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Your question about churches that teach Biblical Christian Universalism is an important one, and I wish I could give you a better answer. The fact is, there is currently no denomination of Christianity that officially accepts universal reconciliation in its creed. The Unitarian Universalist Association is not Christian, so they don't really count -- though some Christian Universalists might find fellowship there, especially in a more traditional Universalist church with a minister who is oriented toward belief in Jesus Christ. Other than that, there must be many individual ministers who lead Christian churches across America and in other countries who are universalists and who would be open to teaching this view of salvation in their congregation, especially if Christian Universalists join their church and participate and get to know them. The problem is how to find them. My idea, which I have recommended to others who have written to me asking the same question about how to find a universalist Christian church, is that you should call a lot of churches in your local area and ask to speak to the minister, and ask a few basic questions as a screening process. Here are the three most important questions I would suggest using: 1. Do you believe in the universal reconciliation of all souls to God through Christ in the end, and that hell is only a temporary reformative chastisement for unrepentant sinners; or, do you believe in eternal damnation of some souls to a hell of never-ending torment, or total and permanent annihilation of some souls? If answer is "universal reconciliation" proceed to question #2.... 2. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Lord and is divine? If answer is "Lord, divine" proceed to question #3.... 3. Do you believe Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and historically rose from the dead as reported in the Biblical Gospels? If answer is "died on the cross, buried and resurrected" then the church passes the test. All three questions should be answered correctly for the minister to qualify as a Christian Universalist. If at any point a question is answered incorrectly, the church can be automatically eliminated from consideration and the interview need not proceed, so that it would not waste either your time or the minister's time. Which churches should you call? There are so many different churches! I would recommend starting by calling all churches affiliated with Disciples of Christ, United Church of Christ (UCC), Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, United Methodist, independent congregational churches, "reformed" churches, and perhaps also Episcopalian and Baptist if you enjoy a more traditional worship style. Universalist churches may be worth calling, but only if they do not include "Unitarian" in the name of the church. So far, I have found that Disciples of Christ ministers seem to be the most open minded to the idea of universal reconciliation while supporting standard Christian beliefs about Jesus. UCC may also contain many ministers who share the belief in universalism, since they tend to be a more progressive denomination -- but their politics are quite liberal, so this could be a turnoff for some people. If you decide to survey a bunch of churches in your area and you do find one or more ministers who answer all three questions correctly to be a Christian Universalist, please let me know. I would like to try to compile a list of churches friendly to Christian Universalism in various cities and towns across America and around the world, but I cannot do this without the help of willing volunteers who themselves are looking for a church in their own community. Good luck in your search for a church to attend that teaches the Good News rather than fire and brimstone! Peace in Christ, UPDATE! Christian-Universalism.com now has a Churches Directory. This is new and we only have 91 churches listed so far, as of early July 2006 -- but this is already the most you will find listed anywhere on the internet, and the list will keep growing as we discover more! If you know of a church in your area with a minister who believes in universal reconciliation through Jesus Christ, or you are willing to try to find such a church, please let me know. I would love to be able to add more churches to the directory as quickly as possible. Thanks for any help you can provide! Just contact me at the email address below.
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Christian Universalist FAQ -- Frequently Asked Questions
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Heavenly Father, please bless this ministry, lead multitudes to this website, and help them see the truth of Your love and forgiveness for all people through the power of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the whole world. Open their eyes to Your true nature, take away their fears, and fill their hearts with the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. |