Having spent a few days reading through old posts, I have already found lots of valuable insights and interesting discussions. To be honest, I really wish I had found out about this site years ago!

With that in mind, how much/where is this site promoted?

Are we wishing to keep it quiet so that it doesn’t grow too big or is it a lack of funds or is there a theological reason?

EU has made a big, positive impact for me and I want to see the same joy found by others. To that end, I’m thinking about buying a box of TEU and giving them to friends, family & church leaders to read. I know it doesn’t replace the Gospel but, as far as I can see, it can make a big impact on how you share it. e.g. motivated by love, not fear; understanding God isn’t vindictive in his punishment but actually wants a good outcome.

How are others EUs spreading EU?

Is it just grassroots/one-to-one discussions or do we have a plan, or a strategy, at least from an earthly perspective (obviously God has one and is already at work via the Spirit!)?

I appreciate your enthusiasm. I have been considering EU and must admit that I am largely motivated by a desire to resolve the logical inconsistencies and philosophical absurdities that arise from the traditional view of Hell. The Evangelical Universalist provides a good scriptural-exegetical basis for EU.

Briefly, would you mind elaborating more about the positive impact that EU has made on your life?

There are a number of ways:

It has encouraged me to pray more, read the bible more carefully (using scripture4all.org/ Greek/Hebrew interlinear Bible software) and I keep finding theology that now makes more sense. e.g. today it was the issue of “was someone really a Christian if they fall away”, that Robin showed EU answers.

Expressing my feeling isn’t always easy but I’ll have a go

Relief and joy, I now have a much more positive outlook on life i.e. going from “the world is spiraling down towards the Apocalypse and only a very small % of people will ever be in a relationship with God” to the opposite “the world is slowly improving as the Gospel and Holy Spirit transforms it into a New Creation where everyone will be in a relationship with God!” I know it sounds like a cliche but it does feels like God has lifted a weight off me and I’m now seeing people differently, as one day they will all be my brothers and sisters. Occasionally it’s depressing when people are dismissive or nasty, particularly those claiming to follow Christ, but as the importance of Love has now been elevated in my mind, I try my hardest to remember that Love is patient and keeps no record of wrongs.

Back to the question of promotion: we all have our little ways I guess. I sometimes cover the issue in commentary on websites; on the other main site I’m a contributing author for, the Cadre Journal, I tend to write the holiday sermons (at times of year which score big hits worldwide on the site) where I’m more evangelical than usual, and so consequently more directly universalistic than usual. I write novels where trinitarian universalism is running around in the background (and occasionally peeks through to the foreground). I point out things at church, and to friends and family.

Most of us don’t have the money, time, energy and/or skills to do promotion beyond normal short-range things. (Those novels cost about as much as a new high-end car to produce and even minimally promote, for example! ) But yes, I’d like to see more marketing out there.

(Then again, I have a strong fear of marketing Christian universalism, or any other theological position I believe is true, in such a way that it may benefit me. {shudder})

Hi again Alex:

I’ve mentioned this before but to me one of the most important threads and concepts is here:

It’s by GM/RP and is titled HOW UNIVERSALISM HAS IMPACTED MY LIFE

My experience has been much like yours.

TotalVictory
Bobx3

Thanks for the reply Alex.

This is so simple but yet so profound. I can see how it can turn your world upside down… in a good way.

I agree promoting the site would need to be done with a great deal of tact.

Sounds like there isn’t any theological reservations. Although I’m a little nervous of attracting trolls, I think the potential benefit to others out ways that. Even getting the idea out there may well be helpful, even freeing, to some people. i.e. I hope the only reason a lot of people hang on to the traditional view of hell is because they don’t know there’s a legitimate, biblical alternative!

Do we already use Google AdWords or FaceBook Ads? I’m happy to investigate both and try to fund them if I can…

In Google this site ranks 2nd for “evangelical universalist” but only 5th for “evangelical universalism”

Does anyone know who is running groups.yahoo.com/group/reformed_ … =317710873 (calvinistic universalists?? )?

Are there any Christian magazines or periodicals that have ads in them???

Any other ideas?

And we don’t even come up on Google when searching for just “universalist” or “universalism”

or “evangelical”, but that’s less surprising

The forum could certainly be Search-Engine Optimized better!

