Hope Through Christ -- Christian Universalist Ministry

Hope Through Christ

An Online Ministry Spreading the
True Gospel of Christian Universalism

"I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." ~ Jesus Christ, John 12:32

ATTENTION: Major changes will be made to this website by the end of March, 2008. The site will feature selections from Eric Stetson's new book, Christian Universalism: God's Good News For All People, which will be available in print by that time. Our links page will be cleaned up to remove dead links and to add some wonderful new links we have discovered. A very important new development in Eric's ministry is the creation of The Christian Universalist Association (CUA) in 2007. The CUA is an interdenominational, ecumenical organization for churches, ministries, and individuals who believe in Christian Universalism. It is a legally incorporated, tax-exempt non-profit organization, with a Board of Directors of 13 ministers, evangelists, professors and authors, including Eric who is the Executive Director.

Hope Through Christ is an online ministry promoting Christian Universalism, the Gospel of universal reconciliation of all souls to God through Christ. We believe that Christianity has been fundamentally misunderstood by most people as a religion that teaches eternal torment in hell for the majority of human beings, when in reality the original Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches a God of perfect goodness and love who would never make even a single soul suffer forever for sins committed during one mortal life. We are dedicated to showing both Christians and non-Christians the truth, that Christ came into this world to share a message of hope for all people, not to make us fear an angry god who will burn us alive for all eternity if we don't hold the correct religious beliefs or we aren't good enough to enter heaven immediately after death. Our goal is for as many people as possible to see the absurdity and perversity of the so-called god of traditional and fundamentalist Christianity -- and to come to see the the real Jesus Christ, savior of all souls.

To this end, we have created a website at Christian-Universalism.com that encourages people to look closely at their view of Christ and Christianity, and examine whether or not it matches the true Jesus Christ and the true Gospel revealed in the Bible and in our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit. Many Christians worship a false image of Christ which barely resembles the real Son of God. They believe Jesus Christ came to earth to warn humans about the eternal torments of hell, and to ask us to accept him as Lord to escape this ferocious divine punishment, a horrific fate beyond imagination that will befall every soul who has ever lived unless they professed faith in Jesus. The truth is, this view of God and Christ is not "good news" but a false gospel of terror and blasphemy -- an interpretation of Christianity that exchanges God for a sadistic monster. If Jesus Christ were here today, he would doubtless criticize the preachers of many churches the same way he faulted the Pharisees as overly judgmental, self-righteous men who taught lies about God.

It is not our intention to claim to have a full understanding of "true Christianity," but merely to point out some of the basic truths of the faith of Christ that have been covered up and mutilated by the Christian church throughout history. The most important truth is that God is good, good beyond our wildest beliefs. God wills for all to be saved, and being omnipotent, God will win the victory! In fact, God already has won the victory for all of us, with the life, death and resurrection of the historical Jesus Christ. It is through Christ that God has defeated the forces of evil, and with time this will become fully manifest in our world and all the worlds of God. Through the ages, God will continue to perfect every soul with the help of Christ, the first human being to be perfected in the image of the divine. Someday, with the help of Lord Jesus, we will all attain this perfection and enjoy full communion with God our Father -- yes, all of us, even the most hardened sinners. Nothing is impossible for God to accomplish, and he has destined no one for eternal separation and suffering. This is the true Christian hope, a glorious hope that can transform our hearts and transform the world. Here at Christian-Universalism.com, our hope is that we may reach a multitude of souls with the Good News, giving them Hope Through Christ beyond what they ever believed was possible.

Hope Through Christ Ministries was founded by Eric Stetson, a former fundamentalist Christian who has become a universalist and wishes to share his new view of Christ with others. Eric has gathered a wide variety of articles and resources from across the internet and organized them in the form of a comprehensive, categorized page of links called the Christian Universalist Index. Eric writes articles on various religious topics and answers important questions people have asked him in his Christian Universalist FAQ. Eric also runs a fellowship and discussion group for Christian Universalists and people considering this interpretation of Christianity. And he has an e-mail list to keep people informed about his ministry work, updates to his website, new articles he has written, and encouraging responses and testimonies he has received.

Two important projects are the Christian Universalist Churches Directory and a monthly newsletter about what's going on in the Christian Universalist movement. The Churches Directory, in particular, is a major undertaking that has never been done before, which has the potential to advance the cause of Christian Universalism in a very significant way.

Eric Stetson is spending a large amount of his own personal savings to finance advertising on search engines -- starting with Google and eventually to include Yahoo and others, if he has the resources -- so that whenever anybody searches for topics such as hell, salvation, Christianity, Jesus Christ, and more, they will see an advertisement with a link to Christian-Universalism.com. It is Eric's hope that other Christians will not have to go through a long, difficult process of struggling with fundamentalist doctrines and the fear of hell like he did, because they will find this website and quickly learn the truth of Christian Universalism.

I'm Eric Stetson, and my greatest hope is that others might find hope through Christ, in this life and the next, by recognizing the truth of Christian Universalism.

