Caroline's Blogtag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-1242682007-08-10T20:49:54-04:00the musings of a trinitarian universalistTypePadHave I read the Great Divorce?tag:typepad.com,2003:post-375568042007-08-10T20:49:54-04:002007-08-10T20:49:54-04:00Yes, and it greatly influenced my understanding of hell for a long time. The other great influence was a scenario towards the end of The Last Battle from the Chronicles of Narnia. Emmet meets Aslan and is devastated because he...CarolineActs 27tag:typepad.com,2003:post-334170202007-04-27T22:51:34-04:002007-04-27T22:51:34-04:00Paul was travelling to Rome as a prisoner under a Roman guard. The journey was long and arduous and winter was fast approaching. When they reached Fair Havens, Paul said, "Men, I can see that our voyage is going to...CarolineThe Rich Man and Lazarustag:typepad.com,2003:post-142954332006-11-26T00:13:48-05:002006-11-26T00:13:48-05:00is a parable people often bring up when universalism is presented because of the great uncrossable divide between hell and Abraham's bosom. In Jesus' time, people believed that God rewards the godly with a good life and punishes the wicked...CarolineIt may not be so easy after alltag:typepad.com,2003:post-132703162006-10-09T09:55:12-04:002006-10-09T09:55:12-04:00I wrote that it was easy to be a universalist; one just have to believe in the possibility of post-mortem conversion. But now I am thinking it is not so easy because universalism calls for the re-conversion or re-evanglization of...Carolineannihilation/conditionalismtag:typepad.com,2003:post-132364012006-10-07T04:30:14-04:002006-10-07T04:30:14-04:00Someone asked me if I considered conditionalism as well as universalism. I hadn't really thought about it. I used to be a 5 point Calvinist until the night C. Baxter Kruger preached at my church and I became convinced that...CarolineAftermathtag:typepad.com,2003:post-131368222006-10-02T00:21:46-04:002006-10-02T00:21:46-04:00I had a family over for dinner last Saturday. She used to be in my cell group back when I was part of a church plant. She had decided to marry an atheist and my pastor insisted that I tell...CarolineIt's easy to be a Universalisttag:typepad.com,2003:post-131193142006-09-30T15:59:40-04:002006-09-30T15:59:40-04:00You just have to believe in the possibility of post-mortem repentance and conversion. The way I see it, God's grace and mercy and gift of salvation came to me while I was dead in my sins. (Eph. 2:1 and Col....Carolineback onlinetag:typepad.com,2003:post-130937282006-09-29T05:05:48-04:002006-09-29T05:05:48-04:00I'm baaaaccckkkk after a hiatus of more than a year. This truly proves that I'm an INTP; I have started and dropped dozens of projects. So why am I dusting off the blog? Well... this is what's new. I've become...Carolinethe church of 80% sinceritytag:typepad.com,2003:post-44485222005-04-24T00:24:07-04:002005-04-24T00:24:07-04:00The Church of 80% Sincerity was founded by David Roche because we get it right only about 80% of the time. As Roche explains, 80% is as good as it gets and we have to accept that. We understand 80%...CarolineHelltag:typepad.com,2003:post-43824392005-04-21T00:02:19-04:002005-04-21T00:02:19-04:00Jesus spoke more about hell than anyone else in the bible....or did he? The word "hell" occurs 15 times in my NIV bible , 13 of those times in Jesus' sermons. Jesus' audience, first century Jews, did not have the...CarolineMore Christian Mythstag:typepad.com,2003:post-43567582005-04-19T00:43:50-04:002005-04-19T00:43:50-04:00Myth: God answers all our prayers; He says yes, no or wait. God speaks to us all the time and He says a lot more than just yes, no or wait. This reduces God to less than the Magic 8...Carolinethe last word and the word after thattag:typepad.com,2003:post-43395242005-04-17T16:17:24-04:002005-04-17T16:17:24-04:00There are 2 groups of questions regarding homosexuality in the commentary section of Brian McLaren's new book, The Last Word and The Word After That. The book is primarily about hell and homosexuality is a very minor side point. These...CarolineChristian Mythstag:typepad.com,2003:post-43344802005-04-16T22:07:13-04:002005-04-16T22:07:13-04:00Myth: God will never give you more than you can handle. All of life is more than I can handle which is why I need a Saviour - every day of my life. This myth puts failure and despair squarely...CarolineChristian Myth IItag:typepad.com,2003:post-43345622005-04-16T22:00:00-04:002005-04-16T22:00:00-04:00God has prepared the perfect spouse for you and you will meet him/her at just the right time I've challenged people to prove that biblicallly. Most often, women in my cell group will cite Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the...CarolineDark Thingstag:typepad.com,2003:post-42309532005-04-08T00:48:32-04:002005-04-08T00:48:32-04:00I was talking to my pastor about what makes a person