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If God is love, why are so many Christians fearful, and why do so many church leaders sound hateful? Two controversial pastors address issues the church won't face, calling us to restore grace as the center of the Christian life. o In If Grace Is True, Pastors Philip Gulley and James Mulholland revealed their belief that God will save every person. They now explore the implications of this belief, and its power to change every area of our lives. They attempt to answer one question: If we took God's love seriously, what would our world look like? Gulley and Mulholland argue that what we believe is crucial and dramatically affects the way we live and interact in the world. Beliefs have power. The belief in a literal hell where people suffer eternally has often been used by the Church to justify hate and violence, which contradicts what Jesus taught about love and grace. The authors present a new vision for our personal, religious, and corporate lives, exploring what our world would be like if we based our existence on the foundational truth that God loves every person. Gulley and Mulholland boldly address many controversial issues people in the pews have wondered about but churches have been unwilling to tackle. For too long, the Christian tradition has been steeped in negativity, exclusion, and judgment. Gulley and Mulholland usher us into a new age--an age where grace and love are allowed to reign.… (more)
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It's a beautiful sermon, at it's core, about the kingdom of God, and about how we are to approach others the way God would us.
Like their previous book, Gulley and Mulholland write together in a singular, first-person voice that smoothly transitions from personal anecdotes to more formal philosophical concepts with ease. Also, the book is well written, with an engaging, almost conversational, tone.
Also like the previous book, a significant part of this text is a counter-argument to a certain type of firmly-rooted, traditional theology that views God as a judge who is certain to punish evil. Here, the book moves beyond the argument of ultimate salvation and damnation to consider expected punishments in this world. At every turn, Gulley and Mulholland suggest a God who is more inclined to love, encourage, and forgive than one who wishes to smite and condemn.
Implicitly, there are two main sections of the book. The first half, roughly, explores the consequences of such graciousness for personal faith development. The second half then considers how such a vision of divine graciousness should impact our involvement with larger systems: the institutional church, politics, economics, and justice. While the first section is necessary for the second, the second is the stronger part of the book, when the authors really turn their attention to the more practical realities of trying to live gracefully and lovingly in a world which expects, and sometimes even demands, confrontation, determined self-interest, and fear in order to function the way it does.
There is much to value in this good-humored book. Even if one still believes that divine justice sometimes requires punishment, it is worthwhile to imagine that God is more often a nurturing and supportive parent who celebrates our accomplishments and growth and is as likely to laugh at our stupidity and ignorance as smite us for our mistakes. Beyond this, it is good to expand our ideas about God’s grace beyond only matters of salvation to God’s consistent dealing with all of creation.
Still, there are limitations to this book. The anecdotal style, while inviting, does not allow for these issues to be fully explored in any sense. At times, Gulley and Mulholland seem to hopscotch through their argument and analysis, rarely expanding their ideas to their fullest extent, and rarely considering counter-arguments to the consequences of such ideas. As such, the book usually only skims the surface of these issues.
As a popular introduction, though, “If God is Love” is quite useful, if only to counteract the persistent belief in God as the ultimate “heavy” who seeks first to punish. This consideration of the practical consequences of divine grace and love deserves attention from people of faith, particularly in a world that seems to defy such grace and love.