Universalism (Christian) versus The Hell Doctrine! (Which Bears Good Fruit?)
Victorious Gospel of Jesus Christ, Our Father is UNFAILING LOVE!
Tentmaker Visitor Comments and Testimonies
May we add your testimony to our heavenly Father’s faithfulness real soon.
Some excerpts from recent emails we have gotten here at Tentmaker. We share them to encourage others who are on a similar spiritual journey. Please also check our Testimonials Page for more stories and testimonies. Glory to God!
September 25, 2006
Dispute With God
You know Gary, a few weeks ago, I had a major dispute with God, dispute is saying it nicely, actually it was a fight, a big one. I was so in rage with Him and I told Him that I disagreed with Him on the issue of Hell. I told Him that no matter that He is our creator, He had no right to torture people in Hell eternally, no loving Father would do that, and isn’t God supposed to have Greater Love than man? It went so far I burned my Bible and told Him I did not want to follow Him anymore because of this and I did not ask but demanded an answer. I did not fight Him physically as Jacob did, but my fight with him was as hard and even longer then Jacobs fight, it went on for over a week. I did not comprehend how I or even Hitler could deserve eternal Hell. The first answer I got was that he showed me that I indeed deserve Hell, but he also promised me a second answer … I have a profound feeling that it will be given to me though your message Gary. God bless you
September 17, 2005
Saved from torment
Thank you for your site. In tears I have begged the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to reveal to me HIS truth. Because man’s truth is all over the place. The worst hypocrisy in the world is to teach that Gods perfect love includes the worst torture ? beyond even the torture of all known evil. I hated my own life because I struggled with that belief and I hated that I brought beautiful wonderful innocent children into a world where a ?merciful? God could put them in a blaze of fire forever. The teaching that all mankind will be saved will NOT prevail until the return of Yeshua. Christians are far too arrogant to believe their exclusive membership to heaven doesn’t exist. Websites like yours have saved me from the torment of thinking my perfect, merciful God and Lord could bring forth the worst pain and agony ever known ? without ending. I hated my life and the life I brought into the world. This understanding has freed me from that horror. Thank you. Peace in the name of Yeshua the Messiah
September 16, 2005
My heart is melting
Thanks from the bottom of my heart for your ministry. Ever since 9/11, I’ve been seeking a spiritual “understanding”. I’ve checked out all the popular “brands” – Buddhism, New Age, Pantheism, etc. Though there is much insight in all these teachings, I never felt like I had reached a “ground zero” of spiritual truth until I began looking more deeply into the “faith of my fathers” – Christianity. This was a very difficult thing for me personally, because I am homosexual, and my little group is especially called out for demonizing by the standard Christian denominations. Be that as it may, I still felt somehow that the teachings of Jesus had particular truth and insight for me – more than any other. Even though I was gradually becoming “Christian”, even against the wishes of those who would call themselves such, I still felt a great unease, a sense of dread. I WANTED to believe, but I just couldn’t quite get with the whole program of eternal damnation – since I was so personally invested in what most Christians would say was eternally damnable sin….. I’ve been to your site, and have been reading articles, and I just wanted to say that you are talking about a God that I can finally actually worship in love and trust, versus fear and dread. A God that is deserving of all the praise that I could ever think of. I am beginning to understand the “peace that passeth all understanding”, the faith of the Apostles. It’s amazing. I look at others, finally realizing that we ALL will be sharing in the Kingdom of God. The need to demonize is gone. Already my heart is melting. Thank you so very much.
September 14, 2005
The beginning of salvation
For me (living in fear of the lies and half truths taught by churches and ministers) was the real hell. Not truly knowing and understanding God’s love and mercy for all people that he ever created was the real hell for me. It is so wonderful and peaceful to rest in perfect faith and trust that God will save all. In Revelation 21, the tabernacle of God (Christ and his bride the church) will come down from heaven and wipe away all confusion and tears. They (Christ and his bride) will dwell with (and teach) all who were not accepted as Christ’s bride. Christ and his bride, the church are only the beginning of salvation, not the end.
