The Evangelical Universalist Forum

Quote for today

Evangelical Universalism
#101

Reason teaches us that Good having a divine Principle, ought to be stronger than Evil, which is essentially nothing but Disorder and Depravation; that Evil putting man into a State of Violence, that State cannot continue for ever; that this State of Violence supposes its contrary in Man, struggling against it…that God being the God of Order, and the undoubted Sovereign of the Universe, can never consent that Disorder and Confusion should prevail there for ever. --Marie Huber,
Swiss Protestant Theologian-

How could the Bible possibly speak of the perfect victory of God our Creator who loves righteousness and cannot bear evil, if that victory really means that He cannot bring His own creatures at last to hate evil as He hates it, but must confirm multitudes, indeed the majority of them, in their choice of evil for ever and ever?.. What sort of victory is it to be able only to subdue evil and prevent it harming any but those who choose it, and to be unable to bring human souls to abominate it and desire to forsake it, so that the evil itself ceases to exist?.. –Hannah Hurnard-

To say that sin, assuming it to be opposed to God, has the power of creating a world antagonistic to God as everlasting as He is, attributes to it a power equal at least to His; since according to this view, souls whom God willed to be saved, and for whom Christ died, are held in bondage under the power of sin for ever; and all this in opposition to the Word of God, which says that God’s Son was “manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil…” --Andrew Jukes, The Restitution of all Things

To go on punishing for ever, simply for punishment’s sake, shocks every sentiment of justice. And the case is so much worse when the punishment is really the prolongation of evil, when it is but making evil endless. --Thomas Allin, Christ Triumphant

#102

Once the excitement of the New Year dies, the mundane world repossesses us. It is for us to take the best lessons of 2018 and make the best use of them in the ‘Now’ of this new year so that we see 2019 unfold for us the bounties of infinite grace of God not only for each one of us, but everyone we meet on our way to the destination of self-discovery. May our commitment to self-management and a life of realizing the true Doer lead us to a truly happy state of fulfillment.~~Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari

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#103

Christianity is not about “right beliefs.” It is about a change of heart. It is about the transformation of ourselves at that deep level that shapes our vision (how we see), our commitment (our loyalty, allegiance), and our values (how we live).

— Marcus Borg

#104

“We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”-- Dr. Seuss

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#105

“Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”

― Elizabeth Barrett Browning-

#106

“Made for spirituality, we wallow in introspection. Made for joy, we settle for pleasure. Made for justice, we clamor for vengeance. Made for relationship, we insist on our own way. Made for beauty, we are satisfied with sentiment. But new creation has already begun. The sun has begun to rise. Christians are called to leave behind, in the tomb of Jesus Christ, all that belongs to the brokenness and incompleteness of the present world … That, quite simply, is what it means to be Christian: to follow Jesus Christ into the new world, God’s new world, which he has thrown open before us.” - N.T. Wright-

#107

“I cannot grasp the magnitude of the love of God existing in the same dimension as His mighty salvation, flowing in waves from it. Yes, He saves to the uttermost edge & His love reaches beyond beyond to the unspeakable.” -FineLinen-

“A primary quality of a life deeply centered in God is growth in compassion. This meaning is expressed in perhaps the most concise summary of Jesus’ teaching in the gospels. The verse, Luke 6:36, combines theology (what God is like) and ethics (how we are to live) in a few words: be compassionate as God is compassionate. God’s primary quality is compassion; therefore, a life centered in God will be compassionate. ” Marcus J.Borg-

“God loves us already and has from our very beginning. The Christian life is not about believing or doing what we need to believe or do so that we can be saved. Rather, it’s about seeing what is already true – that God loves us already – and then beginning to live in this relationship. It is about becoming conscious of and intentional about a deepening relationship with God.” M.J. Borg

#108

“Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.”-- Bell Hooks

#109

There are two words we must learn in relation to the God of glory.

#1 limited.

“You have limited the Holy One of Israel.”

#2 Exceeding.

…“exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or even think”

"My dear friend, clear your mind of can’t.” -Samuel Johnson-

#110

In all of living, have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured."-- Gordon B. Hinckley

#111

“But if God is so good as you represent Him, and if He knows all that we need, and better far than we do ourselves, why should it be necessary to ask Him for anything?” I answer, “What if He knows prayer to be the thing we need first and most? What if the main object in God’s idea of prayer be the supplying of our great, our endless need - the need of Himself?” -George MacDonald-

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#112

“You become like what you worship. When you gaze in awe, admiration, and wonder at something or someone, you begin to take on something of the character of the object of your worship.” - N.T. Wright-

“[Arguments about God are] like pointing a flashlight toward the sky to see if the sun is shining.” - N.T. Wright-

#113

“As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.”-- Mary Anne Radmacher

#114

“It is refreshing, and salutary, to study the poise and quietness of Christ. His task and responsibility might well have driven a man out of his mind. But He was never in a hurry, never impressed by numbers, never a slave of the clock.” - J. B. Phillips-

“If words are to enter men’s minds and bear fruit, they must be the right words shaped cunningly to pass men’s defenses and explode silently and effectually within their minds.” - J.B. Phillips-

#115

“The simple act of paying attention can take you a long way.”-- Keanu Reeves

#116

“Merely having an open mind is nothing. The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.”

― G. K. Chesterton

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#117

“A man’s real belief is that which he lives by. What a man believes is the thing he does, not the thing he thinks.” -George MacDonald-

“It is not the cares of today, but the cares of tomorrow, that weigh a man down. For the needs of today we have corresponding strength given. For the morrow we are told to trust. It is not ours yet. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear.” -George MacDonald-

#118

“Regardless of what is going on around you, make the best of what is within your power, and take the rest as it occurs.”-- Epictetus

#119

“Fight the good fight against ignorance, evil, thoughtlessness, and tyranny, but don’t sacrifice your happiness on the altar of activism. We are not here to improve the world so much as to be improved by it. It cannot be changed in any truly ameliorative and fundamental ways by our own efforts whether individual or collective. If you fancy it can be, then go ahead and learn the hard way, assuming you don’t make things worse.” BV

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#120

“You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern.” - J.B. Phillips-