Thursday, April 14, 2011

Some Evangelicals Starting to Believe What Mormons Have Preached All Along: Love Wins


What: Time Magazine covers a story about a controversial pastor promoting the view that everyone who has ever lived has an opportunity to live in heaven.

Quotes: "He suggests that the redemptive work of Jesus may be universal — meaning that, as his book's subtitle puts it, "every person who ever lived" could have a place in heaven, whatever that turns out to be."

"So is it heaven for Christians who say they are Christians and hell for everybody else? What about babies, or people who die without ever hearing the Gospel through no fault of their own? (As Bell puts it, "What if the missionary got a flat tire?")"

Reaction: Actually, the pastor and his book ultimately take the view that not only does everyone have the opportunity to get to heaven, but indeed, everyone will get to heaven eventually regardless of what they do, which is not in line with church doctrine and borders on the "eat, drink, and be merry" mentality. Still, the original premise--that Jesus' atonement is universal and that even those who die without acknowledging Jesus as their savior can make it to the same place--is a good one. And all in all, there are some great quotes in the article.

2 comments:

  1. Glad to see you posting something again. Interesting find.

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  2. I think I saw this guy on one of the news shows. I actually mostly agree with him. annegb

    ReplyDelete