BEYOND UNIVERSALISM...

There seems to be an unspoken agreement in much of Christendom that certain topics are 'sacred cows' - not to be questioned.  One such topic that is garnering a lively discussion lately (thanks to the upcoming release of Rob Bell's new book Love Wins) is hell.  I, for one, believe an atmosphere in which questions and open discussions are repressed creates a recipe for stagnation, and so I am thankful that the book is providing an opportunity for questions and the discussion of new ideas and perspectives. 

I had already been musing on the topic of what happens after death before the present fire-storm (pun intended) erupted.  Universalism, while a step in the right direction, still seems to me to be bound to the traditional concepts of heaven or hell in an after-life rather than as present realities. I wrote about my thoughts on death in a post titled Overcoming the Sting of Death.   And Logan Geen, over at A Sect Unto Myself submitted an excellent post titled Universalist? in which the reader is invited to explore beyond Universalism as commonly thought of.

In this "Death & Spirituality" interview from 1990, Bro. David Steindl-Rast provides a fresh and multi-faith perspective on what may happen after the death of the physical body.   Food for thought...fire for questions...and fodder for discussions...

What do you think?