Dear All,
Perhaps you can see mt attachment jpg - look at the bottom two books. One by Tom Greggs, the other coauthored by Eric Reitan. God’s Final Victory is extremely helpful
Best to all,
Chris
Cool, more good books to add to my reading list 
And then I’ll borrow them.
These books look useful, but insanely expensive 
Yea, you aren’t kidding! Had to receive these as Christmas presents from my wife! Hopefully T&T Clark will run Eric’s book as paper back in due time, though it still won’t be cheap. But as I said, I am really enjoying God’s Final Victory, and I really can’t think what an eternal hell sort can say in response (I.e. it is a pretty decisive case IMO). Not sure if it will be as strong against annihilationism (they discuss that in the final chapter, and I’m not there yet), nor was I convinced that a focus on a critique of a “plain reading” of scripture, in chapter 4, will engage all of the questions a lot of us are asking. That said, this one is right up there with Robin’s book in my view.
Great to see you again, Chris!
(Chris Tilling is how I was first got to know Robin Parry, back when he was writing as “Gregory MacDonald”.)
Is this the new Eric Reitan book we’ve been expecting, or something else?–because I sort-of thought Paternoster was doing the new book.
Hi Jason,
it’s good to hear from you too! To be honest, I am not sure whether this is Eric’s new book or not. It is co-authored, after all. But I find it difficult to believe that he has produced or will produce another major work next this. It really is extremely helpful and I know you will enjoy it. Maybe Eric was going to publish a book with Paternoster while Robin worked there?
Very best to you,
Chris
Incidentally, Chris, I’m currently reading Christopher Bryan’s book on the attitude of Jews and Christians (and especially Jesus) toward the Roman Empire, and some of what he says about the approach of OT prophets during (and leading into) the Diaspora reminds me of the title of “Living On Hope While Living In Babylon”.
(CB’s recent book last year on the Resurrection of Christ comes awwwwwwfullly close to universal salvation, as he himself is somewhat uncomfortably well aware. Not so much a topic in the book on Judeo-Christian attitudes toward Empire, but still the connection seems intriguing, as Christopher’s analysis does emphasize that during the dispersion God inspired the prophets to learn more about God’s hope for salvation of the Gentiles in surprising ways and to surprising degrees. A lot of OT references, and their NT applications, are cited that Christian universalists will be familiar with. I’m wondering if, from what you’re saying, York more directly appeals along that line of a cosmopolitan but critically hopeful attitude.)
Meanwhile–wait, I’m behind: Robin quit Paternoster??
Okay, yes this is Eric’s forthcoming philosophical argument for universalism, that we had heard was up for release last year. It did indeed come out Sept 11, 2011.
Not sure why I thought Paternoster was to be the publisher, but I was sure Robin was editing it for Eric (and for Paternoster).
Ow, yeah, around US$90 including shipping. For a book only 256 pages long that’s harsh, though for a niche technical book (in hardback) I guess it’s to be expected. I’ve ordered my copy, but now I wish I hadn’t ordered my copy of War in the Pacific: Admiral’s Edition.
this remind’s me has anyone invited Mr Reitan yet ?
Hi Jason,
I presume you have not finished reading this work yet, but I noticed in Talbott’s endorsement on the Amazon page that this work deals with the Argument from Freedom. I think it was Reitan in Universal Salvation: The Current Debate who outlined a response to this argument by using coins as a metaphor. If you recall, his response posited that a coin would eventually land heads up after thousands of years of flipping. I am not a philosopher at all (my mind burns out early on these things) but I think the argument is deficient in that Arminians propose that the coins will actually become “stickier” the longer they are shaken — that our hearts become increasingly stubborn the more we turn away from Yahweh’s call. This belief may seem weak (though it is not without some prima facie biblical evidence; 2 Chronicles 36:15-16, Proverbs 29:1, Hebrews 3:12-13, 6:4-7, 10:26-31, 12:14-17 for example) but it is a significant obstacle in my adoption of UR (especially “dogmatic” UR). I wonder whether Reitan and Kronen have engaged with this particular argument more fully in this new work. I probably couldn’t understand (or afford!) it, but I might make the effort if they did. Unfortunately I can understand the questions, but I fear I can’t understand the answers. Perhaps you could direct me elsewhere?
Godspeed brother,
Andrew
Hi stuartd, yes, we are in contact with Eric Reitan and working on setting him up in a dialogue about his book God’s Final Victory. You’ll see an announcement when everything is finalized.
Andrew,
I’m only about halfway through the book (I would have been all the way but I’m working through several books at once. 
) No, K&R haven’t brought up the coin flipping analogy yet; but, while I’m on a chapter of criticisms against UR, neither have they addressed the notion of people becoming intrinsically stickier on repeated choices. I expect it’s coming up soon.
They have talked occasionally about God hardening sinners’ hearts, but conceptually that’s different from sinners hardening their own hearts by habit beyond God’s ability to save them (or to prevent them from doing so beyond God’s ability to save them, if that’s even possible). I recall them talking a little about sinners hardening their own hearts, but not yet along the line of it becoming a habit that God is impotent against (or, alternatively, which God agrees to validate.)