Christian. Recently, I've been thinking that being saved and being a Christian are two different things although I've always been taught that they are the same. The general theory...CarolineDark Things IItag:typepad.com,2003:post-42310462005-04-08T00:15:00-04:002005-04-08T00:15:00-04:00To me, being a Christian means following Christ. It also means being indwelt by His Spirit. We are in Him and He is in us. Spiritual time-space is weird that way. About a year after becoming a Christian, I was...Carolinewhen cats fighttag:typepad.com,2003:post-41276522005-03-30T09:11:41-05:002005-03-30T09:11:41-05:00One morning, as I was blearily coming to consciousness, I became aware of my cat (the fat one pictured to the --->) hoping up and down by my feet, pawing the comforter and the footboard. How cute, she's dancing, I...Carolineson of perditiontag:typepad.com,2003:post-40302302005-03-21T06:13:00-05:002005-03-21T06:13:00-05:00perdition: a state of punishment which goes on forever, suffered by evil people after death; damnation; hell Jesus, when he was praying to his Father said, "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name:...Carolineson of perdition con'ttag:typepad.com,2003:post-40308392005-03-21T05:06:00-05:002005-03-21T05:06:00-05:00Simon Peter also betrayed Jesus that night when he denied him three times. He had sworn earlier that evening that he would never, ever disown him. Other people might turn chicken and flee but not he! He would rather die...Carolineeternal punishment and eternal lifetag:typepad.com,2003:post-40052432005-03-18T22:34:50-05:002005-03-18T22:34:50-05:00There is a parable of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46 that is problematic for a lot of Christians. Non Christians have no problems with this parable because it seems obvious that good people, regardless of religious affiliation, will go to heaven...CarolineFaithtag:typepad.com,2003:post-39563302005-03-15T02:28:51-05:002005-03-15T02:28:51-05:00Preachers quite often speak of faith as if it is no big deal. They describe it as easy as sitting on a chair. "Don't you show you have faith in the chair every time you sit down?" they ask the...CarolineFaith con'ttag:typepad.com,2003:post-39674522005-03-15T01:11:00-05:002005-03-15T01:11:00-05:00My pastor has an earned doctorate in theology from the University of Toronto. He did it while pastoring a church and being a father to four children and it took many years. For his graduation, his wife planned a huge...CarolineBlood, blood everywhere!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-39370892005-03-13T02:02:21-05:002005-03-13T02:02:21-05:00I spent some time today trying to convince someone that God is not an ANGRY GOD who needs blood sacrifices to appease Him. I didn't succeed with him or the listeners. God can forgive anyone for anything anytime He wants....Carolinemale and female sacrificestag:typepad.com,2003:post-39384982005-03-13T00:01:00-05:002005-03-13T00:01:00-05:00being a continuation of the post above some musings on the relative worth the bible gives to males and females. Only males without blemish are acceptable as animal sacrifices. A common person could offer a female goat or lamb for...CarolineShaolin Soccertag:typepad.com,2003:post-38952412005-03-11T06:11:23-05:002005-03-11T06:11:23-05:00A few days ago, my family and I watched a goofy yet profound movie called Shaolin Soccer. A group of Shaolin monks, after spending years learning the Shaolin way of life and promising their master to do good and promote...CarolineGay Marriagestag:typepad.com,2003:post-38952372005-03-11T06:10:23-05:002005-03-11T06:10:23-05:00And now for something totally different... When Brian McLaren was asked about gay marriages, he said, "You know what, the thing that breaks my heart is that there's no way I can answer it without hurting someone on either side."...CarolineLove in Sodom and Gomorrahtag:typepad.com,2003:post-38952282005-03-11T06:08:54-05:002005-03-11T06:08:54-05:00The story begins with the LORD saying, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that...CarolineLove's Hatetag:typepad.com,2003:post-38952202005-03-11T06:07:31-05:002005-03-11T06:07:31-05:00"Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated" Romans 9:13 A look at the life of a man God hated Before Esau was born, God said he would be destined to be less than his younger brother. Esau was a man's...CarolineLove's Wrath IItag:typepad.com,2003:post-38952082005-03-11T06:05:04-05:002005-03-11T06:05:04-05:00"When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down...CarolineLove's Wrathtag:typepad.com,2003:post-38951912005-03-11T05:59:44-05:002005-03-11T05:59:44-05:00There is such a difference between the God of the Old Testament and 'the God as revealed by Jesus Christ in the New Testament' that some people a) theorize they are two different gods b) believe Jesus' crucifixion changed God...Caroline