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158th out of 763 books
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608 voters
If Grace Is True: Why God Will Save Every Person
Why Everyone Will Be in Heaven
Two pastors present their controversial belief in eternal salvation for all through God′s perfect grace. Long disturbed by the Church′s struggle between offering both love and rejection, they discover what God wants from us and for us: grace for everyone.
Two pastors present their controversial belief in eternal salvation for all through God′s perfect grace. Long disturbed by the Church′s struggle between offering both love and rejection, they discover what God wants from us and for us: grace for everyone.
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
December 1st 2004
by HarperOne
(first published 2003)
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This book was kind of a rollercoaster ride. At first I thought it was going to be great, an interesting topic and thought-provoking examples. I was ready to be convinced by the authors. Then I had to get past the awkward and sometimes poor writing. There is a special challenge to editing a book that is co-authored by two equal contributors, and I have to say, in this case it didn't work out too well. This is unfortunate because it was bad enough to obscure the authors' points at times. It was di...more
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There are certainly parts of this book that are incredibly difficult to swallow or stomach, especially the parts about the death of Jesus.
The authors do a good job of answering dissenting questions that popped into my head as I read, but I'm not completely convinced of every point in their theology. Salvation for all is a concept I've been wrestling with for awhile now, and while this helps me to concur with the authors on many points, I will have to be content to only hope this is true and not...more
The authors do a good job of answering dissenting questions that popped into my head as I read, but I'm not completely convinced of every point in their theology. Salvation for all is a concept I've been wrestling with for awhile now, and while this helps me to concur with the authors on many points, I will have to be content to only hope this is true and not...more
Well, I'm only on page 11. This book is delicious! 5 stars so far.
I've struggled with "How can a loving God allow anyone to go to hell - an eternal place of torment? I wouldn't do that to my children. Even if they rejected me. Why would God make someone go to hell because they reject Him?" "I love you but if you don't choose Me, 'POOF' to you. You can go to hell!" Yah, that sounds like love - NOT!!
That would be conditional, wouldn't it?
I'm looking forward to what the authors have to say furthe...more
I've struggled with "How can a loving God allow anyone to go to hell - an eternal place of torment? I wouldn't do that to my children. Even if they rejected me. Why would God make someone go to hell because they reject Him?" "I love you but if you don't choose Me, 'POOF' to you. You can go to hell!" Yah, that sounds like love - NOT!!
That would be conditional, wouldn't it?
I'm looking forward to what the authors have to say furthe...more
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This was our July book club selection; it had been on my to-read list for a long time, so I was glad to have the opportunity to read it. I definitely agree with Gulley & Mulholland's thesis -- yes, thankfully, God will save every person, and that is truly good news! But I'm not in complete agreement with all their points: I don't think, for example, that it's necessary to throw out the divinity of Christ to be a universalist, and I don't think that experience and reason are always to be priv...more
This is a more accepting view of God. God is full of love and grace. He is not out to send us to hell because of our faults. This is a God that I am more inclined to believe in!
Try it, You'll like it!
Merged review:
This book is not your typical religious book. It is about the all loving God for all the people of the world. Love and grace are the key components to this view of God. It is a book to build you up not one to point out your flaws. I find this view both refreshing and spiritually fulfi...more
Try it, You'll like it!
Merged review:
This book is not your typical religious book. It is about the all loving God for all the people of the world. Love and grace are the key components to this view of God. It is a book to build you up not one to point out your flaws. I find this view both refreshing and spiritually fulfi...more
I read this book in 2006, long before Bell's "Love Wins" was penned.
Reading two of Mr. Gulley’s other books did not prepare me for the reading of this one. The writer who, with a fellow pastor in this work, so eloquently speaks of the trials of a pastor in a small town has depth and the courage to call others to like places. When one reads this book one is confronted with God’s Grace as extravagant, unbiased, unearned and universal. Having become a disciple of God in an Evangelical tradition,...more
Reading two of Mr. Gulley’s other books did not prepare me for the reading of this one. The writer who, with a fellow pastor in this work, so eloquently speaks of the trials of a pastor in a small town has depth and the courage to call others to like places. When one reads this book one is confronted with God’s Grace as extravagant, unbiased, unearned and universal. Having become a disciple of God in an Evangelical tradition,...more
If Grace Is True presents the idea of Universalism, the idea that God will save every person. I admit, at first I was extremely skeptical. I thought there were too many issues to be resolved for such an idea to be seriously considered. What about free-will, Hitler, and justice? Surprisingly, Gulley and Mulholland humbly and diligently answer these and many more questions that any indoctrinated Christian would ask.
