Resources

Welcome to my recommended resources list!

The following are different books, films and websites that helped me on my journey. I hope it blesses you!

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An excellent book that compares four different perspectives of the teachings of the doctrine of hell and post-mortem punishment. Each perspective is represented by its own champion theologian and each does a great job to argue the merits of their viewpoint. Also, the editor ways in with his own perspective as well to look at the strengths and weaknesses of each person’s perspective and at the end of it all the reader is encouraged to prayerfully entertain which viewpoint they feel has the best argument. I highly recommend this if you are looking for a comparison of the various theological positions on the teachings of hell as you study Ultimate Redemption.

I love how Gregory MacDonald, a pseudonym for the author Dr. Robin Parry, approaches Ultimate Redemption from both a pastoral, as well as a theologian’s perspective. He does a great job of explaining the complexities of theology while helping the reader to condense these things into practical understandable concepts that leaves the reader with an excitement about sharing what they know about the gospel message through the lens of UR! Also, on a personal note, he was very kind and encouraging to me in my journey in both exploring UR and in writing my novel in our conversations through email.

David Artman is a minister with an excellent podcast called “The Grace Saves All” podcast. He does interviews with several of these authors listed on the resource page, as well as many more that are ministers and believers in ultimate redemption. This is a great book if someone is looking for and introduction to UR which also goes hand in hand with a great podcast.

This is my favorite novel of all time! I love Lewis’s style of storytelling. The Great Divorce, often referred to as a modern day version of Dante’s Inferno, is a story where Lewis finds himself at a bus stop in hell. He then boards a bus bound for heaven with the other ghost people who want to travel across to the other side with the idea of deciding whether they want to stay or not. During his ride he has several conversations with other ghosts whom he later witnesses having encounters with spirit people in heaven who are trying to help them become solid enough to stay. While in heaven, Lewis meets a spirit man named George MacDonald, his real life mentor or “master” as he would say, who serves as his guide throughout the rest of the story helping him to see the point of all he is experiencing. So Good!

I often say that William Barclay is my “spiritual grandfather.” He is hands down my favorite modern day theologian from the twentieth century with a extensive pedigree of scholarship second to none. There are even Youtube recordings of him teaching back in the 1970’s for those willing to manage through poor sound quality. With his thick Scottish accent coupled with gentle tones, I can imagine him reading his autobiography where he tells about his journey with Christ and how he states unapologetically that he is a convinced Christian Universalist. A short read, but a powerful one indeed! 

This man was an incredible teacher! My favorite of the church fathers. It is unfortunate that the Western Church sided with St. Augustine in his scriptural interpretations as opposed to the translation abilities of St. Gregory since Gregory knew the Greek language far superior to Augustine. St. Gregory was a brilliant man of God with a heart and passion for Jesus. He also believed in the teachings of Ultimate Redemption as he was one of the primary teachers of this doctrine. I highly recommend attempting to see scripture through Gregory’s eyes instead of Augustine’s. You won’t be sorry!

Another excellent 19th century scholar who shared his thoughts regarding Ultimate Redemption. Dr. Allin was an Anglican minister who challenged the Church of England in its teachings regarding hell and post-mortem punishment and pled with them for the acceptance of UR as the gospel message and that the victory of Jesus must be final and complete in that nothing can impair the power of his cross and passion to save the entire human race. Another great read to compliment Hanson and Ballou’s works! 

I enjoy Hiett’s approach. As a pastor, he speaks to the reader with the love and kindness of a minister. This little book is a great place to start your journey. Also, there are some great interviews with him and David Artman on Artman’s “The Grace Saves All"podcast you may want to check out. Definitely worth a listen.

A fantastic film! Kevin Miller is an accomplished writer and director who believes in Ultimate Redemption. Several of the authors on this resource page were in his documentary and offer great discussions on the tenets of UR. I loved it so much that I reached out to Kevin and he agreed to become the editor of my novel, “The Last Heart.” Kevin did a phenomenal job in challenging me to write the best version of my story and I am thankful to him for his wisdom and guidance!

Dr. Talbott brings both the perspective of a philosopher’s mindset with the kindness of a mentor in the way he delivers his words. Additionally, I love how he shares personal stories about his journey along with the philosophical and theological tenets of the UR perspective.

Brad Jersak is a friend of Kevin Miller and is one of the theologians featured in the “Hellbound?” documentary. He does a great job of working to blend theology, linguistics and church history in this book. I especially love his view of the Book of Revelation and how he ties it to the lens of UR.

Another great documentary! And it’s free! Directed by Steven HAuse, he interviews many of the authors on this resources page such as: Dr. Hart, Dr. Talbott, Kevin Miller, David Artman and many more!!! Here’s the description on his Youtube page. “This documentary explores the three major views on hell and God’s judgements that have been held by Christians throughout history: eternal torment, annihilation, and universal salvation. The movie emphasizes the idea that universalism is taught in the Bible, was a popular view held by many Christians in the early church, and makes the most sense of the love and justice of God.”

