The controversial arguments in this book resulted in the first edition being released under the pseudonym of Gregory MacDonald. At that time, the author, Robin Parry, was Editorial Director of Paternoster. Robin is now an Editor at Wipf and Stock Publishers. He is author of books on Old Testament ethics, Trinitarian worship, and a commentary on Lamentations.

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?  
In The Evangelical Universalist the author argues that the answer is 'yes!' to all of these  
questions. Weaving together philosophical, theological, and biblical considerations, he seeks  
to show that being a committed universalist is consistent with the central teachings of the  
biblical texts and of historic Christian theology.

Gregory MacDonald

Cover

Praise for this Book

Title page

Imprint

Dedication

Opening words

Foreword by Oliver Crisp

Preface to the Second Edition

Abbreviations

Introduction

CHAPTER ONE: A Hell of a Problem

CHAPTER TWO: Universalism and Biblical Theology

CHAPTER THREE: Israel and the Nations in the Old Testament

CHAPTER FOUR: Christ, Israel, and the Nations in the New Testament

CHAPTER FIVE: A Universalist Interpretation of the Book of Revelation

CHAPTER SIX: To Hell and Back

CHAPTER SEVEN: Advantages of Christian Universalism and Replies to Remaining Objections

Appendix 1: A Reply to William Lane Craig’s Argument that Molinism is Compatible with Non-Universalism

Appendix 2: Christ, Cosmos, and Church: The Theology of Ephesians

Appendix 3: The Lamb’s Book of Life

Appendix 4: Love Wins?

Appendix 5: Responses to (Some of) My Critics

Appendix 6: Election

Appendix 7: Hell, Moral Formation, and Calvinism

Study Guide

Bibliography

Search items for Scripture

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?

In The Evangelical Universalist the author argues that the answer is ‘yes!’ to all of these

questions. Weaving together philosophical, theological, and biblical considerations, he seeks

to show that being a committed universalist is consistent with the central teachings of the

biblical texts and of historic Christian theology.

Can an orthodox Christian, committed to the historic faith of the Church and the authority of the Bible, be a universalist? Weaving together philosophical, theological and biblical considerations, the author shows that being a universalist is consistent with the central teachings of the Bible and of historic Christian theology.

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? This book argues that the answer is 'yes' to all of these questions. Weaving together philosophical, theological and biblical considerations, the author shows that being a universalist is consistent with the central teachings of the Bible and of historic Christian theology. This new edition answers critics of the first edition and reflects on the furore caused by Rob Bell's venture into this theological minefield with Love Wins. It is ideal for people who may have read or heard of Love Wins but want to read an in-depth treatment of the subject by an author who has read all the relevant scholarly literature, and engages sensitively with all the exegetical and theological arguments. The new edition also provides discussion starters for leaders using the book for church study groups.

The Good Book Stall

I have long been convinced that if hell exists, then it must be empty. Until now that view has been grounded in my understanding and experience of the irresistible nature of God's love, rather than thought-through theology. Put simply, why would anyone face to face with the love of God in judgement reject such love for all eternity?  
  
With the publication of The Evangelical Universalist (first published in 2006 and now available with useful Appendixes) my instinctive belief in universal redemption and reconciliation has found clear scriptural authority. From Creation to Revelation, Gregory MacDonald (a pseudonym for Robin Parry) maps out a Christian Universalist position whose Biblical basis is both convincing and consistent.  
  
To believe that God not only can save everyone but also will save everyone, removes fear as a reason to believe and that is surely a good thing. It might be argued however that universalism is essentially hedonistic in that it removes all reasons to believe. Is that to take too cynical a view of human nature? Might universalism yet become a nail in the coffin of the church?  
  
There are many shades of universalism as with any strand of theology and MacDonald's particular position might be termed orthodox or conservative in that it is certainly not pluralist in outlook and is fiercely Christocentric. Therein perhaps lies its strength. Evangelicalism in the west is changing dramatically at present and MacDonald's contribution to this is significant.

The Evangelical Universalist

Evangelical Universalist

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