September 12, 2005
Never felt closer to God than I do now
By way of introduction, I am an ordained minister. The denomination is not important to mention, but is is a recognized one, not something “weird.” I have never pastored a church. My ministry has been to those in prisons, jails, nursing homes, under interstate bridges, etc. I have never “made a living” through my work for God. Several months ago I found your site when researching a topic totally unrelated to Christian Universalism. I read an article or two and became totally enthralled with what I was reading. Since then, I have read almost everything on your site and have branched out to other sources of information. The result has been a dramatic change in my personal beliefs. There has always been a dichotomy between what I have been taught as “orthodox” and what I have felt in my heart. I could never reconcile my beliefs about a loving God to the doctrines concerning eternal suffering and complete isolation from Him. I have never felt closer to God than I do now. I have never been more excited about the Gospel that Jesus commisioned us to carry to the world than I am now. I thank God for leading me to your site and I thank you for your efforts in spreading the truth.
September 8, 2005
From an African Pastor
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I have been reading through one of your publication titled ?The outcome of infinite Grace? (By Dr. Loyal Hurley) and it really change my believe on eternal torment for many years. Please, put my name in your mailing list and make me one of your distributor in Africa , because this teaching should touch every Christian home.
September 6, 2005
Thank you so much
I have a young daughter that I am teaching (to my best ability) about how to think for herself and to be smart. I study the Bible and try my best to set aside everything I was always taught in church and to really soak in what I am reading. I ask questions like, “when does ‘all’ really not mean ‘all'”.
I have long suspected that many biblical doctrines are based on inaccurate interpretations (or even translations) of what the Bible really says. I read your article today after finding it by accident…Thank you so, so, so, so much for putting that article by Gary Amirault online. It was a little bit difficult for me to follow, but once I got to the end of it, I really started to understand what he is talking about. So I read it again. Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you. I especially appreciate the references given (dates and exact translations named). I’m now going to go back and search for other articles from you. Wow. I can’t say it enough. Thanks again.
September 2, 2005
Changed my life
You don’t know me but the Lord led me to your site about a year ago. It has changed my life in so many areas. Grace and mercy to you brother.
August 29, 2005
Looking for hope
Thanks for the article: “The Case Against Hell.” I’ve been digging through the internet looking for hope. I cannot believe in a God who will carelessly throw man into hell and you have presented some interesting arguements to debate that point.
August 26, 2005
Everything starting to make sense
I asked the Lord last summer for a revelation of Hell because I thought the church was doing such a poor job with such a critical doctrine. I had a dream that I was buried alive. I was all alone with only my thoughts and my self. It scared me, to say the least. I woke up with the thought in my head that God wouldn’t do that to anyone. I don’t know if it was me or the Spirit speaking to me but started this journey that I am now on. I found Gary’s site after I came to the conclusion that we were at least wrong about the way we went about teaching the afterlife. Everything started to make sense. I would almost shout when I read scripture that lead me to believe that God would reconcile us all back to Himself………..I would rather someone be able to prove to me that the way that I have been taught is the truth but know one can give a good biblical arguement in light of what I know about the greek and hebrew words for Hell. If someone could give me one good verse that proved that Jesus was referring to hell when he talked about Gehenna I would be satisfied and go about my Baptist business. No one has been able to so far.
August 25, 2005
Searching for understanding
I’m a seminary-trained former Southern Baptist pastor whose struggling with the issue of the eternity of hell. I am compelled by the arguments I find on your website, and most attempted rebuttals I’ve seen (Tekton for one) don’t deal with the central issues or are mean-spirited….. I have good study tools, including Greek tools, and a long history of analytic reading, thinking, and writing – systematizing, synthesizing a wide variety of topics. But I’m really struggling right now to make sense of it all. I’m very excited about the universalist position and it moves my heart, like truth usually does, to joy… But I can’t put it all together, much less explain it to anyone, including my long-suffering wife! Is there a commentary set you could recommend (online – free or inexpensive – would be ideal) that would go verse-by-verse through the New Testament (in particular) to show how the universalist position makes the best sense out of each passage???