Get ready for the theological deep dive of your life! This book is incredible! However, prepare yourself and pace yourself as you delve into your study. It is literally a thousand pages of amazingness! It took me years of pacing myself to finally finish this gigantic tome, or as we affectionately nicknamed it in our house, “Big Blue.” Also, I know it’s expensive. One look and you may gulp as I did. It was my sole Christmas/Birthday/Father’s day gift the year I bought it, but I promise you it is a sound investment worth every penny. Dr. Ramelli is an incredible scholar whose depth of knowledge is beyond impressive in her ability to understand the field of Patristics (aka - the scholarly study focused on the ancient church fathers and mothers of Christianity), as well as her knowledge of ancient linguistics. I can’t recommend this book enough for those who desire deeper scholarship into UR!

George has an incredible voice! You may have heard him before and didn’t realize it. He is a trained voice actor, author, speaker and minister who has voiced many things from audiobooks to biblical translations such as Zondervan's 2011 revision of the Holy Bible New International Version. He does a great job in his book laying out the basics of how Ultimate Redemption works. A great place for someone to get started on their own UR journey. 

Dr. Ballou is another great 19th century theologian who ranks with the likes of Dr. J.W. Hanson who quotes him in his own books as well. This book gives a comprehensive exploration of the origins and evolution of universalist beliefs throughout human history and especially those of Christian universalism as well. I would definitely read his and Hanson’s works together as they compliment each others perspectives.

Gary Amirault was a good man with a heart for Jesus and a desire to share the truth about Ultimate Redemption. His website was one of the first resources that helped me in my own journey. He and his wife Michelle passed away a few years ago, but friends and fellow laborers of their website ministry picked up the torch and have continued to share the truth of UR. This site has a treasure trove of free resources available to help a person on their own journey. From books to articles, to videos and blog entries, there is a little something for everybody. I know they helped me in the beginning of my own journey and I’m sure they can in yours. 

An excellent Catholic theologian who truly had a heart for God. This is a great book for those of the Catholic faith who are open to exploring the possibility that Ultimate Redemption may be the truth. Father Van Balthasar shares through his perspective that hopeful universalism is perfectly acceptable even if one has not come to be convinced of it yet in their own journey. 

This was the second book I read in my study of Ultimate Redemption. I was blown away at the level of scholarship in its coverage of church history and ancient linguistics. It’s long and in depth, but if you’re looking for a deep dive it has an incredible amount of knowledge within its pages.

I love the way Dr. Hart thinks and communicates! He is an incredible wealth of knowledge as a trained theologian and philosopher. He also brings a wit and tenacity to any conversation and is unashamed to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ through the lens of Ultimate Redemption! He’s also great to watch and listen to on lectures and debates on Youtube and podcasts. I highly recommend you give him a listen and a read.

This was the first book I read in my ultimate redemption study. I had been a fan of Bell’s for years, particularly his “Nooma” teaching series. This is a great book that introduces the reader to excellent questions to get one started on their UR journey.

George MacDonald was a Scottish minister who pastored and taught the teachings of ultimate redemption. He taught through both sermons and fantasy novels. He passed when C.S. Lewis was about seven years old but Lewis often referred to him as his “master” as his novel “Phantastes” Lewis credits as being one of the major examples to him of the power of Christ. Essentially, MacDonald led Lewis to Christ posthumously through his writings. His series of Unspoken Sermons is an incredible wealth of knowledge and insight into how he saw Jesus and scripture and how he saw the gospel message through the lens of UR. Lewis was once quoted as saying of MacDonald’s Unspoken Sermons, "My own debt to this book is almost as great as one man can owe to another."

A fantastic novel! While this story is not a story specifically about Ultimate Redemption, Young paints a beautiful picture of God and his love for humanity that it goes hand in hand with the teachings of UR. I believe God used The Shack to prepare my heart for what he would teach me about UR to come and I would highly recommend Young’s novel as it gives amazing glimpses of what I believe to be the true heart of God. 

Dr. Purcell is a man after my own heart. He is a trained chaplain and counselor who understands the psychological trauma inflicted on those who have been taught to believe the traditional teachings of hell as a place of unending torment. As a fellow clinician, I have seen the ramifications of this as well. I highly recommend this book to help the reader see how the power of Ultimate Redemption can begin to heal this trauma when truth exposes error and light overcomes what has been hidden in the dark. 

Dr. Hanson was an incredible scholar in the nineteenth century! This is another great book of his that explores more in depth one of the primary Greek words whose mistranslation often leads to a misunderstanding of the teachings of the Bible regarding post-mortem punishment. A great tool that goes hand in hand with his other book listed above, “Universalism, the Prevailing Doctrine of the Christian Church During Its First Five Hundred Years.”

I love the heart of this man. You can tell from his book and his appearance in the “Love Unrelenting” film that he is passionate about Jesus and loving people. This is another great book to start you on your journey of seeking to learn more about Ultimate Redemption.