Rating: 
Summary: Not theology, rather Chicken Soup for the Universalist Soul
Review: When you approach this book, do not expect a trace of solid argument. Rather than a book on theology, this is a subjective personal commentary.Summary: "God will save everyone because not only do I love this idea, that's just how I feel it should be." Period. Gulley and Mulholland fail to give any cogent, objective reason to accept the traditionally heretical doctrine of universal salvation. Most of the text relays irrelevant personal experiences interspersed with hopeful, emotionally charged, universalist statements. It is odd how every chapter begins with the same italicized sentence, something to the effect of "Why I believe God will save every person." Sorry but repetitiously wishing this mantra does not make it reality. Exegesis? Forget it. Some verses are thrown out there, but the authors even state that if you want a biblical basis for the doctrine of universalism, give it up because there are far too many verses which claim otherwise. So, what I want to know is - if the Bible is so untrustworthy, why even quote from it at all in attempt to support your thesis (even if eisegetically extracted)? Whilst repeatedly accusing Christian traditionalists of "self-absorption" (huh?), the authors' appear to commit the very crime they project by "re-creating" God in *their* own image - i.e., on their own terms. In other words, the subjective feelings and experiences of the authors are "the measure of all things", and from that initial point onward, not much else which could contradict their opinions matter. Incidentally, soteriology isn't even really tackled. Jesus is painted as simply being the good teacher who gives the best moral example yet somehow ended up suffering a nasty fate as a result, rather than the ultimate sacrifice for sin. (Re-read Isaiah 53 ?) Ultimately, I do not even understand how "Christianity" has any meaning or relevance at all within the authors' construct. This is not the tantalizing threat to standard doctrine I was expecting. "If Grace Is True: Why God Will Save Every Person" is unconvincing.
Rating: 
Summary: A Kinder, Gentler Bible Interpretation
Review: Writing for the general reader, the authors argue that the God of love is incompatible with the doctrine of eternal damnation. Salvation, they argue, is a transformation of the soul, being liberated from self-absorption, which has little to do with embracing any kind of orthodoxy, a Nicene creed, or some canned mantra. While I'm not sure where I stand on the issue of the afterlife, I found the book helpful in showing that biblical interpretation is a sort of Rorschach test. The God we pull out of the Bible often reflects our own biases and temperaments. For example, the authors say that the more mature they become, the more they see the complexities of human behavior, the more they replace their anger with love, the less they can believe in eternal damnation. Thus it is that the God that grows inside their hearts contradicts the notion of eternal perdition. As a result, they have evolved their interpretation of the Bible to exclude the idea of an eternal concentration camp for nonbelievers. They use several Bible passages to support their views and argue that not all scripture is equal. Scripture that defines grace, they assert, has more weight than scripture that defines God as a wrath-hungry Father displeased with his children. If I had to fault the book, the authors are too inclined to pick and choose from the Bible to come up with the God of their experience. As a result, the God of the Bible seems a bit sugar-coated and almost seems like wishful thinking on their part. On the other hand, I do appreciate a theology that rejects the idea of eternal damnation, which seems just as extreme, at the opposite pole, as does the candy-coated version of God.
Rating:
Summary: Yes, God loves ALL
Review: Yes, God does love all. That is why He provided His Son, and the gift of Grace given to us through that Son. I'm sorry that the authors diminish what our Savior did on the cross for them. I'm sorry that the authors don't know the same majestic and almighty God that I do: one of love and grace, of truth and wisdom, of holiness and righteousness, one who provided the ONLY way for sinful man to be with Him, which is through a gift of LOVE, the gift of salvation through Christ. What a well written, but feeble attempt to argue against the Way. Barb
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