Unfortunately, most Christians are familiar with a savior who demands his acceptanc...more
Unfortunately, most Christians are familiar with a savior who demands his acceptanc...more
Nov 13, 2007
Kimberly
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who wants to be a Christian, but feels God won't let them into the club
Life-changing book for me. This is the book that allowed me to once again call myself a Christian. For years, I wanted to be a Christian, always felt like I almost could be a Christian, but the whole hell-and-damnation, fire-and-brimstone fundamentalism with which I was raised kept getting the way. My good friend Lamar loaned me this book, and I read it in 2 days, and it was a real conversion experience. I realized I was a Christian, and a Universalist at that. Beautiful, astounding book.
Jan 06, 2008
Jennie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those who are wondering about what happens next
Recommended to Jennie by:
lots of thoughtful Quakers
Shelves:
non-fiction
This book helped me realize that I wasn't a heretic, that other people have thought about the same things I've been thinking about for years, but I was too afraid to ask. This book has changed my whole concept of Heaven, of life after death, and of God's judgement. I like God a lot better now. The sad part of this book as that my pastor told me that Phil Gulley and Jim Muholland received death threats after this book was published. So crazy.
This book moved me.
Despite being raised in the Catholic church and going to Catholic school, I have always had issues reconciling some of the information that I was taught about Catholicism. What was especially troubling to me was the fate of non-Catholics (doom), how science and faith can co-exist as well as why bad things happen to good people. This book helped me reconcile my issues in these areas.
The beauty of the author's writing style coupled with the interjection of uplifting scripture he...more
Despite being raised in the Catholic church and going to Catholic school, I have always had issues reconciling some of the information that I was taught about Catholicism. What was especially troubling to me was the fate of non-Catholics (doom), how science and faith can co-exist as well as why bad things happen to good people. This book helped me reconcile my issues in these areas.
The beauty of the author's writing style coupled with the interjection of uplifting scripture he...more
I have to admit the premise of this book was very attractive. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone went straight to heaven after death, regardless of what they believed or did during this life time? I do totally agree with the author that we are ALL God's children, that He loves ALL of us equaly and that He wants ALL to be saved. And I truly believe, that as a result, He will do everything in His power to save us, even by allowing us to see His glory at our moment of death so that we can make th...more
This is a terribly confused and confusing book. Let me say plainly: I am interested in reading arguments for a specifically Christian universalism.
This, however, is a pick-and-choose theology that is illogical, poorly argued, and based on the simple belief that "God whispered to" the author and told him something, and now everything else needs to fit. By just over halfway through the book, he's completed jumped the shark by ditching Jesus as the means of salvation, his divinity, while continuin...more
This, however, is a pick-and-choose theology that is illogical, poorly argued, and based on the simple belief that "God whispered to" the author and told him something, and now everything else needs to fit. By just over halfway through the book, he's completed jumped the shark by ditching Jesus as the means of salvation, his divinity, while continuin...more
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Wow! This book really made me think. So many of the ideas in this book where things that I felt as a child and had forgotten about. Some of the ideas in this book may be difficult for some Christians to buy into, but I really like the idea of seeing everyone as God's children. It takes so much of the judgmental aspects of church out of the picture.
This one came into my life courtesy of the church whose services I watch on TV. They were going to have as a guest minister one of the co-authors of this tiny tome. It made a lot of sense to me... beware if you don't have universalist leanings... it might make you think.
This book attempts to make a case for Universalism. Although the authors correctly point out problems that do occur in churches and with Christians, their flawed theology is hardly the remedy for how people can better love God and their fellow man. By openly advocating a "pick what you're comfortable with" approach to the Bible, their reasoning seems haphazard and nonsensical. The authors' view of a universal salvation implies that God is bound to save each and every person because to do otherwi...more
I found this book disturbingly persuasive. The authors answer all the usual 'but what about' questions about universalism (the idea that there's no hell and everyone will eventually accept God's love, either in this life or the next) with logic, stories and bible quotations.
Regarding the 'Hitler argument' they state: "Ironically, Hitler's desire to purge humanity of those he thought impure and deficient is the extreme manifestation of what many religions affirm - that some people ultimately dese...more
Regarding the 'Hitler argument' they state: "Ironically, Hitler's desire to purge humanity of those he thought impure and deficient is the extreme manifestation of what many religions affirm - that some people ultimately dese...more
Another Angie Kirkland recommendation.
It's stuff I've felt in my heart my whole life about God but the church isn't selling.
It's stuff I've felt in my heart my whole life about God but the church isn't selling.
The authors claim this book is controversial. I found it to be life affirming and true to my own beliefs.
Mostly underwhelming. Even though I nearly believe what the authors suggest, I found their arguments a bit silly.
