So it's a subject I've done a lot of research on before I ever read this book by Brad Jersak. So I didn't expect it to blow my socks off. But it did. Jersak is just so incredibly thorough here - I was floored by how deep he goes in his ex Hell was one of the first subjects I deconstructed when I went through my long questioning and deconstruction phase which, incidentally, turned me into a book addict.
Jersak is just so incredibly thorough here - I was floored by how deep he goes in his exploration of the language the King James translated as "hell". The chapter on Gehenna is the best treatment of the subject I've seen. How is this? How did the wicked escape the flames to a location outside the city gates? Are they the same wicked we read about earlier?
Or after the final judgment and lake of fire, were a new batch of wicked spawned somehow? Or is the lake of fire situated just outside the New Jerusalem?
But how can this be if there is no suffering, death, or sorrow in the renewed creation? Or are the lake of fire and the place outside of the city different visions of the same realities? The text is not the problem; it simply resists propositional systems of eschatology in favor of narrative development. In short, I feel that this book is a must have for the shelf of any theologian. Apr 28, Grant Klinefelter rated it really liked it.
A fascinating and well-articulated biblical theology of hell. While I may not land where Jersak does at the end, there were many aspects of this work I found compelling. And his tone and style of writing is always kind, gracious, and ecumenical. The final chapter addressing common misconceptions surrounding Christian universalism or hopeful universalism was phenomenal.
Also, I now want to read far more about the history of the Moravians and their theology. Sep 13, Ross Von Hausen rated it really liked it. Decently strong start, but personally I found the ending weak. While I appreciate that he at least tried to understand the pastoral concerns of Augustine, I do not believe his treatment of Augustine's speculation all that charitable and made it sound like Eternal Conscious Torment was entirely novel to Augustine. There are also a few places where Jersak's evangelicalism is still showing.
Such as his understanding of Purgatory which is woefully truncated, and gives the mistaken impression that pur Decently strong start, but personally I found the ending weak. Such as his understanding of Purgatory which is woefully truncated, and gives the mistaken impression that purgatory was solely concerned with punitive justice prior to Luther and the Catholic reformation. Overall though, I though he did a good job presenting the history of the ascent of ECT, and does bibical exegesis which calls into question such an interpretation.
He is determined not to contort, but accept them with all of their seeming contradictions. Aug 19, Ross Holmes rated it really liked it. Jersak does a very good job of presenting all the material, and reaches for tortured interpretations far less than a lot of other writers in this camp - he even provides some good correctives against common historical misconceptions frequently repeated among the universalist blogosphere Gehenna was a garbage dump; universal reconciliation was a majority opinion among early church fathers.
I think he goes a little astray in that he's not quite as above his biases as he tries to be; although he a Jersak does a very good job of presenting all the material, and reaches for tortured interpretations far less than a lot of other writers in this camp - he even provides some good correctives against common historical misconceptions frequently repeated among the universalist blogosphere Gehenna was a garbage dump; universal reconciliation was a majority opinion among early church fathers.
I think he goes a little astray in that he's not quite as above his biases as he tries to be; although he asserts frequently that many biblical texts about hell cannot be harmonized but must be allowed to exist in conversation with one another, he frequently undercuts this by trying to explain away texts which are frequently read in support of infernalism, even after saying that theologians must avoid doing so.
His arguments are fairly good, but his attempts at neutrality fall a bit flat. The imaginative parables and the section on contemplative prayer are a large part of what makes this book different from other, similar works, but I think that for its stated purpose they ultimately hinder it. The two demographics who will read this book are people who already side with Jersak, or people who will be actively hostile to his thesis. The latter are likely to latch onto these chapters as evidence that Jersak's theology is sentimental and unbiblical.
But where he does argue from biblical interpretation, I think Jersak does a phenomenal job. This is a very well-researched presentation of the case for universal reconciliation. View all 7 comments. Nov 22, Joel rated it really liked it. The standout for me was definitely the section on the Gehenna traditions. Placing Jesus as a student of Jeremiah was paradigm-shifting instead of only seeing the Enochic impact.