Ironically, I started this ministry because of the hopeless condition of my own life in this world. A few years ago, at the young age of 23, my health suddenly fell apart. I developed chronic fatigue syndrome, dizziness, panic attacks, and numerous other symptoms that reduced me to a shell of my former self. It was around the same time that I decided to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Contrary to my initial expectations that God would heal me because I had become a Christian, instead my health only worsened. I lost my job, lost my social life, lost nearly everything except my family and my faith.

As time went on and things didn't improve, I began to lose my faith. Even though I consulted doctors, tried alternative medicine, and prayed fervently for a cure, God was not allowing my life to return to normal. I became angry at God and wondered if I could still believe in the hopeful religion of Jesus Christ. As disappointment and doubt set in, I began to worry about my salvation: If God loves me, why won't He heal me? Was I really saved, or has God predestined me for hell, no matter how hard I try to be a Christian? I even wondered if I was possessed by demons who would drag me into a neverending hell when I die! I spiraled downward into deep depression -- and unfortunately, antidepressant drugs and other forms of treatment only made me worse.

It was only when I put aside my immature fundamentalist beliefs and found a new way of understanding Christianity that I was able to begin to rise above my suffering. I cannot say that rejecting the doctrine of eternal hell and embracing Christian Universalism completely restored my physical health, though it did gradually improve with time. What I can say is that realizing God's unconditional love for all people has helped me to overcome my fear of death, stop worrying about the salvation of my soul, and gain a greater degree of hope and faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord.

Being a Christian is a journey Being a Christian is often a difficult journey, a struggle to come to see God as He really is and to see oneself as a child of God, created in His image, who will never be forsaken no matter how bleak things may seem in the present moment. We must learn to trust in the goodness of God. This is the lesson of the cross. Christians are called take up their cross and walk the hard road -- but a road that leads to glorious spiritual heights in the end. It is a road that all souls will be asked to travel, whether in this age or the age to come.

As I have continued in Christian faith, I have been walking the difficult path of spiritual growth. I want to share with you a major milestone in my walk with Christ, a vivid dream I had on June 6, 2003. It was such a compelling vision that I wrote it down as soon as I woke up. This dream is a large part of the inspiration for Hope Through Christ Ministries.

In the dream, I was sitting on my bed praying to Jesus, hoping for his quick return. I asked him to show himself to me so that I'd really know he was risen and could gain a stronger faith, and would be one of the people saved in the rapture from tribulation and damnation. Suddenly, I looked up and saw Jesus standing in front of me. I said, "My Lord, my God!" and I asked him "What do you want me to do?" Jesus did not speak in response. Instead, I watched as his glorious form changed into the image of an alien being, which rapidly became a frightening-looking demon with red horns. Then the image dissolved. In place of Jesus there now stood a rod or staff. After I saw this, I got up from bed and went downstairs, where I found some hard-core fundamentalist Christians who were asleep. I aroused them from their slumber and began to share with them an exciting message of good news. Then the dream ended and I immediately woke up.

I knew this was a vision from God communicating something of importance to me, but for over a year I did not understand it. Why would I have seen Jesus changing into the image of a demon? Why didn't Jesus answer my question clearly, telling me in simple words what I was supposed to do with my life and my battered faith?

When I discovered the truth of Christian Universalism, I recognized that Jesus did in fact answer my question. He showed me how I saw him, how millions and millions of Christians see him: as an alien, demonic beast! Christianity has changed the real Jesus into a blasphemous image -- an inhuman Jesus, yes, even a satanic Jesus. As a fundamentalist Christian, I was seeing that same false idol, a "Jesus" who throws unbelievers and sinners into a fiery hell where they will be tortured forever. The real Jesus Christ wanted to show me this, and he wanted me to do something about it: to wake up and help wake up others who are deceived by religious doctrines, so that they can see him as he really is, a God of infinite love who is saving all souls.

God Drew Me Out Of Darkness. Eric's testimony of descent into religious despair and rebirth into the knowledge of God's love and hope for all people.
Articles by Eric Stetson -- on Christian Universalism and other religious subjects.

When people search for answers, what do you want them to find?

Who is God? Who was Jesus? Is there a heaven and hell? How are people saved? What does it mean to be a Christian? People are always asking questions like these. And millions of times a day, people all over the world get their answers on the internet. They log on to Google and other internet search engines and look for information about religion, Jesus Christ, Christianity, the Bible, churches and doctrines -- and they follow links to websites promoting all kinds of different opinions. Will they find the true Gospel of universal reconcilation, or pernicious lies about hell-fire and damnation that make God and Christ appear more like the devil? Will their faith in a loving God be strengthened or shattered? Will they joyfully come to Christ or turn away in revulsion?

