The Inescapable Love of God

by Thomas Talbott

Book Overview

Will the love of God save us all? In this book Thomas Talbott seeks to expose the extent to which the Western theological tradition has managed to twist the New Testament message of love, forgiveness, and hope into a message of fear and guilt. According to the New Testament proclamation, he argues, God's love is both unconditional in its nature and unlimited in its scope; hence, no one need fear, for example, that God's love might suddenly turn into...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1625646909
• ISBN13: 9781625646903
• Release Date: November 2014
• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Length: 254 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Cool water for a blistered soul

God, thank you for Dr. Talbott. I struggled and still am struggling with so much fear of hell and eternal torment. Fear and despair have been seared deeply into my soul and though I know the truth, it will take time for it to settle in my heart. This book is great for those whose ears and minds have been trained to read eternal torment into the Bible. It will build a logical framework for re-interpretting those "hard saying" passages and escaping the Calvinist or Arminian mindset. I recommend you pick it up today!

Finally, someone who thinks like me!!!

After acquiring a degree in Biblical & Theological Studies at a college that is steeped in the Calvinist/Arminian debate, I found myself unable to accept either theological position. While I appreciated the importance of God's sovereignty espoused by Calvinists, I could not accept the way they developed it, which seemed to create a God more interested in his own "glory" than in the wellbeing of his children. I could not worship a God who created people simply to send them to hell. On the other hand, the libertarian free will upon which Arminians insist seems necessary, but results in a rather ineffective or unloving God. Did he not foresee that so many humans would end up in hell? If not, how wise could he be? If so, why did he create in the first place? [Example: I would not have a child if I knew s/he would suffer for a lifetime, and if I "though [I am] evil" would sacrifice my desire for a child for the good of that same, as-yet-unconceived child, "how much more [would our] Father in heaven" forego creating people if he knew they would suffer eternally (idea based on Mt. 7:11/Lk. 11:13)?] If the "traditional" understanding of hell is true, I see no way of getting around these issues, and Mr. Talbott seems to appreciate this dilemma. I found myself thinking, "YES!" as he objected to assumptions that go all but unquestioned by the majority of Christians. In other words, he really thinks critically about Christian doctrine, rather than simply swallowing certain aspects of it without considering potential problems and contradictions within then. Fortunately, there is a way to maintain both God's ultimate sovereignty and human freedom... and simultaneously affirm that all will be saved! Mr. Talbott puts forward a number of strong arguments, though he certainly does not exhaust all the biblical passages that we must exegete before decisively deciding the case. One of his first points is well taken, however: We can find verses that, at least from a face value reading, support Calvinist, Arminian, and universalist positions. Both Calvinists and Arminians must interpret challenging passages in a way that will allow them to hold consistenly and logically to their belief. There are surely passages that speak of the salvation of all people, so why is universalism any different? In fact, it may be the simplest to defend, since the Arminian "proof texts" show that God desire to save all people, and the Calvinist texts show that he is able to accomplish his redemptive purposes. These competing doctrines have done a significant portion of the work for universalists, since universal reconciliation simply affirms the core tenets of both doctrines! Talbott rightly insists that we at least place universalism on the table in this area of debate. I had hoped that this book would delve into more biblical passages that seem to support the doctrine of eternal/everlasting damnation. But Talbott focuses instead on building a positive case for univ

The Dark Underbelly of Protestant Theology Exposed

After witnessing 9/11 firsthand, I reflected on my faith with many others in NYC, while criticizing Islam for believing that non-Muslims were "infidels" worthy of death. My non-Christian friends responded "Youu Christians say the same thing - believe in Jesus, or burn in hell forever". Well, yeah, but we try not to think or talk about it too much. (Not an acceptable answer) This led to hours of biblical study and reflection, which culminated in finding this book. I believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, the reality of hell, and the ultimate and universal Triumph of Christ over Hell, Death and Sin. Talbott lays out this belief in a way that is strongly biblically supported and rigorously (!) logical. He also lays out the historical reasons for the theological ascendency Augustinian/Calvinist doctrine, with it's Biblically dubious doctrine of "limited atonement" (wherein Christ asks that you love your neighbor, but He Himself may not if they are not "elect".)This is not a "tree-hugger" book. This is a book for serious Christians and seekers of all types who have difficulty reconciling their personal experience of God's Character with the implications of mainline Protestant theology.Is God both All-Loving and All-Powerful? A robust and well-argued "Yes!"

A powerful Scriptural and logical defense of Universalism

I have spent most of the past year reading everything I can find on the Internet on the subject of Universal Reconciliation. But nothing has given me more food for thought than this beautiful book by Tom Talbott. Talbott argues against the doctrine of eternal hell from two points of view here: scriptural and philosophical. His scriptural argument is based primarily on Paul's epistles. The book of Romans, which I had previously thought was a stronghold of Calvinistic thinking (or Augustinian thinking, as Talbott refers to it), turns out to support the belief that God has predestined ALL to be conformed to the image of His Son! It is startling to see how we have overlooked so many verses and mis-read others, based on our preconceptions. Talbott also addresses other passages of scripture that appear to teach a doctrine of eternal punishment. He shows how every theological position (in this case, Calvinism, Arminianism, and Universalism) has its pile of verses to use as proof, and its pile of verses to be "explained" or perhaps "explained away." And he shows that we cannot simply toss proof-texts at each other, but must also think about the overall meaning of Scripture. The fundamental questions that need to be answered are: is God loving and fair? Is God powerful enough to bring His will to pass? What is God's desire for His creation? Only after we have answered these questions can we have a basis for understanding one passage of Scripture in light of other passages.The chapters in which he argues from a logical or philosophical standpoint are fascinating. For example, he completely disarms the popular argument that says, "Well, yes, God is loving, but He is also just, and His justice requires Him to send sinners to hell, even though He wishes he didn't have to." Talbott shows that it is impossible for love and justice to be in opposition to each other. And he demonstrates that those who teach predestination actually do not take seriously the fact that Love is God's defining characteristic. His thoughts on justice are powerful and thought-provoking. In fact, he will force you to reconsider what justice actually requires. (For example, how does punishment undo the damage that sin or evil or a crime has caused? What would it mean to actually repair the damage of sin? What is God's motive in punishing sin?Another compelling argument that Talbott presents is the idea that it is impossible for God to love any individual and bring that individual to a state of happiness without also loving and providing for everyone s/he loves. If I am saved, but my child is lost, how can I be happy and at peace? Is it imaginable that God can remove my love for my child? Or that He can keep me in ignorance of my child's fate? Or that He can cause me to forget that I ever had a child? And the more people I love and the more deeply I love them, the more miserable I would be in eternity, if any of them were lost

SUPERB

I find this book a superb overview of the Christian case for belief in the ultimate victory of the love of God -- over every trace of sin, pain, death and hell. Talbott is a philosophy professor in a secular university, but he is also a Christian who knows the Bible and church history extremely well. He shares his own journey from traditional belief in eternal loss to his belief that in the end (which is in a sense the beginning) God's love will prevail and no one will be lost. Rigorous thinking, careful research, excellent writing.