All in all an enjoyable book. Feb 08, Heatherjoy rated it it was amazing. And now I have the scriptural and theological legitimacy for that hope. Thank you Brad Jerzak for taking the time to so thoroughly work through scripture and church history to evidence why hope in the redemption of all creation is well-founded.
My only complaint is for the publisher - why pick cover materials that curl and lead to peeling plastic the moment someone starts reading?! Jul 04, Raborn rated it it was amazing. Brad is a friend and boy, oh boy, does he take you in-depth with this book. This is the most thorough treatment I know of the history of the Bible's use of the word Gehenna.
This book really challenges the traditional understanding of the final state of "the damned". Jul 08, Randy Baxter rated it it was amazing.
Best book on the subject of hell I have ever read. Apr 15, Mark rated it really liked it. The title for the book is a reference to Revelation , found as part of a passage describing a final judgment, and then the recreation of a new heaven and a new earth with a New Jerusalem.
In the Christian tradition I grew up in, the last few chapters of Revelation were taught as describing the final judgment, the annihilation of the wicked, Satan, and demons, and then a new earth populated by the saints. This book challenges that view, as well as infernalism the more popular idea that the The title for the book is a reference to Revelation , found as part of a passage describing a final judgment, and then the recreation of a new heaven and a new earth with a New Jerusalem.
This book challenges that view, as well as infernalism the more popular idea that the sinners suffer in hell for eternity.
But it also does not endorse an unqualified view of universalism. This book shows how all three views can be found in scripture: taught by Jesus, the apostles, found in the gospels, in the epistles, and in Revelation. Readers of this book are challenged to question all assumptions they might hold regarding judgment, hell, salvation, and the afterlife. Bradley Jersak shows how the Bible is multivocal in communicating all the aforementioned perspectives as possible outcomes.
The conclusions that I understand Jersak making are first, hell is a possibility, but an eternally lasting one is quite unlikely from the scriptural evidence. Annihilation is also a possibility, and perhaps more supported in scripture than eternal conscious torment. While both of these are possibilities, Jersak concludes that in the end, when the love and mercy of God is fully seen, unclouded by sin, all will choose to be saved.
This is the most hopeful scenario and which seems to best fit the ultimate desires of God for the world and humanity. This is not the same as unqualified universalism in which all are saved regardless of their desires, but rather, that when God is seen without the blinders of sin, all will choose life. On the question of whether this is just and fair, the Addendum at the end responds to it. To this, I would respond: If your only reason for being a Christian is to avoid hell, I wonder if you have ever encountered the love of our precious Savior… If our only reason for being a Christian is to avoid hell, we will probably not only go there; we may be there already… I conclude with this exhortation to examine our hearts on this question: What is us needs the traditional infernalist version of hell?
What purpose does it fulfill? Is it our carnal sense of justice as payback or an even darker Schandenfreude? If anything needs purging, it is that. In exchange, I believe God has called us to surrender our self-assurance for a much broader and deeper hope. Wherever you might be on the journey of understanding what happens after this present life, this book will challenge your assumptions and beliefs.
It will show new but ancient ways of understanding a concern held by all who have lived and died holding to the faith of Jesus Christ. May 02, Christan Reksa rated it really liked it. A fun and readable discourse and research related to how Judeo-Christian tradition sees hell as time goes by, and reaffirming my belief deep down that I decided to hide for quite a long time, that I believe the Christian eschatological view should see love and hope trumps all desire for destruction, annihilation, and torment.
Through this book, Jersak aptly documented how the word translated as "hell" in our current English and Christian lexicon was supposed to be very diverse and have different A fun and readable discourse and research related to how Judeo-Christian tradition sees hell as time goes by, and reaffirming my belief deep down that I decided to hide for quite a long time, that I believe the Christian eschatological view should see love and hope trumps all desire for destruction, annihilation, and torment.
Through this book, Jersak aptly documented how the word translated as "hell" in our current English and Christian lexicon was supposed to be very diverse and have different meanings and consequences.
In no way should we translate them strictly as a place where eternal torment will await those who are "not Christian". Instead, we ought to see them also from historical-prophetic view that is actually more in line with what Jesus saw in His time through a reading of Jeremiah prophetic tradition, while also maintaining a close attention of the apocalyptic and eschatological tradition of how the Bible sees the "end of times" and the transition from the Old Age to the New Age.