While most evangelicals (indeed Christians in general) will find this book a challenging read. The authors communicate their case for universal salvation through the persistent, perfect grace of God. However, this obviously does not fit the mold of penal substitution that most Christians cling to. The weakness of the authors' argument is that it relies heavily on feeling and personal experience. This isn't to say that these aren't valid or true, but merely that they will hold little weight for m...more
I read this with my bible study and definitely recommend it for that environment. We had some great discussions! It was something that I have believed for a long time but never really articulated, so this was a good chance to talk about why I believe it and how I think I came to believe it. He doesn't answer 75% of the questions you'll have, but that didn't lessen the book too much for me (though it did for most everyone else in my group). The premise is that God will save everyone if grace real...more
A very interesting theological work that is enlightening to the laity. I should hate this book since it cost me the love of a woman I had just met who was very fundamentalist, but I don't. I met one of the authors who gave a very interesting presentation at a local community of Christ church. This book is very interesting and presents a God and Jesus who truly love mankind, not in a fundamentalist view (and one who is ulitmatly unknowable)but in one that emphasizes in a way that I don't think I...more
An extgremely accessible read that introduces the concept of revisiting scripture and what it could mean for how we live our lives now here on earth. The message of Jesus was far more about how to live our lives on the earth adn bring the kingdom of God to the hear and now, and was much less concerned about eternity. Exclusivism, by default creates an unnecessary and often unintentional focus on eternity at the expense of loving our neighbour now. Gulley provides a shift in focus that is both li...more
This is the first book I read since coming to a universalist/unitarian outlook in my faith. It was a beautiful read, and the authors echoed many of the thoughts and feelings I had when wrestling with the issues of hell and torment that were taught in my evangelical upbringing.
It's not a scholarly work, so it may not convince someone who is expecting
such a book. However, I think the authors do a good job of voicing the questions that many people deal with.
Overall, a good book, much needed in th...more
It's not a scholarly work, so it may not convince someone who is expecting
such a book. However, I think the authors do a good job of voicing the questions that many people deal with.
Overall, a good book, much needed in th...more
If you consider yourself a Christian you should check out this book. If you're not, you may want to read it in order to get a Christian view that is not in the media nearly as much as the fundamentalist version. In fact, fundamentalists have defined the religion for so many people for way too long. I find it so odd that most who reject Christianity outright, whether atheists or agnostics, agree with the fundamentalists on what Christianity is! Why agree with that view?
Anyway, these guys believe...more
Anyway, these guys believe...more
This book is absolutely horrible. His experiences have led him to adopt a heretical theology. Unfortunately, he is also an antiChrist according to 1 John and does not believe the Bible to be inerrant. He picks and chooses which parts of the OT/NT are "accurate" representations of the "true God." The God of Jesus (gracious, compassionate, loving) is the god he adopts. Sadly, he has traded one false god for another and is leading people astray from the truth with his book. I know my words may seem...more
I am rating this 5 stars because of the content and the way it made me think. I don't agree with everything stated, especially the chapter on why Jesus died on the cross. I am not quite with the authors on that one. It isn't the best written book either, but it is a thinker and a wonderful and uplifting view of grace. Grace is really freeing and the authors make it so much bigger than people think it is. I stretch toward universalism, but some of the theology presented needed work IMO.
"I believe God will save every person." So begins almost every chapter of this book. While I do believe in God's infinite love and mercy, I was challenged by this book to rethink other principles I hold dear. While it is persuasive, I cannot let go of beliefs on which I have built my faith, one important one being the divinity of Jesus. His argument was convincing otherwise, but he lost me on that point.
This is a lovely book written by people who have had a remarkable change of opinion. When I read that one of them told a woman who wanted to join his church to come back when her life was in better order, I almost choked. But they repent! they know now that we have to love everybody, etc,etc. I tried to recommend it to some LDS missionaries, but I don't think they appreciated my proselytizing on their time...
I love this book. I agree with about 98% of what Gulley says. I'm about halfway through and only had one real disagreement with the author; he suggests that John the Baptist was disappointed in the Savior, that he had likely hoped the Savior would lean more toward justice than mercy, more "the axe is laid at the roots" type person. I think John knew exactly who the Savior was and he recognized his own role as the forerunner who would prepare the way for the Savior. This book departs by a very sm...more
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Philip Gulley has become the voice of small-town American life. Along with writing Front Porch Tales, Hometown Tales, and For Everything a Season, Gulley is the author of the Harmony series of novels, as well as If Grace Is True and If God Is Love, which are coauthored with James Mulholland.
He hosts "Porch Talk with Phil Gulley" on the Indiana PBS affiliate WFYI television's flagship show Across I...more
More about Philip Gulley...
He hosts "Porch Talk with Phil Gulley" on the Indiana PBS affiliate WFYI television's flagship show Across I...more
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“I ran across the following thought that I JUST LOVE & I thought of you......
"I do not know where we will sit at the final banquet, but I suspect who will sit beside us - on our right will sit the person whom we have harmed the most. On our left will sit the person who has done the greatest evil to us. We will be seated between grace received and grace required".”
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More quotes…
"I do not know where we will sit at the final banquet, but I suspect who will sit beside us - on our right will sit the person whom we have harmed the most. On our left will sit the person who has done the greatest evil to us. We will be seated between grace received and grace required".”
