{"id":37487,"date":"2017-12-30T08:40:10","date_gmt":"2017-12-30T13:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/?p=37487"},"modified":"2017-12-30T08:40:10","modified_gmt":"2017-12-30T13:40:10","slug":"a-credible-case-for-universalism-a-review-of-givens-and-givenss-the-christ-who-heals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2017\/12\/a-credible-case-for-universalism-a-review-of-givens-and-givenss-the-christ-who-heals\/","title":{"rendered":"A Credible Case for Universalism — A Review of Givens and Givens’s The Christ Who Heals"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"In their new book,\u00a0The Christ Who Heals: How God Restored the Truth that Saves Us<\/a>, Fiona and Terryl Givens make the case for how “the doctrines and scriptures of the Restoration have enriched our knowledge of the rock and foundation of our faith — Jesus Christ.” The book is a delight: The Givenses draw on a rich cast of characters — from spiritual leaders in the second century after Christ to General Authorities in the present — to map out the evolution of our understanding of the Savior. Each chapter explores a distinct aspect of our restored understanding of the Savior, and I was inspired again and again as I read (okay, listened to) this book.<\/p>\n

The final chapter, \u201cThe Saving Christ,\u201d expounds one of the boldest themes of the book. The Givenses make a credible case that every soul will have an eternity to work their way to exaltation. They suggest that “no loving parent would propose a plan that shuts the door of happiness to any of his or her children” and that “heaven isn’t a place we enjoy with other people; heaven is<\/em> eternal companionship with other people.” But how then can we have both a “familial heaven” where all our loved ones are with us and<\/u>\u00a0“the freedom to reject heaven?” They reject the false dichotomy of either God as a “sovereign deity of vengeance and wrath” who condemns most souls OR God as a permissive being who will “‘beat us with a few stripes’ and then award us all heavenly bliss.” Rather, they propose that the gospel supports a third view: “Our Lord is, rather, the persistently patient master teacher; he is the loving tutor who, devoted to his students, remains with us, staying after class for extra lessons, giving us individualized attention, practicing sums again and again, late into the night, for as long as it takes—until we master the material.” This, they propose, implies eternal progression — including progress through the kingdoms.<\/p>\n

They\u00a0marshal\u00a0some support from leaders of the Church:<\/p>\n