08/25/05 From an Ex-Jehovah’s Witness
For the first 40 years of my life I was terrorized by the Jehovah’s Witnesses cult. I studied their literature, went to the five meetings per week and went from door to door offering their literature. It was all torture. I was always told that it was about life or death and it was the only way to survive the great battle of Armageddon. We were not to have association with family or friends that “were not in the truth” and all people who were not JWs would be eternally destroyed at Armageddon. The end of the world was constantly on my mind. I wished that I never knew about it because then I could at least live a normal life. In 1980 my husband and I found a wonderful ministry. (We had to move 1200 miles away from home.) We were taught universal salvation and it was thoroughly proved. A great great burden was lifted off us. It is so wonderful to absolutely know God’s love and mercy for all of us creatures of the dust. My heart aches for all the poor souls who believe the propaganda and lies of the JW cult. I am very thankful for your wonderful ministry.
08/24/05 From A Pastor
…I am a credentialed minister who has embraced the doctrine of universal redemption while serving in a pentecostal/charismatic denomination that does not. I recently resigned the church I was pastoring because I can no longer “stay in the closet” on this issue and do not wish to be divisive within an organization I have held “good standing” in for 34 years. I am thinking that my departure from this denomination is forthcoming. I have been aware of Tentmaker Online for a number of years and greatly appreciate the high quality of your web site…. Thanks.
August 22, 2005
A Good Argument
…. The other day I came upon your website. Next to my Salvation, I think it was one of my greatest things in my spiritual walk. I have read many articles, and know at least one thing–you have a good argument….the Bible seems more wonderful, and life in general, even with just a thought that all will be saved. I feel like serving our Lord more. Thanks again!
August 19, 2005
Professor and Pastor
I just can’t read any longer without stopping to say thank you! I have been a Christian for 37 years, was a full time institutional pastor and bible college professor for about 30 of those years. Thanks to the grace of God I can do two things now, 1) Forgive myself for teaching the foolish things I once believed, and 2) Thank Him for deliverance from so many of the doctrines and theologies that hurt so many people. Your web site has been a tremendous blessing!
August 17, 2005
Thank you for such a wonderful website. There is so much information and its all free to the public. Tentmaker.org has certainly helped in my understanding of the gospel!
August 14, 2005
From a College Student
You’re the best thing on the Web (I’m sure you hear that a lot). You should win the Templeton Prize, and a few other awards, too. I’m sure it’s just wishful thinking that there would be a Universalist Christian fellowship in the Phoenix , Arizona area, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. I’m 24 (became a Universalist Christian in late 1999 after pacing around my dorm room and praying to God . . . I can’t remember which verse He reminded me of first.) My dad’s a Universalist Christian now, too, because he had been inclined toward it for a while, without me knowing.
August 4, 2005
From a Former Annhiliationist
….I have visited your site many times Gary and it as helped me immensely in my own understanding of the scriptures, as well as in my progression toward understanding that ALL will be saved. This seems the perfect time then to say ‘thank you’ to you for what is obviously a lot of hard work in sharing your message.
August 4, 2005
A Muslim
I am a Muslim and believe in all the prophets, surely including Jesus, but that is not the issue. It does seem that those who hold a belief of eternal damnation, including Muslims, have a sense of some darkness in their heart’s soul. Despite numerous sayings of our prophet Mohamed (hadith), where there shall come a day when no human being shall remain in hell. People in general tend to be closed minded and prefer the literalist interpretation to scriptures when it comes to hell. Why, I am not certain. What I would like to know is if there are any specific sources of Near Death Experience reflecting universal salvation after punishment. Also I can not find the Bible verse, stating some shall have salvation and some shall have it through flames, in so many words. Also the one where Jesus (PBUH),shall preach to those in hell. If you can find these scriptures as well as answer my NDE experiences question, i would appreciate it. Thank you, you seem to be a good scholar of the bible. May God reward genoursly the open minded people of the book and others of the one God. May we be able to one day meet in the Paradise.