The last two chapter was the most touching for me, as Jersak affirms the deep hope against hope that "Her Gates Will Never Be Shut" just as the deep reading of Revelation that closes our Bible iterates. Deep down, I realized that my coming back to Christian faith was not out of fear of hell as I had pretty atheistic view in my "exile" from faith , but rather out of the deep hope that permeates the Christian teaching of universal salvation that can only be possible through the Triune God's work in Jesus Christ's birth, life, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
This book might take a while to be read if you want to cross-reference to the many Bible verses mentioned here, but if you are a devout Christian with curiosity of the eschatological discourse beyond "eternal torment in Hell for the heathens", this book is worth to read. Sep 07, Ali M. A thorough study of the Scriptural basis for apokatastasis universal reconciliation from the perspective of a committed evangelical speaking to others in his wheelhouse—i.
Protestant tradition has been looking at relevant verses since He peels away the layers of translation that have oversimplified the matter in recent centuries, and unearths the messier, many-voiced understanding s of restorative justice at the heart of both the Old and New Testaments.
As someone who is decidedly not in the evangelical camp any longer, I didn't need to be swayed on the topic of UR, but I am super interested in how it's gradually becoming a more mainstream topic in the very circles that once considered it taboo. Jersak's book is an excellent resource for anyone looking for a non-dualistic, Biblically coherent perspective on eschatology that moves beyond the internal inconsistencies of infernalism and annihilationism.
Jul 11, Callie rated it it was amazing. Thorough, decidedly non-dualistic, rooted first through scripture then through vast, diverse, nuanced tradition and history, and grounded in hope. It read like a balm for a troubled soul.
Sep 30, Tristan Sherwin rated it it was amazing. The way in which he takes on important, but not easy, topics and presents them in a clear and concise way speaks volumes of the time he has taken to earnestly grapple with them.
And this book is no exception; as Brad takes on Hell. Is there a Hell to come? Is it an eternal punishment, or a case of instant annihilation? Is it purgative, or punitive? Brad does an excellent job of reviewing the biblical texts which have been used to scaffold both the Infernalist and Annihilationist visions of Hell.
Both books will challenge, shape, and stir your heart with the portrait of God that they present. Well done Brad! Jan 23, Sara rated it it was amazing Shelves: philosophy-ethics , theology. If you've ever questioned how infernalism belief in eternal torment could be consistent with the nature of God, this book is for you. Jersak's survey of teaching and beliefs about hell takes readers through the most relevant passages of the Old and New Testaments, with a few short but significant stops in ancient and modern church history.
I've never seen such an honest grappling with eschatological possibilities. In genuine humility, he asks: "What could this mean? Also, many of Jersak's insights into the final chapters of Revelation are cause for curiosity, or even hope.
Highly recommend. Jan 30, latinabooklover rated it liked it. Informative This book offers options for hope instead of Destruction. I for one have done a complete in the way I believe.
I have gone from fearing the possibility of hell to understanding God's love for me, and living life fearlessly more so now than in the past. He is the author of Can You Hear Me? Bible Software. Books and Courses. Does Logos offer payment plans? Download Logos. Publisher: Wipf and Stock. ISBN: Be the first to rate this. Add to cart We'll take you to your cart at ebooks. Reviews Latest first. Sign in with your Faithlife account Sign in Register.
Robert P. This book is a good introduction to universal reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Universalism was the prevailing doctrine for the first years of the church. The Schaff-Herzog Encyclopaedia of Religious Knowledge says this: "In the first five or six centuries of Christianity, there were six theological schools, of which four Alexandria, Antioch, Caesarea, and Edessa or Nisibis were Universalist; one Ephesus accepted conditional immortality; one Carthage or Rome taught endless punishment of the wicked.
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Email required Address never made public. Name required. God's justice reforms all things—even hell—to the way He intended: wholeheartedly delighting in Him together, Shalom! Website Built with WordPress. Follow Following. Reforming Hell Join other followers.
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