This is partly under your control. Your monetary gift can ensure that the true Gospel will be prominently displayed on Google when people are searching for spiritual answers. One thing that's for sure is that plenty of popular websites out there promote the eternal torment interpretation of Christianity. Do you want people uncertain of their beliefs or studying the Christian faith to see an alternative viewpoint, Jesus Christ's Gospel of hope for all souls -- or only to find a bunch of traditional and fundamentalist websites telling them how God tortures people forever in hell if they don't follow the Christian religion?

Our ultimate objective is to advertise Christian-Universalism.com so much that everybody who ever searches for Christian information on the major internet search engines will always see our message prominently displayed and have the opportunity to click on our link. Doing this requires a lot of money. But because of the nature of search engine advertising, it is a highly efficient method of getting the word out for what we believe. We write our own ads, display them only on relevant keyword searches (with different ads targeted for different keywords), and pay only when someone actually follows the link to our website. Advertising a website on search engines is a simple and effective strategy with proven results.

Eric Stetson is willing to spend thousands of dollars of his own money to do this -- despite the fact that he is young and doesn't have much money to spare. Telling as many people as possible the hopeful message of Jesus Christ is worth every penny to him. In fact, it is his main motivation for living. If necessary, Eric plans to spend all his personal savings on this evangelism campaign until nothing is left, because he knows that money is spent most wisely in the service of the Lord. Eric also knows that every dollar spent on search engine advertising yields several clicks and visits to the site by people who are definitely interested in its subject matter. That's an investment with guaranteed return!

Your financial contribution can help keep this ministry project going. If there is no more money coming in, Eric will have no choice but to shut this website down when he exhausts his resources. You don't want that to happen, right? Eric trusts God and trusts you to help him share the true Christian faith. He is stepping out in faith for his convictions that God is good, that Christ is the savior of all people, and that this message is worth our personal sacrifice to share far and wide.

If you have benefitted from Christian-Universalism.com or you agree with the philosophy and goals of this ministry, we ask that you please make a donation right away so that we can continue sharing the hopeful Gospel of universal reconciliation through Christ. If we receive enough help in donations, we will be able to keep up our pace of approximately 30,000 unique clicks per year we have currently budgeted. Thirty thousand new visitors to Christian-Universalism.com per year is thirty thousand more souls each year discovering the truth of Christian Universalism -- people who are searching for information on Christianity and specifically choose to click on our advertisement. With your generous gift, we can keep reaching more seekers of spiritual truth, and maybe even expand our advertising plans in the future.

Even a small donation is a big help. For every $10 you contribute, approximately 150 people will visit Christian-Universalism.com for the first time. Out of those 150 people, how many will accept Jesus Christ as Lord, regain their faith, or be prevented from losing their faith in God -- all because they discovered that Christ taught hope for all souls, not eternal damnation -- by reading the information on Christian-Universalism.com? Your gift could have a life-changing impact on a large number of people!

If you donate $25 or more, you will receive a complementary subscription for one year to our new monthly newsletter, The Christian Universalist Connection (twelve monthly issues delivered to you by mail). Each issue is filled with valuable information about what's happening in the Christian Universalist movement -- information you will not find anywhere else, not even on this website. Simply enter your mailing address in the optional comments section after entering your credit card information, and we will put you on our list to receive the Connection. If you forget, we will email you after we receive notification of your donation from PayPal, and we will ask you for your address then.

You can donate online using any major credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover) or your PayPal account if you have one. All transactions are processed by PayPal with advanced encryption for maximum security. Please note, when you enter your credit card number it may require you to run the numbers together without spaces in order to recognize your card as valid. After payment is confirmed, PayPal will send you a receipt by email for your donation. It will appear on your credit card or bank statement as "HOPECHRIST" which is short for Hope Through Christ, the name of Eric Stetson's ministry. At this time, Hope Through Christ Ministries is a one-man operation, so your contribution is not tax deductible.

Eric Stetson pledges that 100% of your gift will be used for spreading the Gospel, not to line his own pockets. Eric lives a very frugal lifestyle in order to save his money for the work of Christ. Please do what you can to help!

Other Ways You Can Help

Regardless of whether you can help us financially, there are several other things you can do to contribute to our cause of spreading the Gospel of universal reconciliation through Christ:

Tell people about this website who might be interested. That includes friends, family members, co-workers, church members, and any other associates or acquaintances you think would benefit from a visit to Christian-Universalism.com or who might wish to help us.
Promote this website in online forums and discussion groups about religion/spirituality.
Link to http://www.christian-universalism.com on your own website, if you have one.
Sign our Guestbook and let everyone know how much you like our website and the message we are teaching.
Send us your story of rising above the fear of hell and growing in faith by discovering the real Jesus and the real Gospel of Christian Universalism. If we like your testimony, we may publish it on our testimonies page.
Pray for the success of this ministry. In particular, Eric Stetson asks that you pray for his health, because it is fragile and without it he would not be able to serve the Lord effectively.

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If you would like to share your testimony or make a donation by check or money order, please send an email to info@christian-universalism.com and tell us. Thank you, and may God bless you, in Jesus' name!

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.