July 31, 2005
From India
I would like to introduce myself as an anglican from India. I am writing this mail to you to tell you how much of a blessing your ministry has been to me. I was raised in an evangelical environment. Where hell was always a central topic. However, the gospel preached there had too many loose ends. I had always a problem of reconciling the God of love with a person who torture billions forever in hell. The insightful and bible based articles on your website helped me find peace and to love God more. The Plan of God is indeed marvellous and his will to save all of mankind reveals his love and kind heartedness. The simple message of the Gospel has been distorted over the centuries to a point where many unbiblical doctrines such as the doctrine of eternal torment have been ingrained into the Christian mind from a very young age. I would like to know if you have any representatives in India whom I can contact. In addition I would like to know how I can help this ministry
July 28, 2005
Thanks for free books
Recently you sent me a wonderful information packet and I have been so blessed by it. I want to share it all with my brother in prison but the books have to be sent from Tentmakers. Please send him the same books you sent to me.
July 27, 2005
“Something to all of this”
Just wanted to say I love your site. I have been challenged by the concept of universalism when someone on an email list began a discussion with me about it several months ago. It was after I made the comment that I find it difficult sometimes to understand and love a God who is going to consign his people to hell for eternity … it just seemed that it was justice run riot, that people would be paying for their sins or whatever forever. Your site has a stack of interesting stuff on it which I am printing off and slowly reading. It certainly DOES feel like there is definitely something to all this but I am still wavering at times. I guess because it’s one of those “no-no” areas in Christianity these days, it just feels so incredibly hard to hang onto it …. I do feel that God is doing lots of things in his Church behind the scenes (including the many people who make up his Church but who are currently experiencing times in the wilderness outside of much fellowship or ‘meeting together’) – if universalism is true, then this would surely be a main tenet that he wants to restore to the Church!!!
July 26, 2005
Good News!
I just listened to your tape on the Two Gospels. I am thunderstruck to say the least! I think since I was 12 years old and was “saved”, I have felt that there were missing pieces to the Gospel. I have never felt like the “Gospel” that I received then and have been “working” at all these years was really “good news”. I have searched and searched trying to find good news only to be disappointed again, and again. I knew that God is a good God and that his intentions for us are only good, however, somehow I just could never grasp what I heard and reconcile it with what I heard Jesus say. This begins to become clearer to me. I have never been an educated person but have read whatever came to hand in an effort to learn. I would be so grateful to receive whatever instruction is available so that I can truly receive the Good News and be able to share the real thing with those with whom I have to do. Many thanks.
