many people speak about what they have no knowledge about . biblical universal redemption is not the same as universalism the two are not compatible.