But that’s an admin-power thing again. We’ve been meaning to do so for some time…

(Maybe we should create a new admin spot… )

I suspect Google isn’t indexing our forum properly?

In case this hasn’t been done:

How to make Google index all PHPBB foum pages:
answers.yahoo.com/question/index … 309AAcv9dK

I’ve also sent Robin a private message:

i have a small ministry on YouTube, geared mainly towards atheists and Muslims, with others giving input, too.

a lot of these folks express outrage and annoyance at the idea that only those who die as saved Christians are spared hell. everyone else, no matter how well-intentioned, kind, or merciful is condemned to an eternity of fire and suffering. they rightly point out that this is a terrible notion, and cite it as one reason (if not the main one) that they could never be Christians.

when they bring that argument to the table, it’s helpful to counter with the fact that no where in the Bible does it say that only those who died as saved Christians make it. it says that Christ is the only Way to the Father, but gives no indication that only those saved in this lifetime will make it into God’s presence. i have my own ideas about that, and share them, and this does seem to help people calm down, and think about Christ more rationally, and openly.

it also helps us to give more practical, hopeful life to the notion of loving one’s neighbor (no matter who they are), and that we follow a God whose prime attribute is love.

Grace, what is the URL of your YouTube work?

Talking of promoting EU, my wife’s cousin’s father-in-law, who also happens to the minister who planted my church, is now the Presbyterian Moderator General (“head” of the Presbyterian Church) of Australia, so as you can imagine, it will be “interesting” when he finds out!

Alex ~

here’s my YouTube site : youtube.com/user/graceinmay

if you have a YT Alex, feel free to friend me!

there’s nothing especially UR or EU on there, really. but YT is an excellent way to share Christ, and to share ideas, too.

I think it might be easier for a Calvinist to accept UR than an Arminianist for Calvinists only need to come to have faith that God loves all humanity and that the atonement is not limited in Scope. Whereas Arminianists need to first admit to themselves that they too Limit the Atonement, but they Limit the Atonement in Effect instead of Scope, that salvation is not by grace (unmerited unconditional favor) but is based on conditional favor and requires us “doing” something though it be only faith and repentance. So that salvation is based on self-rightness, self choosing right.

It will be interesting to hear of your wife’s cousin’s father-in-law’s response to your change in faith.

Just thinking outloud here, but as for me promoting UR, I believe that I’m ultimately going to have to start a local independent fellowship (and possibly another denomination), Lord willing – a fellowship that is “Inclusive, Evangelical, Charismatic, and, of course, Christian”.

It will be “Inclusive” in that one is welcome to be a Universalist, Calvinist, Arminianist, Catholic, SDA, etc. or just open minded, not assuming that any of us have it all figured out. Of course, as its founder it will have a strong Universalistic bent. Or maybe it might be best to just go ahead and be Universalistic. I’d love to have a fellowship of believers of differing doctrinal tendencies and not dogmatic, a fellowship based on a simple love for God and one another, and practical righteousness, with systematic theology being open, broad, inclusive that flows out of humility.

The following points will be held loosely, and open to others who believe differently - evangelical, charismatic, and universalistic.

It will tend to be “Evangelical” in that we will emphasize one having a personal relationship with Jesus as revealed in being “born again” or “born of the Spirit”.

It will tend to be “Charismatic” in that we will affirm and seek to empower believers in the gifts of the Spirit through being baptized in the Spirit.

And of course it Will Be “Christian” in that we will be disciples of Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us!

What would you need to be able to work on these things for us?

I’m not sure yet Although I’m an IT manager, I haven’t actually set up Google AdWords or FaceBook Ads before. I’ve started experimenting with my work domain (a win-win situation as part of my job description is looking after the website, including Search Engine Optimisation, aka SEO).

I’ve just signed up to Google’s “Webmaster Tools” and added my domain. Looking into sitemaps, robot.txt, etc.

I’ll need to have a chat to auggybendoggy (I assume he set up the site?) at some stage…

When I Google

I get 9 results:

www.evangelicaluniversalist.com/
www.evangelicaluniversalist.com/media/p … nation.pdf
www.evangelicaluniversalist.com/forum/faq.php
The remaining 6 links are invalid

My point being, it doesn’t look like our site is being indexed properly which means people who legitimately want to find stuff will have trouble

Also I found “phpBB Google Sitemap Generator” phpbbhacks.com/download/5380 which we might be able to use?