July 19, 2005
From South Australia
To encourage you…The video presentation on the gathering of the body of Christ is the most inspiring and simple outline of truth I have ever witnessed. I have been experiencing this truth for a number of years now, but only just recently have I come to the awareness of it. We have been out of traditional church life for several years now, growing in God and yet not understanding why, as we have had virtually no fellowship with anyone for around ten to twelve years. Your tabernacle outline was so inspiring. Tabernacles is one of my loves. The truth concerning Mt Hermon, I had heard some time ago but never realized the significance until you mentioned it. Also the historic fact concerning Damascus WOW! The Lord has been showing me what I have called the Ministry of no Ministry and it runs right along the line of what you shared. I mentioned to some one I was writing to that I know I know this thing, But the moment I think I know and understand it, is the time it becomes Law and that’s not the way God wants it it’s by Grace. We have to move with the cloud. So dear ones, you have greatly encouraged me personally and I hope you are encouraged in return. Love and the Lords richest blessing to you…
July 13, 2005
A Minister
I am 45, married with 2 lovely girls. I grew up in the holiness/Pentecostal church–all my life. I have been exposed to many denominations. I went to school at Christ for the Nations, Dallas Tx, and graduated from Bethany Bible College (Assemblies of God) in Santa Cruz, CA. Later I did my Masters as UC Santa Barbara. I was an elder in a Pentecostal church here in Los Angeles for a couple of years. Over the last 18 months, I left and we started our own fellowship. During the last 8 months, while studying the prophet Daniel, I came upon some things that led to Acts 3:21. I put in the phrase “the restitution of all things” in my search engine, and discovered the word, aion, and aionios. I have never been the same since. The Kingdom of God that Daniel saw was opened up to me. The life “in the resurrection” became crystal clear. Why the lion couldn’t eat Daniel, and why the fire didn’t burn the 3 Hebrews became crystal clear. The message of Jonah, his response to God’s mercy, and God’s response to him, in saving 120,000 gentiles (12x 10x 1000) became crystal clear; Luke 15, (all 3 parables became crystal clear) and the spirit that the prodigal son who stayed home– the spirit that he had at the recovery of his dead, lost brother, revealed itself among so called “soul saving” saints. Col 1: 15-20 was a bombshell when I re-read it. I am still reeling from it, especially v. 20. Rev 21:3-5 thundered in my spirit as the angel makes the grandest announcement of all–“no more death, or weeping, or crying, or pain.” -again, crystal clear. Jesus’ preoccupation with the Kingdom of God, or K/d of heaven, and his last 40 days preaching about it from the OT(Luke 24: 25-27) emphasis v 27became very significant; Paul’s urgency to declare the message of the K/d from morning until night for 2 whole years was a sledge hammer (Acts 28; 30-31). Of course the K/d of God must be found in the OT for Jesus and Paul to have so much to say about it. And sure enough, Exodus 18: 13-26 with emphasis on v. 25 revealed itself as a template for life “in the resurrection.” I Cor 6: 1-3 was like a wild boar to my spirit–it just ran everywhere. When will we judge the nations? and how? Just like Exodus 18 says. Never mind 1 Cor 6 .4 We shall judge angels? Neither my small fellowship nor me was ready for that. Shall I go on? The teaching of Moses on the Jubilee!!! For any one with a little teaching and spiritual ears, this is nothing less than Jubilistic. It is dripping with spiritual language. I see this fulfillment in Rev. 21 with that announcement of release. And Phil 2: 10, “every knee shall bow….” My God, I used to think that this meant that they will be condemned to burn in hell for ever and on their way to the fire, they will pay homage to the judge, who will respond some thing like this, “I told you so.” How foolish and dim witted was I. I can go on. I have not understood so much of the scriptures as I have in the last 6-8 months.
In sharing some of this with an old saint, she questioned whether I believed in heaven and hell. So I began to look more closely at what the scriptures say about hell, about Hades, Gahanna, the lake of fire, and the related words, condemn, damned, anathema, torment, and perish. Boy was I in for a great surprise. Then, I put in my search engine, “the history of the doctrine of hell” and there was Tentmaker, and here I am….
July 9, 2005
New hope for Christianity
Found you when I Googled a quote “the vilest evil is that which is convinced of its own virtue.” ..and then found so many beautiful quotes at your site. I had almost given up on Christianity as being of worth to us in our time. Your site gives me hope that the beauty of the Christian message wil not be lost.
July 7, 2005
Refreshing
…I have read only a few pages of what your website has to offer and I find it very refreshing to find somebody out there with something intelligent to offer with regard to the manner in which religious dogma has utterly destroyed the message of Jesus Christ. As a Christian person the core of my problem with religion is that we have so anthropomorphized God and His Son, so reduced them to toxic dogma, that we may as well have crucified the Messenger again and buried the Message. Thank you so much for the work you have done.
July 5, 2005
New Excitment for God
First off, I’d just like to thank you for your ministry – it has been such a blessing to me. I have read several of your articles on tentmaker, and I just listened to the Christ’s Body Assembled video. Something inside me just says “yes, yes!” It’s like things that I’ve known all along but you brought it into clarity. The love of God is so amazing…. Thank you again so much for your ministry – I feel a new excitement and fervor in God because of it.
