Christian Universalism is as old as Christian Revivalism (Evangelicalism). Both understandings of the God plan of salvation have always been among us with the times dictating their relative popularity. The preaching of the Church of England Priest George Whitfield in the mid 1700’s began what has been named “the Great Awakening”.
In the
Whitfield congregation was the Rev. John Murray who, after hearing about the
universal God plan of salvation from James Riley, spoke up with questions and
was summarily excommunicated from the church, the kingdom of God or whatever,
who knows? Rev. John Murray went to America to share the greater atonement.
In America “The
Great Awakening” already had a head of steam and Jonathan Edwards was
preaching, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. The Rev. John Murray became an itinerant preacher
on horseback in New England, spreading his Good News. The vastly different gospels
were gathered from the same Bible* but one God plan was more marketable
considering the times.
The times
were hard for most of the people around the known world of circa. 1750. The
ruling classes were busy feathering their nests but the vast majority of peoples
were living on the edge of survival. Soon France would erupt into open revolt and
the guillotine before the end of the century. All the while, the established
clergy, of whatever flavor, took their cues from the ruling moneyed folk.
George
Whitfield, John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards all blamed the people for their own
lack of upward mobility and excusing God for the hard times. Desperate people will
buy into anything that offers a suave for their future. It is ironic that the
God suave was already in place for “the whatever” of life. Why all the fuss?
* “The
Universalist’s Book of References”, Rev. E. E. Guild, 6th Edition
reprint, Boston Publishing House, 1853.
G. Goslaw
Landers, Ca.
