... but I'm not sure about this book's premise.

I posted this a couple of days on my personal blog. Since then I've read about half of this book, and I've got mixed feelings about it so far. But more on that later ...



Most folks, myself included, tend to gravitate toward one theology or way of thinking without really exploring alternative ideas. Sometimes the lack of exploration is because one is so firmly rooted in their way of thinking, and its truthfulness, that they feel (perhaps rightly) that there's simply no reason to waste time reading about different views. Other times, though, it can be simple apathy, laziness, and even arrogance. When I look back on my time on earth, I hope to say that my reasons for not boldly searching out other positions were not arrogance or laziness.

When I was about 16 I walked into a Christian bookstore and bought a copy of a slick new book called The Sign by Robert Van Kampen. The book outlined Van Kampen's Pre-Wrath Rapture theology. After devouring the tome I promptly dropped my Pre-Tribulation beliefs in favor of what I thought was the more logical and scripturally sound Pre-Wrath position. (For the record, I still think the Pre-Wrath position is more logical and scripturally sound than the Pre-Tribulation position.) Much to the chagrin of certain relatives (for example, one of my aunts), I became an outspoken advocate of my new position, defending it against the popular Pre-Tribulation notion whenever I was given a chance.

While I'm not a student of pop-eschatology anymore, I think my initial willingness to abandon my then denominational distinctive (Pre-Tribulation theology) in favor of what I believed was a position more true to Scripture, helped solidify a willingness in my mind to, well, change my mind about theological distinctives. I'm not talking about the essential tenets of the faith, so I move forward, and pray that the Spirit guides me.

Furthermore, I think it's sad that too often someone does something like dismissing Calvinism without having ever listened to a teaching on Calvinism or read a book about the theology of monergism and its various streams. The same can be said for Arminianism.

I said all that to say I'm dipping my toe a bit further into the pool of Christian Universalism with my latest borrowed book (thank the Lord of inter-library loan!): If Grace is True: Why God Will Save Every Person by Philip Gulley and James Mulholland. I'm sure the read will be, at least, interesting.