July 3, 2005
A Fire of Discontent
…I will not go in to detail of how I have gotten to this point embracing Universalism, But I will say that God has placed a fire of discontent within me; with not only the church, but with the doctrine of eternal torments and the translational errors of our English Bibles. Thus, I have come under a great storm of opposition, which has encouraged me to seek further study. I want to thank you for your web site and resources, I have ordered many books about Universalism and I am very excited to await the arrival of my “Young’s Literal Translation” bible…..Again, I thank you for your scholarship; a friend first challenged me with the possibility of Universal Salvation through Jesus Christ, I can never stop Thanking Him, for pointing out your web-site. Right now, I am in my infancy, as far as the information gathering process is concerned, however, my goal is to become educated enough, so I can write a book that touches people I know and love.
June 26, 2005
Thanks!
Hardly a day passes Gary, that I don’t think of you and the work you have done that is impacting so many lives ( me for one ). I have enjoyed so much and benefited beyond words from your writings and I hope you appreciate that.
June 26, 2005
Killed by the Letter
I thank you for not having all the answers. It is a release to talk to someone who, not only admits that he doesn’t have all the answers, but who have seen that it is not necessary. You and your ministry made me a biblical Universalist; you helped to found my house on stone. All glory to God, but His works through you have not been in vain. I was being killed by the letter, but I’m once again vivified in spirit. Oh! the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways! For who knew the mind of the Lord or who became his counsellor? Or who have given anything to Him first, so that is shall be repaid him? For out of Him through Him and into Him is all; to him be the glory for the eons. – Romans 11:33-36 (Personal translation based on the Emphasized Bible and the Concordant Version and Knoch’s Interlinear Greek Text)
June 22, 2005
Encouraged
I have not done Bible study on the matter, I just in my heart could no longer believe in eternal torment. And after I came to that conclusion (or that conclusion came to me), so many other inconsistencies with the doctrine came to light–how could eternal torment be a just punishment for temporary sin, how could God be loving and unselfish and compassionate and responsible yet create humans he knew would go to hell, etc. I about threw the baby out with the bathwater, as the saying goes, almost abandoning my faith (though other factors were surely involved). Course I never could deny Christ. Once you’ve encountered him, you can’t deny his reality. It’s not possible. Anyway, since then I’ve been encouraged to see that there are those who have done in depth Scripture study and have found ultimate reconciliation to indeed be completely biblical. Thanks for your time!
June 20, 2005
Set Free!
Wow! I have been set free by the doctrines of Universalism, and released from the hypocrisy of the “church”, thank you for such great knowledge and insight. Thank you Gary !
June 19, 2005
Thanks
Great lessons, just great and blessed instruction. What else can I say? I appreciate your web site so much. It is truly a gift to me since I am a serious seeker of God’s Truth. God bless and keep you always. Your works will follow you as it is written.
June 10, 2005
Previously faltering faith
Hi! VERY glad to have discovered Universal Salvation on the Internet – it has done wonders for my previously faltering faith. I want to go into this topic of Universal Salvation thoroughly. –from the UK
June 7, 2005
Home church
I’m 25 years old and I’ve been in more than two Christian denominations in the past 10 years (although I am familiar with several other ones). I was a praise and worship leader in the last two churches (spanish churches), at first they told me I had a calling from God the way I did Praise and Worship, when I stopped tithing they told me I could not minister anymore. My last denomination was about Faith, faith and only faith, they are very open in some areas, but so blind in others a lot of grace, but still mixed with law. It’s been almost a year since my wife and I stopped going to a church, we got so sick of it (not of God) but of man traditions. There are other two families that we know are in the same situation. We stopped looking for a church, for now we’re doing bible studies in our home, it’s been fun.I just wanted to share this with you. Also to let you know that a lot of your material from your website has been of great help. Thanks for your time!
