The Inclusive God

This short, accessible and compelling book argues that an inclusive vision of God lies at the heart of Christian theology. Since the 1960s liberal theology has been driven by social justice issues and an ethic of tolerance. This has not been enough to check the rise of neoconservative theologies that now predominate in the Churches. Liberal theology now needs to stake a claim for the very identity of Christianity itself, showing how mainstream and inclusive values have always been a central strand of Christian thinking and represent the majority view.

Jesus was inclusive, forgiving and compassionate. It is unfortunate that many within the Christian community have distorted Jesus' message, leading to a version of faith that is divisive, judgmental and intolerant. Parameters are set that define people as worthy or unworthy, saved or unsaved. In bringing God's radical grace and love into the world, Jesus rebelled against any religious or social conventions that placed people into acceptable and unacceptable categories. Inclusive Christianity reclaims the authentic voice of Jesus, unclouded by the prejudices placed upon him by others. This compelling and progressive look at faith embraces a life modeled and taught by Jesus!a path that will transform you into the person God intended.

Fourth-generation fundamentalist Carlton Pearson, a Christian megastar and host, takes a courageous and controversial stand on religion that proposes a hell-less Christianity and a gospel of inclusion that calls for an end to local and worldwide conflicts and divisions along religious lines. In The Gospel of Inclusion, Bishop Carlton Pearson explores the exclusionary doctrines in mainstream religion and concludes that, according to the evidence of the Bible and irrefutable logic, they cannot be true. Bishop Pearson argues that the controlling dogmas of religion are the source of much of the world's ills and that we should turn our backs on proselytizing and holy wars and focus on the real good news: that we are all bound for glory, everybody is saved, and if we believe God loves all mankind, then we have no choice but to have the same attitude ourselves. Bishop Pearson tells the story of how he had gone from a powerful religious figure, once preaching to an audience of over 6,000 people, to watching everything he had built crumble around him due to a scandal. Why? He didn't steal money nor did he have inappropriate sexual relationships. Following a revelation from God, he began to preach that a loving God would not condemn most of the human race to hell because they are not Christian. He preaches that God belongs to no religion. The Gospel of Inclusion is the inspiring journey of one man's quest to preach a new truth.

In The Battle for the Trinity, Dr. Bloesch tackles the controversial issues surrounding the questions of God-language and their potential as one of the most divisive issues facing the church in the twentieth century. Should God be addressed as Father, Mother or Parent, should Jesus be referred to primarily as the Son of God or the Child of God, did God really reveal himself definitively in the person of his Son Jesus Christ? Bloesch contends that how we speak about God embodies the very core of Christianity and how we ultimately understand the biblical and historical meaning of the Trinity itself. The debates surrounding the Doctrine of God are many, and Bloesch urges the church to respond to the concerns of women that the sacred carries both masculine and feminine dimensions. Bloesch emphasizes that the God of the Bible is not described in masculine terms exclusively, and we err in our failure to recognize it. If Christianity is to remain genuinely ChristianÓ, these controversial issues must be dealt with in such a manner that will preserve the full historical and biblical understanding of the Trinity.

'Inclusive' is a term that is most closely associated with questions of human sexuality, but in relation to theology and to local church life it has many more dimensions which this book explores. Like so many others, the church of which Giles Goddard is rector was, fifty years ago, almost exclusively white, middle class and male-led. As the local community became more diverse, change was inevitable. Theology has followed rather than led this change and this book reflects on what inclusive theology is starting to look like in practice .Including stories of people who have either been instrumental in this change or who have stayed faithful through its various stages, it explores key questions for every local church: embracing the evangelical, orthodox and liberal and seeing beyond labels, treating everyone as equal before God, sharing leadership and responsibility, recognising that freedom needs limits, drawing people from the margins to the centre, and managing change. Theological reflection follows each story and an honest appraisal of the practical impact of change.

While this new Bible is certainly an inclusive-language translation, it is much more: it is a re-imagining of the scriptures and our relationship to them. Not merely replacing male pronouns, the translators have rethought what kind of language has built barriers between the text and its readers. Seeking to be faithful to the original languages, they have sought new and non-sexist ways to express the same ancient truths. The Inclusive Bible is a fresh, dynamic translation into modern English, carefully crafted to let the power and poetry of the language shine forth—particularly when read aloud—giving it an immediacy and intimacy rarely found in traditional translations of the Bible. The Inclusive Bible contains both the Old and the New Testaments.