The Evangelical Universalist Forum

God rest you Jerry Walls and Glenn, let nothing you dismay!

Evangelical Universalism Arguments for Evangelical Universalism
#1

I’m apparently too late to post this rumination on Facebook, but when I saw that (Arminian) Jerry Walls and (Calvinist) Glenn Peoples had taken actual time this Christmas (Jerry first) to write variations of popular Christmas songs criticizing each other’s gospel assurances… :open_mouth: :open_mouth:

…the hell? Really, guys?

I mean, I’m glad they seem to have been taken down, but that either of you would do it at all – I have a higher opinion of both of you than that!

So. Ahem. :slight_smile:

God rest you Jerry Walls, and Glenn!
Let nothing you dismay!
Remember Christ our Savior
was born on Christmas Day
to save us all from Satan’s power
when we had gone astray!
Ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy!
Ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy!

For God has “makrothemia” for all as Peter said;
and we should not despise God’s patience for to save the dead!
But even pray for those who pour destruction on our head!
Ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy!
Ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy!

For God wills even “hyper-ogres” to be saved, it’s true!
– and works all in His counsel to fulfill His will in due!
The sureness of our own salvation is their sureness, too!
Ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy!
Ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy!

The cross and blood for reconciliation God once gave,
for all of us including in the heavens who doth rave!
And if we have been reconciled, how much more shall God save!
Ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy!
Ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy!

You each have gospel hopes that are important for our pain:
for God to save the world gave His own Word in death and rain;
and God swears on Himself His Word shall not come back in vain!
Ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy!
Ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy!

Why mock each other’s hope as wrong, and even sin no less?
To celebrate the humble hope that nursed upon a breast?!
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are our righteousness!
Ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy!
Ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy!

The fire you fear as final hopelessness for sinful beasts,
shall salt us all unquenchably to help our evil cease.
So have the salt inside your hearts and be at Christmas peace!
Ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy!
Ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy!

Now to the Lord sing praises for His full and mighty grace!
And with true love and brotherhood each other now embrace!
This holy light of Christmas shall outshine the lights of space!
Ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy!
Ohhhh tidings of comfort and joy!

#2

Excellent. :slight_smile: You could alter the names somehow “Calvinist & Hobbs?” :laughing: and post it to your own FB wall.

#3

Whoa! This is something else! What a wonderful writing you have here Jason with a spirit of love. My favorite lines would probably be:

Even though I do love it all. Especially the refrain:

What a comfort and joy it is to know our great God and savior Jesus Christ who will one day reconcile all to himself!

You are a fantastic writer! God has gifted you. Peace to you! :smiley:

#4

Except for that one spot where your voice went just a little bit flat, an excellent performance!! :smiley: :smiley:

#5

1.) I touch not the unclean Facebook insofar as possible. :laughing:

2.) For a more generic version, I’d deploy the original punctuation of the first stanza, where “merry” goes with “God rest you” and not with “gentlemen”, i.e. God bring you to joy and peace, gentlemen.

So then generically, “God rest you merry, Arm and Calv, let nothing you dismay” etc.

#6

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
So, so true!

#7

I closed my facebook account down over a year ago. Have not regretted it once.

#8

I never bothered getting Facebook in the first place, though I do have Twitter.

I found Jerry Walls’ entry on Robin Parry’s blog theologicalscribbles.blogspot.co … -over.html

#9

Wow! That is one sick mindset!

#10
#11

That’s fun, Jason! Great lyrics!

#12

Glenn’s rejoinder was just as harsh against Arminianism. Can’t find it now though. Maybe just as well. :unamused:

(Jason Huff’s reported by Robin is not really Calv but imagines how a Calv would reply – his final verse basically says the same thing my song does but in one verse. :slight_smile: )

#13

For the benefits of those who may get lost reading here, look at Question: “Calvinism vs. Arminianism - which view is correct?” from Got Questions, a Protestant answer site. I do like part of their summary, in the last paragraph:

#14

Their last quote is such a cop-out, Randy! But then it has never occurred to them that God might be better, better, better than they think He is! This is one of many things that convince me UR is true. It is the ONLY eschatology/theology that brings all these differing points of view together into one coherent whole. The Calvs are right; the Arms are right; We are right (but we are MORE right! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: ) The only thing they have to let go of is the one thing they (mostly) all claim to hate – eternal perdition.

#15

I would say they have to let go of final unrighteousness instead – annis after all let go of eternal perdition in the sense of ECT.

(I’ve sometimes said “hopeless punishment”, but Arms and even Calvs are increasingly going to the idea that God doesn’t inflict hopeless punishment even though ECT or anni still results. So I end up having to qualify that with “or hopeless fate”. But then Arms and some Calvs will say God didn’t choose that fate for them and there is no greater fate etc. Okay fine I understand, but anything short of UR does end with final unrighteousness. So there. :stuck_out_tongue: )

#16

. Sometimes I like to be Facetious, Cindy. :laughing:

#17

How crazy! I do believe in God’s total control though but also the paradox of human responsibility just as the Christian Universalist Gerry Beauchemin does in His book “Hope Beyond Hell”. Because an all loving God is in control and my future is in His hands I have hope. Let me be clear though that on this view God doesn’t cause evil and suffering but PERMITS it for morally justifiable reasons which are infinite in number and cannot be grasped by our finite and limited mind. The good news is that God will one day reconcile all to Himself.

#18

The best response I’ve seen started on evil and the Christian response to it, came from the Journal of Christian Theology and Philosophy. It’s called Eternal Selves and The Problem of Evil.

#19

Randy,

If God isn’t in control on your view then it’s unbiblical. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection for all I can trust God through the good and the bad. He is a God who brings beauty out of ashes and He will not turn back until He accomplishes the desires of His heart - the salvation of all.

#20

I’m quite sure the editors of the Christian journal of theology and philosophy would have rejected it, if they thought the article wasn’t Christian. Did you even read or skim through the article, Cole?