June 1, 2005
Christian musician
I have found your site to be refreshing as well as comforting. I had little idea that there was such a sizable vein of other believers that felt as I do. I came to my conclusions by studying the scriptures and intuitively felt that God would save all of His creation so that He “may be all in all”, (see 1 Corinthians 15:28). How can a God Who is love be “all in all” while at the same time damning part of His creation to eternal torture? I am reminded of the quote, (1 Peter 3:9), “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentence.” As a reinforcement to that scripture, Job 42:2 states, “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.” The copious evidence in the article regarding the “Early Christian View” on your website supports what I stated above…………I have an inquiry that you may be able to help me with. I am a songwriter/musician who would like to network with other Christian musicians who hold similar beliefs to those expressed at “Tentmaker”. Do you know of any websites where I could pursue such interests? Please let me know…
May 31, 2005
New Hunger for God
…I have been a Christian for 27 years. For the past three years I have given up going to “church” for many reasons that Gary shared in his video. This past year I have had a new hunger for God, similar to what I had when I was first saved. This hunger led me to go back in time to a preacher named Malcolm Smith. He new ministry “Unconditional Love” opened my eyes to God’s love in a new way. Within a short period of time God led me to call a old friend. We shared a lot of our early Christian experiences together and I was taken back when he mentioned his view on Hell during my initial phone call to him.
In short, for the past 4 months I have been reading and listening from the Tentmakers web site, along with Concordant Ministry and a woman named Dr. Lorraine Day. This last video I saw of Gary sharing his vision of Christ’s body of belivers coming into a new assembly moved me to send this e-mail. I have a hunger for serving God as I live out the remainder of my life…
May 31, 2005
A Prodigal returns
I grew up in a methodist church. Since childhood I have had a calling to go in the ministry. Like Jonah I ran and ran from doing the Lords will. I attended Penn State University and began to sell drugs and get involved in many different criminal acts. At the age of 22 I opened up my first nightclub in Ocean City, MD. Then I had one in PGH,PA. I was about to open up one in Miami with the wrong people. During this whole time God was speaking to me calling me to come into repentance. By his mercy right before I opened up Miami I got arrested on a conspiracy charge. I knew it was Father paving the way for me to take heed to my calling. Growing up in the methodist church I never really had a personal relationship with God. I was a very prejudice person before entering prison. Wouldn’t you know every single brother God put in my life was black. Glory be to God. Not only were they black but well equipped Kingdom brothers. They opened up this word to me and boy my entire life has changed. The transformation that has taken place and is taking place is so unbelievable. Just in the last couple of days God has been opening up many avenues with young brothers and sisters in the Lord. My hometown is small and poverty, crime, sex, addiction ridden. We have like 16 churches for 3,000 people but my spirit can’t really bare to sit in the pews. All i hear is Rapture or you are going to Hell if you don’t do this or you do this……….Today I was at a funeral for my cousin who committed suicide. The preacher and I talked yesterday because he wasn’t sure of what to say. I gave him scriptures about how we are all children and that God’s redemptive plan is for all humanity. I shared with him the psalm of David where he said if you make your bed in hell that he will be there. Also, I showed him how the fire in the new testament is for purifacation. After the funeral many questions were being asked to me because traditional christianity has taught us that eternal damnation to those who take their lives. My prayer is that brothers and sisters around here will become hungry and will seek more of our Father. Well good brother if I could be put onto any mailing list or tape list you may have I would be very appreciative. I am looking forward to hearing from you—GOD BLESS
May 25, 2005
Australian Theologian
Greetings Gary….I live in Adelaide, South Australia and I have recently completed a degree in theology. Before I began my studies I was not a universalist, though I was on the way as I aligned myself with Karl Barth. It was during my study that I became convinced of universalism, but I could not intelligently defend why. Then I came across your website and all the resources there. It has been of great benefit to me. I’m writing to thank you and encourage you in your work.